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reading.”
    Scotty’s face screwed up with distaste. “I wouldn’t like that. I hate to read.”
    “I used to hate it too, but now it’s easier. Do you play any sports?”
    “Just baseball with some of the other kids here. There’s no money for Little League or anything like that.”
    Nick ached listening to his easy acceptance of the hand life had dealt him. Talking with Scotty brought back memories of his own lonely childhood, spent with a grandmother who’d never missed the opportunity to remind him that there were other things she’d rather be doing than raising her son’s child.
    “Do you play any sports?” Scotty asked.
    “Just some pickup basketball here and there at the gym. I used to play a lot of hockey. I was pretty good at that.”
    “I’d love to play hockey, but it’s really expensive.”
    “Yeah, it can be.” Nick recalled how grateful he’d been the year his father sent enough money for him to play. “So this seems like a nice place to live.”
    “It’s okay. One of the kids in my class at school is in foster care, and he has to move a lot. I wouldn’t like that.”
    “You probably have more of a chance of being adopted here.”
    “Nah, everyone wants babies. They go fast. The rest of us have each other. It’s kind of like having thirty brothers and sisters to fight with.”
    He was so matter of fact that Nick realized the child had stopped hoping anything would ever change.
    Mrs. Littlefield appeared at the door. “I guess you can see why we call Scotty ‘The Mayor,’ Senator,” she said with a smile. “He’s never met a stranger.”
    “He’s an excellent tour guide,” Nick said, earning a grin from the boy. “The next time the Sox come to Baltimore or Washington, what’d you say I get us a couple of tickets to a game?”
    Scotty’s eyes widened. “For real?”
    “Sure. I’d love to take in a game with another Sox fan.”
    “But how would I get there?”
    “You let me worry about that. You just take care of doing really well in school, okay?”
    “Okay! Thank you!”
    Nick stood up and shook hands with the boy. “It was great to meet you, Scotty.”
    “You too, Senator. Thanks for coming to see us.”
    “It was my pleasure.” It had been, Nick realized, the most pleasant half hour he’d spent at work since he took the oath of office. With one last smile for the boy, Nick followed Mrs. Littlefield from the room. “What a delightful kid.”
    “He’s the heart and soul of this place. The other kids follow him around like the Pied Piper. I don’t know what we’d ever do without him.”
    “There’s really no chance of him being adopted?”
    Mrs. Littlefield sighed. “Unfortunately, the older he gets the less likely it becomes. But not to worry, we’ll take good care of him until he comes of age.”
    “And then what? Who’ll take care of him then?”
    “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Senator. He’ll be an adult.”
    “I apologize for my tone. It’s just that I was thrust out on my own at eighteen and found the world to be a rather harsh place for an ‘adult.’”
    “I understand what you mean, and I can assure you that Scotty will have plenty of adults to call on should he encounter any difficulties. My staff and I are quite fond of him.”
    “I have something I’d like to send him. Would it be possible to get his last name and the address here?”
    She wrote the information on the back of her business card and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
    “Thank you.”
    They reached the front door and Nick shook her hand. “I appreciate your time today, Mrs. Littlefield. I’ll have a chat with the people overseeing your grant and see what we can do about getting it renewed.”
    “We’ll appreciate anything you can do, Senator.”
    “I’ll be in touch,” Nick said on his way out.
    Tony held the car door open for him. Once inside the car, Nick looked back at the building. From an upstairs window, Scotty watched him leave. Nick glanced down at