Jonah tried to smile.
Lucy said she had heard him arguing with the landlord on the telephone the night before.
She promised she could quit the astronomy club to save money.
Jonah told her she was not quitting anything.
He carried her project through the snow while she described a model of Saturn that had collapsed during lunch.
When they reached their apartment, a yellow notice had been taped to the door.
The landlord demanded payment within five days.
Jonah read it twice.
Then he folded it and placed it in his pocket before Lucy could see the amount.
Inside, the refrigerator held half a carton of milk, a jar of pickles, and three eggs.
Lucy put her science project on the table and pretended not to notice.
Jonah made scrambled eggs and gave her the larger portion.
He sat opposite her with a glass of water.
At seven that evening, someone knocked on the door.
Evelyn Shaw stood in the hallway without her briefcase.
She carried a paper bag from a grocery store.
Jonah immediately said he had not asked for charity.
Evelyn told him Arthur had sent no money.
The groceries were from her, and she had bought too much food for one person after a long day.
Jonah recognized the same gentle lie he had told the old man.
He stepped aside and let her in.
Chapter Five: The Offer
Evelyn sat at the kitchen table while Lucy worked on her damaged model of Saturn.
She explained that Arthur wanted Jonah to attend a meeting at the Bell Meridian office the following morning.
Jonah asked whether he was being offered a job.
Evelyn said that was not the purpose of the meeting.
Arthur needed someone willing to tell the truth about what the company had been doing in Millbrook.
Jonah pointed out that he had no expertise in corporate property transactions.
Evelyn said he had firsthand knowledge of the people who would lose their jobs.
She added that Arthur intended to pay him for his time as an independent community consultant, with a written agreement and no expectation that he would say what Arthur wanted to hear.
Jonah asked whether the arrangement was legal.
Evelyn smiled for the first time.
She said it was an excellent question.
She placed a draft agreement on the table and encouraged him to have someone else review it.
Jonah read every line.
He asked why a company worth millions needed a waiter to explain the meaning of losing a paycheck.
