Samantha and I stared at each other, not saying anything. I glanced at my watch again, then back at the sad-eyed little girl who’d yet to say a word at all. With a sigh, I kneeled down before my niece. She had a ratty teddy bear in her arms and she hid behind its head a little when I faced her.
“Hi, Samantha, my name is Martin.” I held out my hand to shake her tiny one. Slowly, she slid her small palm into mine.
“Now,” I continued, “I need to get to work, and I can’t leave you here by yourself. We’re gonna have to figure out what to do with you all day. Do you understand?”
Samantha nodded. I knew she was trying to be brave, but she seemed about to cry. I couldn’t handle tears right now. Time to move things along. I locked the door behind me, then collected her stuff. “Give me your hand,
