Alec must have sensed something when he saw her because the first thing he said was, “Everything all right?”
“Of course,” Tess replied and got up to take her laundry out of the dryer. Molly watched her open the door to the compact cupboard that contained her apartment-size combination washer and dryer.
“Cool,” she said. “I was wondering what was in that closet.”
Alec laughed. “Didn’t you think to look?”
“Oh, no,” Molly said. “It would have been rude.”
Tess smiled, her gaze meeting Alec’s for a few seconds longer than she’d expected. It was Nick’s snicker at Molly that brought her back to task.
“All right then,” she said, quickly changing the topic before Nick set off Molly. “Alec, why don’t you get some cold cuts and bread out for a lunch while I finish packing?”
She saw at once from his expression that he was pleased at the way she’d diverted a potential quarrel and gave herself a mental pat on the back. She’d had lots of experience at steering clear of hot topics and deflecting hostile attitudes in business dealings. How much more difficult could it be managing children?
TESS WAS FORCED to rethink that question once they were settling into seats on the plane. Both children wanted a window seat, which might have worked if all four were sitting together. But Tess was seated way at the back in the center while the others were in a row of three seats on the side. Fortunately, that left Alec to settle the seating dispute. She contentedly leafed through a magazine until a flight attendant came by after the plane had finished climbing to its cruise altitude and asked if she’d like to join her family.
Tess shot her a blank look before noticing that Alec was craning his head to the back of the plane.
“Your husband said you might like to join them and we’ve got a no-show in the row behind. I think with some rearranging we can seat two of you in one row and two behind. Would that be all right?”
“Uh, sure.” Tess followed the hostess to the front of the plane. As she took the seat next to Alec, Tess flushed when the hostess said, “We can’t have a family separated like that.”
Molly swiveled round to flash a quick grin at Tess before getting back to her crayons and coloring book while Nick, plugged in to the audio system, didn’t even notice she’d moved.
“When I found out there was a vacant seat in this row, I asked if you could move up. Hope you don’t mind.”
Tess, certain the reference to husband had been an assumption of the flight attendant’s, said, “No, no. I hate the claustrophobic feel of the center section anyway.”
“Me, too. My knees seem to be propping up my chin whenever I get stuck there.”
Conversation stopped there as drinks and snacks were served. Their seats were so close Tess figured she might as well have been sitting on his lap. His thigh pressed against hers and every time she went to lean on the armrest, his arm was already there. What bothered her the most, she hated to admit, was the unexpected tingling sensation that shot down her arm when her hand accidentally landed on top of his.
Until now, interaction between them had been confrontational and the almost intimate proximity was suddenly stifling. Tess had never been good at small talk so she was relieved when he didn’t seem bothered by the silence.
But when the snack trays were removed, he turned his head toward her and asked, “This may seem too personal, but is there a man in your life right now?”
Tess stared at him, not sure at first what he was saying. Then she felt heat rising up into her face. “You’re right, it is. Why do you ask?”
“Sorry to be blunt, but it may be important should you—” he lowered his voice “—decide to apply for legal guardianship.”
Her first reaction was to check if the children had heard. Then she hissed, “I hardly think this is the time or place to be having this conversation.”
He had the grace to redden. “You’re right. Sorry. I guess I’m just trying to find out if there’s any chance at all—”
“I made it clear why I was coming. To see that they’re settled.”
He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. After a moment, he turned to her and said, “We’ll be seeing a lot of one another over the next few days and it makes sense for us to be as amicable as possible with each other. Doesn’t it? Even if we’re both coming at this problem from totally different perspectives?”
“Fine…Alec.” Tess raised her tray and rummaged in her handbag for the paperback she’d brought to read on the plane. After reading the first sentence three times, she gave up. Swiveling her head back to him, she added, “For your information—not that it’s relevant—there is someone in my life and I was supposed to be going on a cruise with him this very week.”
“Oh…well…sorry, I guess this has altered your plans slightly.”
“Slightly,” she repeated with emphasis. The fact that she was misleading him nagged for only a second. And the arrival of Nick and Molly certainly had altered her plans! Plus, there was always the remote possibility that she and Doug might get back together again…someday.
“So this guy you’re seeing—what did he say when you told him about Nick and Molly?”
Tess stared down at the novel on her lap. “I haven’t told him yet. He’s been busy and we haven’t had a chance to talk.” She could feel his eyes boring through the side of her face, but didn’t have the courage to turn his way.
Finally he said, “Sounds as though your relationship might not be the type to accommodate a couple of youngsters.”
That really got to her. “What gives you the right to draw inferences about my personal life?”
“Sorry again. I just keep puttin’ my foot in, don’t I?”
If his grin was meant to disarm, it failed. “You’re no backwoods hick. Please don’t insult my intelligence by pretending to be.”
That got to him, she noticed with some triumph. Instant sobriety fell over his face like steel mesh. When his eyes flicked back to her, Tess saw by their expression that she’d pushed him further than she’d intended.
“My job is to ensure that those two kids are safe, healthy and reasonably happy. It’s a tall order, given their circumstances. If you can’t grasp the inarguable fact that you’re their best option here, then…I’m sorry.” His eyes swept over her, dismissively. As if she were some kind of strange and repulsive insect. “So,” he went on, “we’ll agree not to discuss this again until you’ve had a chance to check things out for yourself. Okay?”
Feeling suddenly graceless, she could only shrug, wondering how she always ended up faring so badly in their talks. He turned his head aside to peer out the window, then suddenly swung back to her.
“One last thing. I’m curious—did you have a chance to talk to Nick about your father?”
Blood roared into her head. Her tongue flapped uselessly against the palate of her dry mouth. Tess was certain her eyes were going to eject from their orbs.
But the expression in his own face was inscrutable. After the slightest pause, he murmured, “I didn’t think so,” and shifted his gaze back to the window.
Tess waited until the pounding against her rib cage eased up before silently slipping out of her seat and making her way to the washroom. When she bolted the door behind her, she plunked onto the seat and burst into tears.
HE ALMOST EXTENDED an arm to stop her and apologize again for behaving like such an insensitive jerk. But his anger hadn’t subsided enough and besides, he knew he’d crossed into the kind of territory where apologies counted for little. The problem was, she was in denial about everything. And Alec knew from hard experience that you didn’t reach people in that state with kid gloves. Usually they needed a jolt. Like dumping a bucket of cold water over the head. He figured he’d just done that—figuratively—to Tess Wheaton. His regret at having to do so was minimal compared to his worry about what was going to happen to Nick and Molly.
Nick unexpectedly craned his head around from t
he seat ahead. His earphones were still clamped on but Alec hoped the kid hadn’t been tracking their conversation. He managed a smile and gave Nick a thumbs-up sign. The boy responded with a wobbly grin, confirming Alec’s suspicion that he probably had picked up some of what had been going on behind him.
He sighed, knowing that the quarrel had been more his fault than Tess’s. If only he could learn to be more subtle. Surely he could have extracted all the information he wanted from her without raising hackles. If he’d taken the time to cultivate her, he might even have brought her round to at least acknowledging another point of view. Malone closed his eyes and sank back against the headrest. It all boiled down to time—and there just wasn’t enough of it.
TESS PEERED OUT the window at the desolate terrain below. At least, to a big-city resident, what appeared empty, vast and very brown countryside. According to the pilot, they’d be landing at Denver International Airport in fifteen minutes. Could have fooled me, she thought. I don’t even see a city down there, much less the state capitol. Just a featureless landscape patchworked by peculiar dark-green circles and squares.
When she’d finally returned to their seats, she saw with relief that there had been a change. Nick was sitting with Alec and the window seat next to Molly was waiting for her. Molly gave an excited wave, which made Tess feel even more miserable.
“You were gone a long time,” the little girl said. “I was worried. Nick wanted to talk to Alec and I was going to take the window seat ’cause it was my turn, but I thought you might want it ’cause you’ve never been to Denver before.” Taking a quick gulp of air, Molly added, “Have you?”
Tess shook her head and smiled. “Thank you.” When she settled in, the seat belt warning flashed. She helped Molly buckle up and then surveyed the place she planned to visit for the next few days. Not exactly the Caribbean, she was thinking.
Okay, get real, Tess. You weren’t going on that cruise anyway. As for Doug…he hasn’t garnered a second’s thought since you saw him at work on Friday. Two days ago. God. Seems more like a week. Or a lifetime.
“Tess?”
“Hmm?” Tess turned from the window to Molly.
“We’ll all be staying at our house, won’t we?”
“Our house?” Tess drew a blank, then caught her drift just as Molly was explaining.
“Where Nick and I live…used to live…you know, before…” Her voice trailed off. Tess’s instinctive paranoia mode switched on. Had Alec Malone put Molly up to this? “I guess Mr. Malone and I’ll decide where to stay when we get there. Okay?”
Molly looked doubtful. “It’s just that my hamster is at the house where I’m staying in town and if we go back home, then I’d like to get her. She must be missing me a lot.”
“What’s her name?”
“Squiggly.” Molly flashed a gap-toothed grin. “When I first got her, she was squiggling all over my lap and in and out of my shirt so I got the giggles. Daddy said we were a good match because she was squiggly and I was giggly. That’s how she got her name.” Her high-pitched voice lapsed into silence again, lost in sudden remembrance.
While Tess, who couldn’t recall the last time Richard Wheaton had made her giggle, turned her attention back to the window.
THE SUN BEAT DOWN on them as they waited for a chance to cross the lanes of traffic leading into the terminal. Shuttle minivans, taxis and city buses vied for space to disgorge or pick up passengers. It was a lot less congested than O’Hare, Tess noticed, but hotter.
“Anything like you expected?” Alec Malone asked as he led them toward the parking area where he’d left his car.
“Not at all. I was thinking mountains. Fir trees. Greenery. And cool air.”
“This is actually a desert plain or plateau—hence all the sand and scrubby vegetation. Mountains are over there.” He pointed toward the thick haze that hung over Denver in the distance. “It’s not usually this hot this early, but we’ve had a drought in these parts for a few years and the seasons don’t seem to synchronize the way they should.”
Hmmm, Tess was thinking. Something you can’t control.
He turned back to where Nick and Molly were lagging behind. “The kids are tired and it’s almost dinner. Boulder’s about an hour away, but if you don’t mind I thought we’d stop at a service center off the highway to get a bite to eat.”
“That’s fine with me,” Tess said. Ten minutes later they were loading their luggage into Alec’s Bronco. “It’s big enough,” Tess mumbled, hitching up her skirt to climb into the front passenger side.
“You need a four-wheel drive here, especially in the winter,” Alec said, closing the door behind her. When he came around to the driver’s side, he added, “I hope you brought some casual clothes, as I suggested. Folks in Boulder are pretty laid-back and informal.”
“I did. But as Mavis always told me, you never know when you’ll need a skirt.”
Alec grinned.
“Who’s Mavis?” Molly asked.
Tess couldn’t recall if she’d mentioned Mavis or not, but said, “She’s my guardian.”
“What’s a guardian? Someone who stands on guard?”
Another sound from Nick.
Ignoring him, Tess said, “Yes, something like that. When my mother couldn’t look after me anymore, Mavis became my guardian. Then she took care of me until I was an adult.”
“Your mother?” Molly’s voice was puzzled. “But I thought we had the same parents.”
“Oh, God,” moaned Nick. “You are so stupid.”
“I am not!”
“Guys, we’re heading for dinner right now. Cool it, okay?” Alec suggested as he steered the Bronco out of the airport area onto the highway.
Wanting Molly to understand, Tess explained, “We had the same father but our mothers were different.”
“Oh. Then since we don’t have a mother and father anymore, will Mavis be our guardian, too?”
“Ah jeez,” muttered Nick.
“Molly, it doesn’t work that way,” Alec said.
He shot Tess an exasperated look as if, she thought, he wished she hadn’t mentioned the whole matter in the first place.
“Well, then how about if Tess is our guardian?” Molly persisted.
Tess glanced across at Alec, whose expression read, See what you got yourself into now?
But in spite of the smug look on his face, Alec bailed her out. “Why don’t we save some of those questions for later, Molly? When we’ve eaten and after we get back to your house.”
“Sure,” she piped up.
Tess, half turning to the back seat, caught Molly sticking her tongue out at Nick. As she faced the front again, not wanting to get involved in what could be another dispute, she saw that Nick was gloomily staring out the window, oblivious to his little sister.
LESS THAN two hours later, the Bronco was approaching the outskirts of Boulder. They’d eaten silently and quickly at a fast-food place in a service center on the way. Watching them, Tess wondered what was going through their minds. Some anxiety, perhaps, about being in their own home again? While they were waiting for their orders, Alec had suggested that he drive them straight home. No doubt he would be relieved to drop them all off with a brief goodbye and continue on to his own place—wherever that might be—and his own life.
She bet that Molly was excited about getting her hamster back and showing Tess her old bedroom and her toys. And Nick? His face registered bland indifference, but Tess noticed that his body language told a whole other story. He had hunched over his meal and jiggled his right leg constantly until Alec jokingly told him he was cut off all cola drinks. He responded with a polite half smile but when they rose to leave and Tess brushed past him, Nick cast her a look of such contempt a shiver zipped up her spine. Obviously no indifference or small courtesies where I’m concerned.
The Bronco sped past the Welcome to Boulder sign and continued on the highway.
“Hey,” said Molly, “aren’t we going to the Sullivans’?”
>
“I know you want to get your hamster, Molly, but it’s getting late and Tess and I thought we should go to the house first.”
“But I wanted to show Squiggly to Tess!”
“Quit whining,” Nick complained.
Tess waited for the rejoinder, but none came. From her peripheral vision, she saw Molly’s forehead scrunch in a frown, but otherwise, the girl kept quiet. Tess breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll see Squiggly tomorrow, Molly. Not to worry. How far out of town is their place?” she asked Alec.
“About fifteen miles. It’s on the road to Estes National Park.”
“Oh? Is it in the mountains then?”
“Not quite, but pretty close.”
Tess looked out the window as they bypassed Boulder. “It’s not a very big place,” she commented.
“Nope. It’s a university town basically, but there are a few good nightspots and so on.”
“Do you live there or…?”
“Yeah, I’ve got an apartment in town. But my sister and I share ownership of our parents’ ranch, close to Lyons.” The Bronco turned off the paved road and entered a long, gravel drive lined with trees.
“This is it,” Alec said. “You won’t be able to see the house until we’re almost at the end of the drive, but it’s in that stand of firs and aspens over to the right ahead.”
“Aspens?”
“The most common deciduous tree here in Colorado is what’s commonly called the trembling aspen. When the wind blows, its leaves shake and tremble, rather than flutter like regular trees.”
“I see it! I see it!” Molly yelped from the rear.
The Bronco made a sharp right and there, tucked into a thicket of trees, was a blue-gray frame ranch-style house in the shape of a large L, with two smaller outbuildings behind.
Tess stared at the place where, according to Alec, her father had spent the last fifteen years of his life. For the first time since she’d received Jed Walker’s letter, the reality of her father’s death struck. Until a month ago, she thought, he was here. Alive and well. With a family of his own.
The Second Family Page 7