Chapter 15 Alex
ALEX
Igripped the steering wheel as I pulled into Ben's parking lot. He'd called first thing that morning, asking me to come discuss the offer we'd make to Darren. Before leaving, I'd texted Gillian and Bella to let them know I'd be over in an hour or so to pick up Bella.
Ben was on the phone when I arrived, his silver hair catching the light from the window behind him.
He waved me in and pointed to one of the leather chairs across from his desk.
I sat, my leg bouncing as I waited. Ten years of working together on family matters had taught me to trust Ben's judgment completely—I just hoped he had a solution that would make this nightmare go away.
After a minute, he hung up and set his phone aside. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem. I appreciate you fitting me into your schedule,” Alex said.
“Of course. I’d do anything for you. We’ve been together for a long time.”
Ben set a tidy folder in front of me. “Take a look. Darren relinquishes parental rights to Peter and Bella. In exchange, you provide a lump-sum payment.”
I swallowed, nauseous. “And then it’s done?”
“As done as we can make it.” Ben slid his reading glasses higher on his nose and tapped the top sheet.
“Because of his history and the nature of parental rights, the language needed to be airtight. I’ll coordinate with the clerk and a guardian ad litem to make sure we’re not leaving any seams he can pick at later. ”
I exhaled, feeling as if I’d been holding my breath for days. “What do you need from me?”
“Nothing except patience.” Ben folded his hands. “I need another few days to put everything together. I want to make sure he signs. I’ll call him and ask him to meet us here at the office at the end of the week. We’ll be prepared whether he shows up cooperative or combative.”
I closed the folder, my fingers resting on the smooth cover. “God, I hope this works. I keep thinking about Mattie. She’d be devastated to know he’s come back into our lives.”
Ben’s mouth softened. “We’ll take care of this one way or another. Try not to worry.”
“Thanks, Ben.”
“Take that pretty Gillian out for a date. Hang out with the kids. Keep your mind off all of this.”
“Yeah, okay. I just may do that.”
I stood, shook Ben’s hand, and walked out into the summer morning.
Before heading out, I sat behind the wheel, palms loose on the leather.
How ironic that, after all the searching, Darren was back, causing all the trouble Mattie and I had worried about for years.
But he’d been gone for so long, I’d started to believe we were in the clear. I should never have let my guard down.
Ben was right, though. I needed to think about something else besides Darren. Gillian deserved my attention without the drama of my family. I’d plan something special for her—just the two of us. Maybe take her somewhere?
I turned on the engine, warming to the idea. A few days away would be good for both of us.
I arrived at Gillian’s a little after ten. She came out to greet me, wrapping me into a warm hug.
“You okay?” Gillian asked, looking up and into my eyes. She wore a pair of leggings, sweatshirt, and a baseball cap. No makeup. Morning Gillian, I thought. I wanted more of it.
“I’m okay. Ben’s handling things but it’ll take a few days. In the meantime, I think we should have some fun. I want to take you away. What’s your work schedule the next few days? Could you get anyone to cover you at the studio?”
“Possibly. I could make some calls. My schedule’s light in the summer, since I follow the school schedule. No classes for the littles. I only have my adult classes, so I can probably line someone up.”
“Only if it doesn’t stress you out?”
She smiled, adjusting her cap. “The idea of spending time with you doesn’t stress me out. The opposite.”
“I hope it remains that way.” I pulled her against me for a quick kiss. “You look darn cute this morning, Miss Horton.”
“I haven’t even showered yet.”
“Well, you smell good anyway.”
She laughed and took my hand, leading me into the house and back to the kitchen. “You want coffee?”
“You’re an angel. Yes, please.”
“You still drink it black?” Gillian asked.
“Sure do.” I looked around the kitchen at the sunlight pooled against the tile. She had the French doors to her modest patio open, letting in the scent of roses and lilies. A half dozen cleaning supplies were on the counter next to the sink.
“Where are the girls?” I asked.
“Upstairs getting dressed,” Gillian said as I settled at the kitchen table. “They want to go to the beach this afternoon.”
“I could be talked into that. We could go to my beach. Have a picnic.”
“You and Seraphina, with your own beach access,” Gillian said lightly, setting a mug of coffee in front of me. “If I weren’t so well-balanced, I might be envious.”
“My beach is your beach.” I drew in the nutty scent of dark brew before taking a sip and asked her about the cleaning supplies on the counter.
“My pipe’s leaking. I called the plumber, but he can’t get out here until tomorrow.”
“Let me take a look.” I got up from the table and knelt next to the cabinet under the sink.
She’d put a bucket under the dripping pipe and a wrench lay on its side.
Droplets of water jeweled the joint. Using the wrench, I tightened, tested, tightened again until the drip surrendered. “Okay, all good now.”
“You’re my hero.”
I straightened, wiping my hands on a towel. “I’d like to be that person you call for things like this.”
“What’re your fees like?”
“Very steep.” I pulled her to me, kissing her.
“How many kisses is fixing a leaky sink worth?”
“I’ll let you know when you reach the right number,” I said before kissing her again.
“How about a muffin?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Muffins. Is that what you call them?”
She laughed and punched my chest. “I’m going to ignore that.”
“You can’t blame a guy for flirting, can you?” I returned to the table and my mug of coffee.
She placed a muffin on a plate and brought it over to me. “I guess not. But the girls will be down in a minute, so we should behave ourselves.”
I sipped my coffee, which had already cooled, but I kept that to myself. Grace would immediately get up and pour me another if I said anything, and I didn’t want her to feel like she had to wait on me.
Footsteps thumped overhead and giggles spilled down the stairs. Grace and Bella tumbled into the kitchen, both dressed in shorts and a tee.
“Can we go to the beach later?” Grace asked. “All of us?”
Bella’s eyes flicked to me, hopeful. “Please?”
I looked at Gillian. “Can you get off work?”
“I’m going to text Mary and see if she can teach my afternoon Pilates class,” she said.
“Really, Mom?” Grace asked. “You never do that.”
Gillian shrugged. “Someone suggested we have some fun today.”
I raised my hand. “That was me.”
“Mom never takes days off,” Grace said, smiling at me. “This is awesome.”
“I think a day off on a beautiful summer day is just what I need,” Gillian said.
“We’ll have Sonya pack us a lunch,” I said. “We can bring the boogie boards.”
Gillian met my eyes over the girls’ heads. “Let’s do it. But no boogie boarding for me. I’ll just watch.”
“Why?” I asked. “Afraid to get your face wet?”
“Mom’s kind of afraid of the waves,” Grace said.
“You are?” I raised both eyebrows. “How come?”
Gillian flushed, rolling her eyes. “It’s sort of dumb but, when I first moved here, I took a surfing lesson, thinking I’d be good at it, given my dance background.
I was not good at it. In fact, I almost died during my second attempt to get up on the board.
A riptide took me out to sea and I had to be rescued by a lifeguard.
It was mortifying. And, as my head pounded into the sand, it occurred to me, more so than it ever had before.
I was all Grace had. I could not die learning to surf. ”
“But sometimes people can’t help but die,” Bella said, looking down at her muffin, a lone tear traveling down her cheek. “They don’t want to go, but cancer doesn’t care. It just takes them anyway.”
“Oh, Bella, honey, I’m sorry,” Gillian said. “That was very insensitive of me.”
Bella looked across the table at Gillian. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I wish I wasn’t this way.”
Grace moved her chair closer to Bella’s so their forearms were touching on the table. “You don’t have to pretend with my mom or with me. It’s okay to be sad and to miss your mom.”
Bella leaned her head against Grace’s shoulder. I had to look away as tears sprang to my eyes. Grace was so much like Gillian. So open and sensitive. Bella and I could do worse when it came to new best friends.
The path to the cove threaded through dunes and humming beach grass.
Our boardwalk skimmed the dunes, planks warm under my feet as grasses hissed in the breeze.
I'd had it built to keep the sand in place—low and simple, just enough to protect the slope.
Our little cedar cabana waited where the path met the cove, gray with salt and fitted with louvered doors.
Inside were hooks and cubbies, a crate of rolled Turkish towels, sunscreen, a first-aid kit, and racks for the boards.
Sailcloth stretched from the eave to a discreet windbreak, throwing a wedge of shade over two low chairs.
Peter grabbed boards for all three of them and they took off for the water, boogie boards tucked under their arms, whooping as they plunged into the surf.
I slid the cooler into the built-in and dropped the canvas bag on the bench. For a moment, I stood, taking in the way the light sparkled on the water like a handful of silver dimes.
“They forgot about lunch,” Gillian said.
“I guess they’re not hungry.”
“They will be after a bit,” Gillian said, laughing. “And return feral.”