Luke chose his words carefully. "Yeah. He finally had to go through my garbage to get my fingerprints for Daddy Kraft to run."
Kendle was horrified for him, at the invasion of his privacy, and Luke threw her a grin. "He got a mud bath for it. Ruined his four hundred dollar shoes."
She grinned back, almost stealing his breath at her innocent beauty. It was a good moment for him and he memorized it studiously, from the muddy tennis shoes sitting by her bare feet and the face that was great without makeup, to the sound of water lapping and a rock falling somewhere nearby.
"Did he cry?"
"No, but it was close. One of the best days I've had here." He looked away. "Until you came."
Her mouth opened and he tensed for questions he knew he'd at least try to answer.
"It's really bad, right?"
Luke met her eye, prepared to have it happen now, before he got anymore attached than he already was. "Yes."
Kendle studied the eyes that waited, expected no mercy.
When she spoke, Luke felt her words reach the cold, barren part of his heart he'd been carrying for most of his adult life.
"That was the old world and it's gone. The people here may not believe it, but I do. You're no longer that man."