18. Alex
18
Alex
Lena must have sensed his tension, because she quickly added, "Not like he's trying to be mean, but like... like he's trying to decide if I'm good enough."
Alex's grip on the wheel tightened until his knuckles were white. "Has he said anything that made you uncomfortable?"
There was that shrug again. "He says I need to learn better manners at the table because I talk too much." Lena's fingers worried the fabric of her dress. "Mommy made me dress up to meet him and she even let me wear makeup."
"Makeup?" Alex couldn't keep the shock from his voice. "You're eight years old."
"Mommy said I needed to look my prettiest. She says appearances matter to Daniel."
Every parental instinct Alex possessed was screaming in alarm. What kind of man criticized an eight-year-old for talking? What kind of mother put makeup on her child to impress a boyfriend?
As they approached the timeshare condos, Alex noticed the darkened windows of Melissa's unit. He checked the dashboard clock: 9:27 PM. Melissa had insisted Alex have Lena home by 9:30 PM, so where was she?
"Looks like your mom's not back yet," he observed, trying to keep his tone neutral. "Do you know where she went tonight?" Why hadn't he thought to ask? She'd said it was an emergency because Adeline had the night off, and if he didn't want Lena to spend the evening with him, that she'd take her over to the resort and put her in the childcare service Carpe Diem offered their patrons.
"Is she with Daniel tonight?" he asked, far too belatedly and of the wrong person. He needed to work on his dad skills, and fast. He did not like the sound of this Daniel guy.
"Prolly," Lena said with the resigned knowledge of a child who'd been through this routine before.
Alex parked in the visitor spot nearest to Melissa's condo. "We can wait in the car until she gets back. Do you want to climb up in the front seat with me?"
Lena unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward over the console. "I know the code to let us in," she said, hoisting her backpack up onto her shoulders. "Mommy says I'm independent enough to have it this year."
Alex clenched his jaw to keep from saying something inappropriate, and they both climbed out of the truck.
Lena unlocked the front door of the condo with the practiced ease of someone who did so routinely. Alex followed her inside, flicking on lights as they entered.
The space was immaculate and expensively furnished—white leather furniture, glass tables, abstract art on the walls—all sleek, modern, and utterly impractical for a vacation with a child.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, following Lena into the kitchen. "Did you get enough to eat at Juno's?"
"I'm okay," she said, opening the refrigerator, anyway. Over her shoulder, Alex could see that it was stocked with pre-packaged gourmet meals, green drinks, some exotic fresh fruit, and several bottles of wine. Not a single kid-friendly treat in sight if you didn't count the pineapple, dragon fruit, and kiwis that would require an adult to prep for her.
Lena closed the fridge and trudged into the living room, Alex on her heels. She flopped down on one of the white leather sofas looking completely forlorn.
"Why don't you get ready for bed?" Alex said, his stomach in knots. "It's getting late."
Lena's face fell. "Do I have to? Can we watch TV while we wait for Mommy?"
"Alright," he relented. "One show, then bed."
Her face lit up, and she jumped to her feet and hugged him. "Really?"
"Yes," he said, taking her by the shoulders and steering her toward the hallway. "But first, brush your teeth and put on your pajamas. While you're doing that, I'll find something for us to watch."
"Deal!" Lena darted off and Alex texted Melissa. We're here. ETA?
Then he headed into the kitchen to get him and Lena a couple of glasses of water. Was it okay for her to be drinking water this late? Would she wet the bed? "Stop being such a worry-wart," he told himself, then headed back to the living room with the bottom-heavy tumblers on a small tray. He couldn't help thinking of Juno and her tray of delicious treats that morning.
If Melissa didn't get home soon, he'd have to let Juno know that he wouldn't make it back to her place when he'd said. And any later than that was probably too much of an ask. He knew she'd been up well before dawn this morning.
He did not want to cancel on Juno. He needed to talk to her, to explain. He needed an ally, he realized.
He turned on the enormous flat-screen TV mounted on the wall just as Lena came scurrying back into the room, dressed in pink kitten pajamas and fuzzy socks. Tucked under her arm was the large stuffed ladybug he'd sent for her birthday in May. When it took him too long to figure out the remote, she offered to show him how to use it, then she deftly navigated to a streaming service with the expertise of a child raised on digital entertainment.
Alex settled his bulk onto the too-white sofa, feeling out of place among the pristine furnishings. There was an enormous clock on the wall beside the mantle that marked the minutes as they passed. Lena had landed on a cartoon about a gang of heroic dogs and cats, and had curled up in a ball beside him, looking small against the oversized cushions. Her eyelids were already drooping despite her earlier enthusiasm.
Twenty-five minutes later, the episode ended, and Lena's head rested heavily against his arm. Alex thought he should put her in bed, but every time he tried to get up, she shifted and started to wake up.
Fine. He'd let her sleep here on the couch for now. Surely, Melissa would be home soon. He'd carry her to bed then.
He wasn't about to put himself through the torture of another episode of the cartoon, though. He found a nature channel, instead, and settled in to gain some insight into the lifestyles of tropical rainforest birds. A few minutes later, the day started catching up to him, too, and he slouched a little lower so he could rest his head back against the cushions.
The trumpet of an elephant startled him awake, and he rubbed his eyes at the safari scene on the television. Hadn't he just been watching something about the rain forest? Then he glanced at the clock on the wall.
Alex straightened abruptly, making Lena grumble in her sleep beside him. It was almost 11:30 PM, and he'd been asleep for more than an hour.
Juno. He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. Even though it was an accident, he'd pulled a no-show. He should have texted or called her an hour ago, but instead, he'd let himself drift off in front of the television.
And now it was too late to call. She'd be in bed already, he had no doubt. The woman had been up since before dawn that morning to open her coffee shop, and he'd already been responsible for depriving her of sleep last night. But he could text.
It took him several attempts to come up with the right words, but finally, he hit send.
I'm so sorry for bailing on you and for not calling earlier. Melissa wasn't back when we got here, so Lena and I decided to watch a little television while we waited for her. We both fell asleep on the couch, and I just woke up. Unfortunately, M still isn't back, so I'm staying here with Lena for now. It's late, so please don't worry about responding. I will call you in the morning.
If she'd even take his call.
He texted Melissa. Where ARE you?
When she didn't respond, Alex decided to put Lena to bed. He could try calling Melissa when he didn't have to worry about Lean overhearing, because he had a few choice things he'd like to say to the woman.
He gently lifted the little girl, surprised by how light she felt in his arms, and carried her to her bedroom.
Unlike the rest of the condo, Lena's room showed signs of personality. The walls were still white, but there was a stack of books on the nightstand, and a collection of stuffed animals was lovingly arranged on the bed. The closet door stood half-open, displaying a full array of girls clothing and shoes, and on a desk near the window was a box of crayons and colored pencils and several sketchpads. Still, it lacked the lived-in feeling of a child's sanctuary. No artwork taped to the walls, no toys scattered about. The room was little more than a display in a furniture store.
Alex carefully tucked Lena into bed, pulled the covers up to her chin, and arranged her animals around her again. She didn't stir, exhausted from the evening's excitement. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, overwhelmed by a surge of love and protectiveness, then pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of her angelic face.
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm going to fix this," he whispered. "I promise."
Back in the living room, he hit the call button. The phone rang five times and then went to voicemail. "I need to hear from you, Melissa. I'm at your condo with Lena. Where are you?"
Fifteen minutes later, he tried again. Then he also texted. A moment after he hit the send button, his screen showed that she'd read his text. Finally! When she still didn't respond right away, he got up and paced, checking his phone every few minutes.
By midnight, when he wasn't sure whether to be concerned or livid, he sent her a barrage of texts.
Pick up the phone.
Answer your phone.
I know you are seeing my texts.
Melissa, this is NOT cool.
Do I need to call the police?
Call me. I need to know that you're all right.
Except that he wasn't really worried about her, he had to admit. In fact, he was pretty sure she was doing just fine and simply didn't want her lovely evening to end. She knew Lena was safe with him, and he'd told her on many occasions that she didn't have to hurry home when he was with Lena, and more often than not, Melissa took advantage of his offer. So in a way, this was par for the course, wasn't it?
But Alex had wanted more than anything to get back to Juno's to make amends, and now, Melissa's behavior had ruined his chance.
Alex wasn't just angry about his own situation, though. Is that what Lena meant about her leaving her alone with the nanny all the time? What kind of mother stayed out this late without checking on her child? Why hadn't she at least let him know that she was alive, or asked if he was okay to stay a little later than originally planned?
His phone buzzed at 12:23 AM and a text from Melissa popped up on his screen: Stop blowing up my phone.
Alex's fingers flew across his keypad: Where are you?
The response came quickly this time: You can go if you need to.
Alex stared down at her message. What exactly was she suggesting? Before he could think up a clarifying response, another text came through from Melissa.
Is L asleep yet?
That was an easy question: Of course.
Then go. I'm just around the corner at the resort. L sleeps like a rock, and the nanny is back by 2.
Shock. Rage. Disbelief. Fear. Each emotion volleyed through him and his hands were shaking. You leave her alone at night?
She's a big girl, Alex. The condo has topnotch security. Stop making this a big deal.
He could almost hear Melissa's dismissive tone. The cavalier way she discussed abandoning their daughter made his blood boil.
This IS a big deal. She's EIGHT.
She's mature for her age. She likes her independence.
"Independence?" Alex said aloud, incredulous, hearing in his head how his daughter had used the same word when she'd tapped in the code for the front door. His thoughts circled back to Juno, to what he'd learned about her childhood with unreliable parents. About how she'd been forced to be independent at far too young, to fend for herself. He wouldn't let that happen to Lena.
Get home now or I'm calling the police.
There was a long pause before Melissa replied: You wouldn't dare.
Try me. Get. Home. NOW.
He'd let her pull all the strings, call all the shots, and make all the moves, but things were about to change. Just that morning – or was it yesterday morning now? – the last thing Juno had said to him as she headed back downstairs to her cafe was, "Whatever's going on, whatever it is that's harder now—you don't have to face it alone."
Well, he hoped she'd meant it, because he'd love to have Juno back in his life again. But even if she retreated, she was still right. He wasn't alone. He had Ward. He had his parents, even though their relationship had been strained for so many years after Jason's suicide. Grief was an indiscriminate monster that didn't care what kind of destruction it left in its wake, and for so long, Alex simply hadn't known how to make reparations after his years of hard living.
But now, now he had Lena. He had a miracle, an angel from heaven, and he knew the moment his parents laid eyes on her, that they, too, would stand behind him, beside him, and support him as he became the kind of father his daughter needed him to be.
Twenty minutes later, Melissa swept into the condo, reeking of expensive perfume and wine. She still looked remarkably put together in her formfitting black dress, her blonde hair perfectly styled despite the late hour, but Alex didn't miss the slight wobble on her stiletto heels.
"You're still here," she said, dropping her clutch on the foyer table before making her way into the kitchen. Her words were slightly slurred.