Sam looked at him carefully. He hadn’t been expecting praise.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t get used to it, though. Praise is few and far between around here, at least for a while. But just keep doing good work, keep busting your ass, and things will pay off.”
They entered a small room similar to a cafeteria, except that the stove was right next to the long table. There were a couple of guys huddled around it. He recognized McCready and a few from the day before.
“Found one of the rooks, Mac,” Buckner said as he sat down at the table.
“And he got here early, and brought his uniform today,” McCready said with a smile. Sam couldn’t help but grin back. For a second, he felt like he was part of their group. And then the long haired guy said, “Well, ain’t he special!”
“Leave him be, Haley,” Mc
