“Oh, sweetheart.”
She crouched, but I stopped her gently. “He’s blind. His name is Benny.”
Her hand froze. “Can I touch him?”
“Let him smell you first.”
“Oh, sweetheart.”
Benny sniffed her fingers, then leaned into her hand.
“Hi, Benny,” she said softly.
Christopher shifted beside her. “Vic, we were already sorting this out. You don’t have to get involved.”
She stood. “Then tell me what happened.”
My old instinct rose immediately.
“You don’t have to get involved.”
“It’s really…”
I stopped myself.
“No. Actually, it isn’t nothing.”
His jaw tightened.
“I came in because I felt faint,” I said. “I ordered a coffee. Christopher told me Benny could only stay if I spent at least $30.”
“It’s really…”
Victoria closed her eyes for a second.
“Christopher.”
“It was a judgment call.”
“You promised me you were done making those kinds of judgments about people.”
