boy I care about. I see now I should have knocked first.”
I lifted my eyes from the page.
“Mr. Collins did this?” Eli asked.
Jenelle blinked. “I didn’t know.”
That time, I believed her.
A familiar voice sounded from the sidewalk. “I owe you an apology, Carina.”
Mr. Collins stood near the mailbox in his rain jacket, twisting his cap between both hands.
Eli straightened. “Mr. Collins?”
The older man looked at him with gentle eyes. “Morning, kiddo.”
I lifted the note. “You put all this here?”
“Yes, ma’am. Two church volunteers and I. Before sunrise.” He glanced across the umbrellas. “I didn’t give anyone your address. I brought them myself because I drive Eli home.”
“Then why not call me?”
He swallowed. “I came by last night, but your lights were out. Then I got carried away. People kept saying, ‘That boy deserves to know.’”
Then
