Alex #2
That goes directly to the heart of things.
“Eloise adores her.” A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth.
I think about the past month of afternoons at the vineyard, family dinners, and countless small moments that never felt forced.
Josie has never tried to impress Eloise.
She’s never treated her like an obstacle or a responsibility.
She’s simply made room for her, even as she’s made room in her life for me.
Or at least I hope she has. It still eats at me that we’ve not yet talked since the will reading.
“You care about her,” my mother notes.
I set down my fork and look across the table. There is no reason to pretend otherwise. “Yes. Very much.” The admission feels strangely easy. “I haven’t been this happy in years.”
Suspicion creeps back into her eyes. “What family does she come from?”
I suppress an eye roll. I already know where this is heading. “She comes from a good family.”
“Have you looked into her background?”
I shake my head. “You’re not running a background check on her.”
My mother’s expression becomes cautious rather than defensive. She genuinely believes she is being practical. “You don’t know everything about her.”
“I know enough.”
“Allistair—”
“No.” I keep my voice calm because arguing won’t accomplish anything. “She’s not interested in my family’s money.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Because she doesn’t know it exists.”
That earns her full attention.
“She has money of her own. She has a career she loves. She has a life here. She’s not looking for someone to take care of her, and she certainly isn’t looking to join the Toronto social scene.”
We eat in silence for a little while, and as I’m finishing, I glance at my watch and realize how much time has passed. Eloise’s Saturday schedule waits for no one, and she takes those routines seriously.
“I need to get going so I can take Eloise to dance.”
My mother dabs her mouth with a napkin and nods as though she has been expecting that. “Perhaps Anastasia should go along as well.”
I sigh. “Sure.”
That seems to placate her, and she pays for our breakfast and we walk back to my car.
The drive home from the restaurant feels longer than usual.
I spend most of it talking about Paradise because I still want my mother to understand why I stayed.
I point out Black Bear Winery on the hillside and tell her that’s where Josie works.
What starts as small talk in the car gradually becomes a description of my life.
Back home, the front door barely closes before Eloise comes running toward me. I crouch and catch her as she throws her arms around my neck. Usually she arrives talking a mile a minute, eager to tell me about whatever has happened while I was gone. Today she just clings to me instead.
“Hey, bug. Are you ready for dance?”
I pull back to see her face, and something immediately feels off. Before I can ask, my attention is pulled toward the living room. Zara is in the doorway, her bag by the door. Anastasia appears behind her, looking uncomfortable enough that she won’t quite meet my eyes.
Something happened while I was gone.
I straighten and look toward Zara. “Would you mind taking Eloise to dance?”
“Of course.”
The tension leaves Eloise almost immediately. She wriggles down to the ground. “Will you be here when I get back?”
I pull her in for a hug. “Without a doubt. You and I are doing something special this afternoon, remember? Do you still want to visit the vineyard?”
She nods. “I want to see Josie.”
That immediately makes me feel better. “Okay.”
While Eloise gets ready, I follow her and Zara upstairs to help where I can.
The familiar routine gives her something comfortable to focus on, and before long she’s chatting away about dance class and the vineyard again.
As I tie her shoe and help gather the last few things she needs, I become aware of quiet voices coming from the kitchen.
I look up at my daughter. “What happened while I was gone?”
Eloise freezes, tears in her eyes. I pull her close. “Don’t worry about it now. Whatever happened to get you upset, we’ll talk about it later, and I’ll make sure everything is right.”
She gives me a fragile smile. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too.” I pick up her bag and hand it to Zara. “You and Zara go to dance, and I’ll talk to Gran and Anastasia.”
She nods. We all walk downstairs, and a few minutes later, Zara and Eloise head out together. Eloise waves, and I wait until the front door closes behind them before turning my attention back to the kitchen.
When I enter, my mother and Anastasia stand near the counter speaking softly. Neither of them looks in my direction.
I look directly at Anastasia. “What happened?”
Her eyes fill with tears. “My daughter doesn’t like me.”
I’ve known Anastasia long enough to recognize this pattern. Whenever something is uncomfortable, her focus always shifts to her feelings.
I keep my voice even. “Eloise doesn’t know you well enough to have an opinion.”
Her mouth drops open. “That isn’t fair.”
“Fair?”
She folds her arms across her chest. “You have no idea how difficult this has been.”
I stare at her for a moment, trying to understand how we arrived here. She is talking about difficulty while standing in a house she voluntarily left years ago. “What do you expect? What is it you actually want?”
For a moment she looks away. When she finally answers, her voice is barely a whisper. “I want my family back.”
I study her and think about Eloise. I think about the life we’ve built here. I think about everything that was abandoned and everything that was rebuilt afterward.
Suddenly everything in me is boiling. I can’t be here right now, not when I’m this angry. One wrong word, one raised voice, and suddenly I’ll be the unreasonable one.
I need to go for a walk, putting as much distance between myself and this house as I can while I force myself to think like a father instead of a man who’s furious.
“It’s too late,” I tell her. Then I head for the front door.