When she finished, she placed her fork down carefully, as if afraid to disturb a spell.
“Thank you,” she said. “No one has ever… shared a meal with me like this.”
David signaled the waiter. “Please pack two meals to go. Something warm and filling.”
The waiter nodded sympathetically.
“Lily,” David said slowly, “do you and your mom live nearby?”
“In the old apartment next to the laundromat,” she replied. “But… they’re raising the rent again. Mom says we might have to leave soon.”
A knot formed in David’s stomach.
He was a successful businessman… yet here sat a child whose entire life could be changed with less money than he spent on a single business lunch.
But he didn’t want to act impulsively. He didn’t want Lily to feel like a charity case.
When the waiter returned with the meals, Lily hugged the bags to her chest.
“I should go,” she said softly. “Mom worries when I’m late.”
David stood as she did. “Let me walk you out.”
They stepped outside into the cool evening. Lily turned to him, her eyes glistening under the streetlights.
“I hope… I hope you have someone to eat with too, Mr. David,” she said innocently. “You look like you’re lonely sometimes.”
