6
Alex is crossing the road with Lucy in the front pack, a bag of groceries in one arm, and Ally hanging off the other, pleading for an ice-cream when he sees the woman. She’s standing at the corner of the street, by the north entrance to the park they sometimes take the girls to. For a moment he freezes, sure he’s wrong. Tells himself it’s a trick of the light, the sun is in his eyes; then he blinks and really sees her. She gives him a cold, hard look, turns, and crosses the street to disappear into the crowd.
“Daddy? Can we huh? Can we have ice-cream? I promise I’ll eat dinner.”
Alex snaps his head down and smiles.
“Sure honey, we can get ice-cream.”
Ally goggles at him, mouth open.
“Can we have chocolate ice-cream?” she asks in a tentative voice, as if unsure of how far she can push her luck.
“Huh? Yeah, sure. We’ll pick up some chocolate now and take it home.”
Still looking over his shoulder he buckles the girls into their seats and stows the groceries on the floor in front of Lucy.
✽ ✽ ✽
The door to Ben’s office is open and Alex gives Ally two cones to take out to him and his secretary Fiona. Polly, dozing on one of the recliners, accepts one with a smile; she gets a spoon, scoops up a spoonful and gives it to Lucy, still in her car seat. When Alex doesn’t scold her, or reach to put the baby in her highchair, she frowns and does it herself.
Ally, hands and face sticky with ice-cream, skips back into the kitchen, followed by Fiona.
“Cloth please,” Fiona holds her hand out. “Someone nearly gave her papa a heart attack with chocolate paws on his shirt. Something about running out of stain free shirts.”
Alex chuckles and passes her a dishcloth, lifts Ally onto the bench, leaning out of reach.
“Is he busy in there?” he asks.
“Right now he’s very focused on ice-cream since he rescued me from myself and saved my diet.” Fiona laughs and wipes Ally’s hands.
“Would you mind helping Polly keep an eye on the girls for a few? I just need to talk to him for a minute.”
“Knock yourself out, we’re pretty much done for the day anyway. Just… you know... shut the door.”
Polly smirks and smacks his butt as he walks past.
Ignoring her, Alex strides across the courtyard to the office and taps on the door before he goes in. Ben has his feet up on the desk, an ice-cream cone in each hand and Alex can’t help smiling. There’s a child sized hand smear of ice-cream on the front of his white cotton shirt.
“Wow, can we put a picture of this on your website?” he asks and perches on the edge of the desk by Ben.
“Bite me.”.
“Yeah, I don’t think so. Not while the kids are awake.” Alex leans forward and kisses Ben’s forehead.
“Spoil sport.”
“I saw my mother in town,” Alex says in a low voice. Ben pulls his feet off the desk and sits up. Tosses the spare cone into the waste paper bin, ignoring Alex’s grimace.
“You're sure it was her?” he asks. Alex raises an eyebrow but says nothing. “Okay yeah, stupid question. Did she speak to you?”
Alex shakes his head; his stomach churns and he's desperate to hear Ben say everything is okay.
“Is the restraining order still valid?”
“Well, they call it a permanent order but they’re really only valid for five years, so yes but not for much longer. We might have to ask for a renewal if she’s suddenly shown up. Did she speak to you?”
“Ben …”
“Alex, how close was she?”
Alex tells him what happened, repeating details when asked.
“Why do you think she’s here?” he asks finally, running his finger back and forth along the edge of the desk.
“Might just be a coincidence.” Ben stands and pulls Alex’s head to his chest and wraps his arms around him. Alex sighs. They both know it’s not a coincidence. “I don’t know but if she shows up again, we can send her a warning. Okay?”
“But if she doesn’t come any closer then we can’t actually do anything else, can we?”
“It’s complicated. We’d have to show that she’s here deliberately to try and do something. That it wasn’t a coincidence and that will be her against us”
Alex plucks at Ben’s shirt, fingers opening and closing over the fabric.
“Alex?” Ben rests his forehead on Alex’s and covers his hands, stilling them, with his own. “It’s going to be okay, baby, I promise.”
Alex wishes he believed him.
✽ ✽ ✽