I was staring into the freezer trying to decide which of Zane’s meals to eat, when the doorbell chimed. I glanced at the clock as I let the freezer door swing shut. It was twenty hundred hours, and I wasn’t expecting anyone. Senses on alert, I walked toward the front door. I opened it and peered through the crack before yanking the door all the way open and staring in disbelief.
Brandon looked tired. There were dark circles underneath his eyes, and his skin appeared sallow in the porch light. His hair was a complete mess, and I could see the grooves where he’d run his fingers through it often. He was hunched over on himself, making his already small frame even smaller. But still, when he looked up at me, he tried for a smile.
“You s-said I could c-come.”
“Yes,” I answered fast, hating t
