Chapter Seven
When Reaves arrived at the house on Saturday morning, Zia was already out front, sitting halfway down the steps that led from the front door.
He laughed out loud when she tried to wave at him but couldn't quite manage it, since she was already wearing her water wings. Somehow the water wings, her huge sunhat, and long flowy dress didn’t look like an odd combination—they were perfectly Zia.
"Prince Daddy!" she cried, as she ran down the steps to greet him. "Are you excited to see Peanut and Butter?"
"I am. I can't wait."
"They're my friends, you know."
"I know. They love you to pieces. They're my friends too, but I think they love you more."
She stopped just before she reached him and tilted her head to the side as she frowned.
"I don't think that's true. I don't think doggos work that way.
I think they have lots of love, enough for all the people that they choose.
Just because they love me a lot doesn't mean they don't love you a lot too.
And of course they love Sunshine King." She grinned.
"And everyone loves Lady Sunshine. She's the best. She's my friend too, you know. My forever friend."
He chuckled, relieved that she'd given him a way out. "I do know that. And I know she's looking forward to seeing you. Just like Peanut and Butter. And Ollie." He caught himself. "I mean, Sunshine King."
She gave him a sassy little smile. "It's okay, you can say their real names. I know their names. But I think my names suit them better."
"I'd have to agree with you there."
They both turned to look up when Alara appeared at the top of the steps.
"Oh, hey, Reaves. Sorry, I didn't realize you were here already. I think I have everything now. We can go if you want." She stopped. "Oh, wait—no. Do you want to see your dad before we leave?"
"That's okay. I'll talk to him later when we get back. And besides, I'm sure he'll…" He cut himself short. He'd been about to say that his dad would probably be glad of some peace after his exertions yesterday.
He jogged up the steps to her and reached for the bag she'd brought out, but she picked it up before he could.
"That's okay, I've got it, thanks."
He didn't insist. He knew she was used to doing everything for herself.
"Should I go and grab Zia's car seat and get it set up in the back?"
She hesitated when they reached the bottom of the steps. And instead of heading for his Land Cruiser, she turned toward her Suburban.
"Do you know what? Since her seat's already in there, why don't we take mine?"
"I was going to drive. I don't mind, I…"
"I don't mind either." She shot him a sideways glance as Zia ran ahead of them to the Suburban. "You could have a couple of beers with Ollie that way. And with everything that's going on, I'd kind of like to feel as though—" She stopped.
She didn't finish, and he didn't need her to.
Of course she wanted to drive. He got it. Everything from her work to where she lived to her health had been taken out of her hands lately. He totally understood why she'd want to feel like she was taking the wheel while she could.
"You're right. You should drive."
Her gaze snapped to his, and he nodded. "Tell me what you want me to do. I can load the bags, load Zia." He winked. "Or just stand around looking pretty."
Her eyes widened momentarily, but then she laughed and slapped his arm. "I'm not trying to make you feel useless."
He nodded seriously. "Ditto."
As they pulled out of the gates and onto the road, the sun shone directly in through the windshield. Alara flipped her visor down, but it wasn't enough.
"Could you check the glove box?" she asked. "See if my sunglasses are in there."
Reaves flipped it open and passed the sunglasses to her. As she put them on, Zia piped up from the back.
"Are we allowed a treat, Mom?"
Reaves looked at Alara, glad to finally be able to study her openly, since she was driving and had to keep her attention on the road. He was surprised to see her cheeks flush.
"Can we, please?" Zia asked from the back. "Do you want one, Prince Daddy?"
He shot Alara a puzzled look, and she let out a short laugh. "I might as well confess my guilty secret to you."
"I think you should," he said, jokingly—even though part of him leaned forward, eager for her to finally share something.
She glanced in the rearview mirror at Zia before lowering her voice to explain. "Dig in the glove box. You'll find a pack of Rolos in there. They're our little treat. And as soon as she hears the words glove box, she wants one."
"I didn't mess up, did I?"
"No, it's all good. Like I said, they're a little treat." The smile she gave him before turning her attention back to the road felt like the biggest gift she'd given him yet. "You're included in the ritual now. So can you get three out, and we can all have one?"
He had to turn in his seat and reach over to Zia to pass her a Rolo. Then he looked down at the two in his hand.
"You can unwrap Mom's for her," said Zia. "Usually, she has to wait until we stop."
He glanced at Alara, and she shrugged. "I'll take it, if you want to unwrap it for me, please. But she's right. I won't usually unwrap my own while I'm driving."
It seemed like a small thing to Reaves. He thought about the candies he popped into his mouth and the coffee he drank while he was driving. But then, ninety-nine percent of the time, he was by himself when he drove.
Alara carried precious cargo with her.
He unwrapped the Rolo and considered offering it to her on the open foil. Instead, he asked, "Are you ready for it?"
"Yes, please."
He held it up in front of her mouth. "Here you go. So you don't have to take your hands off the wheel."
He tried not to show any kind of reaction when her lip brushed his finger as she took it from him.
The silence that fell while the three of them ate their little treat made Reaves smile.
It was good to know that they were both enjoying something sweet for once.
That thought made his smile fade. He tended to pop candies in his mouth mindlessly when he had them—and yet Alara and Zia were both taking the time to savor a single Rolo.
He might not be as wealthy as most of his friends, but he was still more privileged than most, and he knew it—although he'd never been as acutely aware of it as he was in this moment.
He tried to watch Alara without her noticing. He didn't want to intrude on her momentary pleasure, and it finally landed on him just how hard she had to work for everything she had. She had no money. No real home. Sure, she had her camper, but…
He didn't mean to be dismissive of it. She'd made it a home for her and Zia. But it wasn't the kind of life they deserved.
She hadn't even had health insurance until Ollie had offered to employ her.
That thought made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. Now that she had health insurance, she was registered with the same doctor that he was… and she didn't know it. That was one thing he had to clear up today.
He looked over at her again. He really didn't want to spoil her moment, and he hoped she wouldn't be mad at him. But she needed to know.
She glanced over at him. "Do I have chocolate on my face or something?"
"You do not. I fed you that Rolo carefully, so that not even a crumb of chocolate would be wasted."
She smiled. "That's good to know. But then why do you keep looking at me like that?"
He wanted to say because he finally could, but he didn't know how that would go down. And it was only half the truth anyway. He had to go with the harder half.
"I have a confession to make."
He hated the way her smile disappeared, and pushed on, hoping that when he explained she wouldn't think it was too bad.
"And what do you need to tell me, Reaves?"
"I'm hoping you won't think it's anything too terrible, but…" There was no point in beating around the bush. "You know Dr. Ambrose."
Shit. He wished he hadn't brought it up that way when he saw the way her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.
"Sorry. All I want to tell you is that I know him. He's my doctor. He's Dad's doctor. The two of them have been friends for as long as I can remember."
"And?"
"And that's it. He's our doctor, a friend of the family, and I should have told you sooner."
She kept her gaze fixed on the road ahead as she said, "You should."
"I know. And I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want to spook you. You chose him yourself—you must have liked something about him. And I thought that maybe if I told you who he was, you'd switch to someone else. And that would be a shame, because Henry really is the best."
"Henry."
"Yeah. Sorry. But that's how well I know him."
"Okay. Well, thanks for telling me."
He waited. But when she didn't continue, he asked, "Is that it? Are you mad at me?"
"No, I'm not mad. I understand why you did it, and…
" She sighed. "Honestly, Reaves, I appreciate it.
If I'm quiet, it's not because I'm mad at you, or stewing or anything.
It's because I didn't understand myself why I chose him.
I was determined to find a younger female doctor.
But when I browsed all the listings of the people I could see, he was the one who stood out.
He just felt…" She shook her head. "I don't know.
Safe. Reassuring. And…" She shot him a quick glance. "I guess I need that at the moment."
"Yeah. Well, I'm glad you were able to find it in Henry."
She glanced over at him again but quickly turned her attention back to the road. "He kind of reminds me of your dad," she said after a while.
"Yeah. They're both from the same era. Have the same values. You know what I mean—they're the same kind of people."
"I do. I know exactly what you mean." She paused. "And you're one of them too."
He turned to look at her, but Zia called from the back. "Do you think Peanut and Butter will swim with us?"