“Long-winded. And rather pointless, as they so often are.” But her absence would have been noted with displeasure, so she’d had little choice but to attend. Having spent three years working for the same administration, Connor was well aware of that.
“I’m really sorry I made you rush out like that,” he said, leaning against a counter to watch her take a teacup from a cabinet. “I just—”
“—let the time get away from you. I know. The meeting started a little late, so it worked out okay.”
“I’ll keep a better eye on my watch next time.”
“I’d appreciate that. Do you want some tea?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
“How did everything go here while I was gone? Any problems?”
“No. Alexis played with her dolls most of the time. She barely came out of her room. I asked if she wanted to play the video game, but she said she’d rather wait until another time. So I’ve spent the evening studying in the living room. She went straight to bed when I told her to, and I haven’t heard a peep out of her since.”
She poured boiling water over the tea bag in her cup, then set the kettle on a trivet. “I’ll go look in on her while my tea steeps. I promised her I would.”
“Yeah, okay. Guess I’ll get back to my books.”
She nodded and started to move past him. He caught her arm, detaining her for a moment. “It won’t happen again,” he promised, looking into her eyes.
She moistened her lips, pretty sure that it would happen again despite his best intentions. “I’ll go check on Alexis,” she repeated and drew away from him.
She heard him sigh as she walked out of the kitchen.
“Mia! Mia!”
Abruptly jolted from a sound sleep, Mia nearly fell out of the bed trying to scramble to her feet. She rushed to Alexis’s room, blearily noting on the way that it was almost 3:00 a.m.
“Another bad dream?” she asked, gathering the tearful, shaking child into her arms.
Burrowing tightly, Alexis nodded and sniffled. “I didn’t know if you were here,” she said, her voice muffled.
“I’ve been home for hours. You were sound asleep when I looked in.”
Alexis clung to Mia’s pajama top, her head tucked securely beneath Mia’s chin.
“Do you want to tell me about your dream, sweetie? Maybe it will help you feel better.”
As she always did, Alexis shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. Will you stay a little while?”
“Of course.”
Mia looked toward the doorway when Connor stumbled in. “Everything okay in here?”
“Bad dream,” Mia explained over Alexis’s head.
“I’m sorry, Alexis. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Without emerging from Mia’s embrace, Alexis replied unsteadily, “No, thank you. Mia’s going to stay with me for a little while.”
“Oh. Well…let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay.”
Meeting Mia’s eyes for a moment in the darkened room, Connor then turned and disappeared without another word.
“She’s adorable.”