Maybe it was just Soh's relationship with her best friend, but she'd never thought of him as overly anxious. A little shy, perhaps, a little withdrawn - he always let her take the lead in social situations, for example - but Soh knew that she could get him to smile, and laugh, and open up, perhaps in a way that no one else could. And that was her Jude, the real Jude, and she wished that Harper could see more of that than the self-conscious, worried son that he knew.
But Soh was glad for Harper's openness, and she stopped him as he went by to the living room for a tight hug. "You can talk to me about anything," she said. "I can handle it, I promise." Maybe it was a silly thing to say to someone who was basically like a father to her, but she wanted him to know that she could be there for him, too, just like he was there for her.
Releasing him, she turned back to the pancakes, scooping out a couple onto the griddle to cook. She kept an eye on the pancakes, waiting for the batter to start to bubble up before she could flip them, perusing the scrapbook with the appropriate oohs and aahs and giggles at various pictures. "Aww!" she exclaimed at the dragon picture, a fond smile on her face. "That is precious."
But Soh was glad for Harper's openness, and she stopped him as he went by to the living room for a tight hug. "You can talk to me about anything," she said. "I can handle it, I promise." Maybe it was a silly thing to say to someone who was basically like a father to her, but she wanted him to know that she could be there for him, too, just like he was there for her.
Releasing him, she turned back to the pancakes, scooping out a couple onto the griddle to cook. She kept an eye on the pancakes, waiting for the batter to start to bubble up before she could flip them, perusing the scrapbook with the appropriate oohs and aahs and giggles at various pictures. "Aww!" she exclaimed at the dragon picture, a fond smile on her face. "That is precious."
