Jack came back in from telling Allison Gray goodbye. The silence grew thick after Jack shut the door. Ben went to his bedroom to do homework, and Jack’s gaze was on her before he glanced at Charlie.
“Charlie, we need to talk.”
She looked up in surprise and started to rise and leave. Jack shook his head. To Charlie, he said, “You asked Ms. Gray here to help Erin, didn’t you?”
Charlie stood up and smiled sheepishly at her and then at his dad. “Yeah. Ms. Gray’s so nice, I figured Erin might like her.”
“So you asked Erin to dinner?”
He shrugged. “It seems kind of silly for her to eat out there all alone anyways. I mean, she lives here, doesn’t she? Plus, I thought Ms. Gray could help her.”
Jack put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Look, Charlie, I approve of the thoughts you had. I like kn
