Star Bright

by Christina OW

Dave was on his feet, he hadn’t seen her reaction coming, and he was too distracted ogling her. He should have known compliments would make her uncomfortable as much as the stares did, “It’s going to be difficult telling you my theory if you keep doing that.” He spoke softly, his eyes stuck on his shoes.

  “What do you mean?” Maria asked, jittery. She was afraid Dave had noticed more about her than she was comfortable with.

  Dave looked at her, gauging whether or not she would be able to take his observation without running out the door, never looking back, and he didn’t want to risk it, “Jane doesn’t like you because you are the new attraction in the sand box.” he spoke, his lips curved up in a gentle smile, “I think she would be more pissed if she found out Miguel was attracting his own share of female attention. She just can’t compete with that.”

  “His looks may have something to do with it, but it’s his charm and mature sensibility.” she spoke with a smile, idolizing her son, “My mom says he gets that from his grandfather.” It wasn’t unintentional, she just didn’t want Dave to suggest Michael took after his father, He was more of a man than Ricky could ever be.

  Dave laughed, remembering their manly talk earlier, “Let me take a wild guess.” Dave sat on his desk, “Your dad is Latino and your mom is Caucasian?”

  Maria laughed, relaxing a bit, “She’s in love with Mexican soaps.” she moved closer to Dave, “Especially their accent, godly bodies and charisma, amo mucho.” she said with an accent, “I think that’s the main reason she fell for that man.”

  Dave laughed, relieved she had come out of her shell. He was glad she was getting comfortable enough with him to talk about her parents. He had anticipated he would have to work hard to get her to open up about her family, but he got the distinct feeling he had nothing to do with it. She noticeably matched her son to his grandfather and not his father.

  He was sure now more than ever she was running away from Miguel’s father, but what he didn’t understand was why her father wasn’t helping her. He would have gone to Elizabeth’s rescue and would have gone as far as killing the ass hole, but he was sure there was more to it when she said grandfather and not father, and referred to him as that man, purposely separating herself from him.

  “I just pray Izzy takes after my mother and not her own.” he shifted his gaze to the pen.

  Maria saw the dread in his eyes and for once she felt they were at par. He always seemed like he could fix everything, no matter his emotions for the problem, but with his daughter, he looked completely lost, “Well it depends on her and you. I’m not an advocate for taking children away from their parents, but if there is more harm than good being brought by the contact, there is no other choice.”

  Dave looked at her, admiring her courage for safe guarding her son’s future, although he knew it wasn’t the legal and right way. He wished he could come out and say what he knew, and offer to help, but he was sure she would only run from him and he didn’t want that.

  Michael came running into the room, Carol behind him. He ran to where Maria and Dave were and stood between them giving them both a suspicious look before his lips parted in a smile, “What were you guys talking about?”

  “None of your biz wax.” Maria said, pulling him to her.

  “Dave, what were you talking about?” Michael asked bluntly, the smile gone.

  Dave looked down at him, still very amused by how threatening the two feet tall boy could come across when he felt the need to protect his mother, “I was just about to ask your mom if you two would like to join us on Saturday?”

  “Where?” Maria asked guarded, this was what she was dreading, a date.

  “Where?” Miguel repeated.

  Dave kept his gaze on Miguel, he didn’t want to look up at Paula, he was sure she was retreating into her shell again, “To the zoo, it will be Izzy’s first trip.”

  “Mama, can we go? I’ve never been to the zoo.” Michael asked excitedly. Maria wanted to say no, but she couldn’t, she promised herself that Michael would have a normal childhood, and the zoo was a part of a normal childhood. She was just hoping Dave didn’t have any hidden intentions with his offer. She was beginning to trust, and feel at ease with him, but not enough to let her guard down.

  “Sure, why not. Go kiss Izzy goodbye.” she pushed Michael forward, “Dave, I’ll be seeing you around.” walking backwards, away from him.

  Dave leaned down and hugged the boy before he looked at her, taking in his fill of her before she disappeared out the door, “Tomorrow, at lunch to be more specific. I’ll bring the kids again.”

  “Thanks, don’t forget to bring Izzy.” she teased.

  Dave laughed, “Make sure to hold Miguel’s hand, we don’t want him wondering off.” He teased back. Maria laughed and took Michael’s hand. She gave Dave a short wave before she disappeared through the door.

  Carol looked at them both as they said their goodbyes, then stared long and hard at Dave after Paula left and smiled to herself. She saw the gleam in Dave’s eye and knew he would be going out for lunch every day. She liked Paula, she seemed sweet and her son was fantastic, speaking volumes of her. Dave did deserve a decent woman after the train wreck, Amy.

  She walked up to Dave, held his arms and shook him hard, “Take it slow, she’s a keeper if you play your cards right. Don’t mess it up!”

  The day at the zoo went smoother than Maria had anticipated. She expected Dave to hit on her, maybe ask her out, without the kids, but he didn’t. Instead he kept the conversation general, about himself and away from her personal life. He told her about Amy and how they had started so very in love and ended despising each other because of Elizabeth. Maria could understand why a father wouldn’t want his own child, she’d seen it with Ricky and Miguel, but what she couldn’t understand was how a mother, after nine uncomfortable months of pregnancy, hours in labor and finally child birth, not love her baby.

  Maria watched Michael and Dave, watching and imitating the animals. Dave would read and explain the information on each animal’s cages. They both looked so excited and it made Maria feel a pang of guilt, because Ricky would never be with him like this. Dave went everywhere with him, as they watched the animals and talked about the most ridiculous things Maria had ever heard. She didn’t expect Dave to indulge in such conversations, but his air of arrogance, which she found very appealing sometimes, had taken a back seat with Michael.

  She strolled behind them with Izzy in her arms, watching what seemed like a father-son moment, if only Dave was Michael’s father. When Dave put him on his shoulders, she saw the most heart breaking smile on Michael’s face that made her tear up. All she hoped for was Michael wouldn’t get too attached to Dave only to be let down, or having to run again when Ricky caught up with them. She had to protect him from that pain, but she couldn’t bring herself to detach Dave and Michael from each other.

  Dave watched Paula for a while, watching her face change in deep thought. He wondered what was bugging her now, if she constantly worried about her husband or hopefully her boyfriend, he was hoping she wasn’t tied to the monster, or she was probably wondering his end game for inviting them to the zoo. He wanted to find out more about her, without resorting to his normal way of getting to know someone, and besides he had already done the search and found a number of Paula Michaels, none that were her. He knew she was using an alias, which spiked his curiosity about her life even more. He thought of getting the information from Miguel, but he was too clever to get debriefed without going on the defensive and Dave didn’t want to end up alienating his new best friend. Paula was the safest bet, but it was better to have her trust him enough to tell him and not try to confront her about it.

  He shifted in the seat next to her, under the umbrella table and slowly pulled a sleeping Izzy out of her arms. At first she got startled and held Izzy tighter to her, but when she saw it was Dave she let go with a smile and came back to her immediate surroundings.

  “You were gone for a while there, I got lon
ely.” Dave spoke softly, cradling Izzy in his arms.

  “Sorry.” Maria pulled her hair tie out and let her hair fall over her shoulders. She stretched her arms, and then tossed her hair to loosen the tangles, “I always end up in my head, but I’m here now.” She turned to him with a gentle smile.

  Dave looked at her, she still looked worried. He wanted to help her ease the load she was carrying, just to give her a few moments of relief. For the first time since Izzy was born, he felt what it was like to be a family and he knew Paula felt the same way too. Carol was right, she was a keeper, but only when she let go of her demons, or better yet got rid of them, which he intends to do himself. “If you don’t mind my asking, what were you thinking about?”

  Maria looked at him, her guard up. She wasn’t fond of sharing her thoughts or her feelings, they were private, no go zones for her, “About Miguel’s school, it’s almost time for him to start and I have no idea where to take him.” It was a good thing she learned to think quickly on her feet, she just hoped Dave would buy it.

  Dave stared at her keenly for a while before he turned away with a patient smile. He knew that wasn’t what she was thinking about and she had no intentions of telling him, so instead of saying none of your business she came up with something else for his benefit, “Don’t worry about that, I’ll do that for you.” He said coolly.

  Maria noticed the change in him and knew that he knew she was lying and she worried if he was going to call her out on it, “You don’t have to do that.” she said nervously.

  “I want to. I’ll give you the details when I find one that suits his needs.”

  Maria looked at him inquisitively and wondered what he meant by that, “As long as I can afford it.”

  Dave’s lips stretched out to a longer smile, “As long as he’s safe and comfortable.” His eyes set on Izzy’s sleeping face, “that’s the only thing that matters.”

  She looked at him, catching another hint, he couldn’t possibly know about her, could he? He did have the means to find out, “Thanks, I’ll think about it.” She whispered, turning away from him. She shot off her seat when she noticed Michael wasn’t with them, her friend, panic, already making his visit, “Where is Michael?”

  Dave looked up at her, he saw the terror in her face and was sure she hadn’t realized what she said, “He’s at the monkey’s cage.” not drawing her attention to her slip up, all that was left to find out was her name.

  Maria looked down at him, her alarm rising fast, “You let him go alone?”

  Dave took her hand and tried to pull her down, but she refused, and tried to get out of his grip, he only tightened his hold, “Look over there.” he pointed to his left with the hand that held hers captive, his eyes fixed on her face, “I’ve been watching him the whole time.” he felt her hand relax as a calm set over her face, “he isn’t going to end up in the cage.” she sat down with a nervous laugh, placing her face in her free palm, “neither is anyone going to take him while I’m here.” He said solidly, his voice gentle.

  Maria looked up to meet his gaze and searched his eyes for a confirmation. He had been hinting at her fears as if he knew them. They had only been around each other for four days, and she hadn’t told him a word about her past, yet he spoke as if he knew every single detail, “What do you mean by that?” hoping he would lie to her, she wanted to play dumb and make sure he didn’t ask her questions she wasn’t ready to answer, nor pity her which she couldn’t stand, for the sake of Michael, she prayed he lied.

  He let go of her hand and turned his attention back to Izzy, “I know you are as paranoid as I am when it comes to,” he bit the smile on his lips, “Miguel. If they gave prizes for that, I’m sure one of us would win it.”

  “Your paranoia comes from being an over obsessive parent,” Maria settled in her seat and placed her hands at the sides of her head, “mine,” she laughed bitterly, “mine comes from the cruel jokes of life.” She closed her eyes to shut the tears in. She wasn’t going to ruin Michael’s perfect day by crying, “But one thing we have in common, is that we are both over compensating.” She whispered.

  Dave felt frustrated that he couldn’t force her to take his help, she would just run and hide, she was probably scared he would be like him, but he was determined to prove her wrong, to show her not all men were scum. One thing was for sure, he was going to find that monster and teach him a lesson he would never forget, “Good thing we have each other.” Biting down the anger in his voice.

  “If only it was that simple,” she spoke under her breath, “How’s the case going?” Changing the subject.

  Dave paused for a moment before he answered, accepting the deliberate effort to change the subject, “It’s going to be expensive, but I hope I’ll be done with it in the next few weeks.”

  She turned to face him, pulling her legs up on the seat, “That means longer hours?”

  “Yes and very little time for Izzy, Miguel and you.” he looked at her, hoping she wouldn’t down play his words, he loved spending time with her and he wanted her to know it.

  “We’ll survive, I doubt we’ll even miss you.” Maria joked.

  Dave chuckled, “You are already too used to having me around to not miss me.”

  “No. Izzy won’t miss you either, we’ll be too busy having fun,” she reached over and brushed the curl from her lips, “Todd better make sure you get that promotion since it’s his mess you are fixing.”

  “I want the promotion because I earned it, not as some sort of compensation for covering the boss’ son’s ass.”

  Maria’s eyebrows shot up and her lips curved upwards in a smile, “There’s that pride again, but today I welcome it because it’s a hardworking man’s pride.”

  “Was that a compliment?” he jeered.

  “The only one you’ll get.” she laughed, then turned when Michael tapped her on the knee. He looked tired and very sleepy, “would you like to take a nap?” She pulled him and cradled his head against her chest.

  “Yes, but I want Dave to carry me. Could you please take Izzy?” he spoke with a sleepy voice.

  Maria was shocked, Michael never trusted any one enough to sleep in their arms, Jane had tried a couple of times, but he would only fight the sleep, only she and Edna could do it and now he was asking a man he had known for only four days to cradle him. Michael was getting attached to Dave too quickly for Maria’s liking. Michael was going to suffer more than she thought when they got separated.

  “Sure buddy,” Dave chimed happily, “Paula, take her.” Dave placed Izzy into Maria’s arms after Michael pulled away. The second his lap was vacant, Michael climbed on and fell asleep almost immediately.

  Maria looked at them, Michael had curled up against Dave like an infant and he held him close, covering him with his heavy leather jacket. Dave’s lit face showed he enjoyed having Michael in his arms and he too was getting attached to him. The only thing Maria could hope for was Ricky not finding them, and if he did, Dave would have to know the truth to be ready. She was going to have to tell him, just not yet.

  “This isn’t going to end well. I have a bad feeling about this.” Maria whispered. She lifted her eyes from Michael to Dave, “Let’s go home.” She stood up and headed for the car not waiting on Dave to utter a word.

  Paula’s comment in the park had left him puzzled. He knew she hadn’t meant for him to hear, but he did, and the fear in her eyes echoed the dread in her voice. He wanted to talk to her about it and finally figure out her jigsaw puzzle of a life she had, but, he hadn’t gotten the time to do it. She was playing parent to both Michael and Izzy, he appreciated it enough not to scare her off. He’d come to trust Paula, not completely, but enough to know she’d keep Izzy safe.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dave looked around his new office. It was twice as big as the old one, with space for a table and four chairs, a corner couch and a TV mounted on the wall opposite the couch. He was able to fit Izzy’s pen in it and a small shelf for books. His office doubled as
a play ground for the kids when he took a break from work. Paula said the large oak desk centered the room well, he thought it was an excuse to give him more work. Michael loved the seat, he said it spun twice as fast as his old one, and Izzy loved the new hiding places. He also had a private bathroom that was pretty useful with his long hours. It was a home away from home which he was growing to resent.

  But he didn’t feel that when he first moved in. It was an exciting day for him professionally and personally. It was one more change in his life, a big one, another step in the right direction, and the memory of it made him smile.

  He grabbed Paula by the hand and led her to his new couch.

  “What’s this all about?” She had asked, suspicious of him.

  The last time Dave felt that nervous was his first solo trial. He looked her in the eyes, “I want you and Miguel to move in with us.”

  “Why, my place is just fine?” Her voice, a little shaky.

  “I didn’t say it wasn’t, I just want a place Izzy is familiar with.” He spoke decisively, pretending he hadn’t heard the insecurity in her voice.

  “She’s a baby, everywhere looks the same to her.”

  “Well I want a place familiar for her, and a place I know.”

  “We don’t live in a hole or a cardboard box Dave.” Maria said with a laugh, finally figuring out why he was so persistent.

  “I didn’t say you did,” He looked up, his face serious. It was his turn to be insecure, “I just want to know where you guys are every minute of the day.”

  Maria looked at him with a creased eyebrow, her lips still curved in a smile, “Mistrust, or has your paranoia climbed a step higher?”

  Dave stood up and dug his hands in his pants pockets, “Precaution, and I do trust you.” Maria moved closer, “Why give her to me if you are feeling... precautious?”

  “Who else is there?” He walked around the desk, “Definitely not Amy, Carol is working and as much as she likes Izzy, she wouldn’t give her the attention she requires and I don’t think she’d enjoy herself in the day care much, now that Miguel is about to start school.”