Albert nodded slowly, tapping his hand lightly on the counter for a moment. Sam was troubled, but he was Jamie's closest friend. He didn't begrudge Sam's feelings, Albert had read the boy's journals, and saw the steady increase and flux of emotional volatility. Even though things were tense in his own home, at least he was confident that his children felt like they were part of a family and respected.
Sam had been given to a pair who didn't grow and shift into a family, and it couldn't be easy.
...
That didn't mean his outbursts and volatility were a joy to behold, but Albert could understand.
He'd never found common ground with Sam, and perhaps that was for lack of trying but it was difficult to balance what he knew, and what he shouldn't know, and harder still to look a bitter kid in the face, and pretend that he was wrong.
He blew out a deep breath, poking his head first into the doorway, then smiled quickly at the slaughtered pizza box. "Impressive." He brought up his hand in a small wave in Sam's direction. "I'll be out of your hair in a second, I just wanted to say hi. I was just going to offer to order you something, but- uh- obviously that's unnecessary."
Albert was struggling, and he tried to push past it. He and Laura had just discussed Jamie's friendship with Sam the night before, and came out on very different sides. It was hard not to picture her disapproving face the moment she walked through the door, and he resolved to call her once he disappeared into the study. "School? Did it suck today?"