From the Ashes by Daisy Harris Page B

running around.”
    “Running around?” Jesse forced back an overeager Chardonnay and stepped out onto the landing. He eased the door shut behind him. “I got the feeling Tomas was kind of a homebody.” He didn’t know Tomas all that well, but that had been Jesse’s first impression.
    “Tomas?” She laughed. “I don’t know. He comes over so Mom’ll feed him, but he works a lot.” She bit her lip, as if she wasn’t sure whether to say the next thing on her mind. “But, y’know…sometimes he kind of disappears.”
    “Oh.” Not like Jesse had room to judge, but he hoped Tomas wasn’t involved in something bad, like drugs. He didn’t think Tomas was, though. Most likely, Tomas got tired of trying to pretend to be something he wasn’t.
    “I don’t want you to think he was a slut or anything.” Maria held her hands palms up, advancing until Jesse backed up a step. Her face was the picture of earnestness. “I’m sure he really likes you. He wouldn’t mess around behind your back.”
    “Um…” It was so weird having this conversation with Maria, considering Tomas wasn’t officially out. Jesse couldn’t help but wonder if Maria and Tomas ever spoke this frankly, or whether Maria saved her character assessments for strangers. “He seems very nice.”
    “He is.” Maria nodded like a bobblehead. When she did that, her eyes wide and innocent, she looked really young. “I mean, he just gets lonely sometimes, right? Like he said at dinner.”
    “Yeah. I guess.” Jesse shrugged sadly. Maria had no idea. Tomas probably felt lonely all the time, even more so when he was around his family. They were boisterous and involved and living right next door. And they didn’t really know their son.
    “But now he has you, right?” Maria smiled encouragingly.
    Jesse wasn’t sure what to tell her. She seemed so sweet, and he was grateful to have an ally in the family. But Maria acted like she wanted him to be the answer to everything. All the lies and half-truths and uncomfortable issues around the dinner table. Jesse could barely take care of himself.
    “We just met.” Jesse rubbed his arms. It was cold outside, and he’d left his jacket on the couch. He wanted to give Maria something, though, to let her know he was on her side. “But I like him a lot.”
    Maria narrowed her eyes. “You tell me if you need anything, okay?” She stared him down, her expression almost exactly like her mother’s. “With the family, I mean. Diego is all bark, and he’s not good for Tomas.”
    Jesse covered his smile with his hand. Maria was tiny, maybe five-two, but he could imagine her tearing Diego a few new orifices.
    “I’ll keep that in mind.” Part of him wanted to invite her inside, maybe have a cup of coffee and find out more of Tomas’s secrets, but Jesse wasn’t ready to let Tomas’s family into his life. Not even Maria. “Um, I’ve got a paper…” He clicked open the porch door and backed into the house.
    “Yeah, sure.” Maria cocked her head to the side. Maybe it was Jesse’s imagination, but it seemed like she was waiting for an invite.
    He wished he could give her one. He really did. But Jesse had lost his home twice now. He couldn’t risk getting kicked out again.
    “You’ll come around to eat again soon, right?” She patted the dogs as they rubbed against her legs.
    Jesse frowned. He had no choice. “Yeah. Not tomorrow. Me and Tomas are doing dinner on our own. But some other time.”
    “Okay.”
    He could tell she wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but that was going to have to suffice.
    “See you later?” Jesse gave her a weak smile through the glass of the back door.
    “Yeah.” Her lip quirked up on the side. “You be nice to my brother.”
    Jesse nodded, because he didn’t trust himself to say anything, and shut the blinds.

    The upscale pet store sold all sorts of toys and types of dog food Tomas couldn’t in a million years imagine buying. With the grainy smell and the world