Chương 5
Alexander checked his watch.
“Nineteen.”
Collins looked at his own.
“Yes, sir.”
“You were being generous.”
“I was attempting optimism.”
“Dangerous habit.”
Reed smiled.
Warren did not.
He appeared too interested in Sophie, who had begun inspecting the ribbons on Alexander’s uniform jacket.
“Is this one for being brave?” she asked.
Alexander looked down.
“No.”
“What’s it for?”
“Doing my job.”
“That seems boring.”
“It frequently is.”
Grace peered around Claire.
“Do you fight people?”
“Sometimes.”
“With swords?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She seemed sincerely relieved.
Claire finally looked at him.
“I owe you an apology.”
Alexander shook his head.
“You’ve already spent too much time apologizing today.”
Her expression tightened.
“That sounded pointed.”
“It was.”
To his surprise, she laughed.
It lasted only a second.
Still, the girls heard it.
All four looked at her.
Alexander suspected they had not heard enough of that sound lately.
Claire noticed their attention and became self-conscious.
“All right,” she said.
“Everybody get your coats.”
“We’re wearing our coats,” Lily said.
“Then get something else.”
“What?”
“I don’t know, Lily.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“Just give me ten seconds.”
Lily considered this.
“Can I get a muffin?”
“No.”
“That was nine seconds.”
Alexander looked away so Claire would not see him smiling.
She saw anyway.
“Do not encourage them.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“You have a face.”
“That complaint has followed me for years.”
Sophie tugged his sleeve.
“Are you still our pretend dad?”
Claire groaned softly.
Alexander looked down at the child.
“I believe that assignment has expired.”
Sophie frowned.
“When?”
“Just now.”
“Can it renew?”
“Sophie.”
Claire sounded exhausted again.
But not defeated.
There was a difference.
Alexander picked up his overcoat.
“I have to go to work.”
Sophie crossed her arms.
“You are at work.”
“No, this is coffee.”
“You have your Army clothes on.”
“That’s because my Army clothes are under my coffee clothes.”
Grace laughed.
Even Emma smiled.
Alexander slipped his overcoat over his uniform.
Claire watched him button it.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded.
Then she added, “Not for the rank thing.”
“I know.”
“For making me answer him.”
Alexander paused.
“I didn’t.”
Claire looked at him.
“You did.”
“No.”
He glanced at Emma, Lily, Grace, and Sophie.
“They did.”
Claire followed his gaze.
Her face changed.
Emma pretended not to notice.
Grace suddenly became interested in the zipper of her backpack.
Lily asked Daniels whether his company paid for muffins.
Sophie simply smiled.
Alexander picked up his folder.
Collins opened the café door.
Cold air moved through the room.
Alexander stepped outside with the three officers.
He had reached the curb when he heard running behind him.
“Colonel Hayes!”
He turned.
Sophie came through the door with Claire two steps behind her.
“Sophie, stop running.”
Sophie stopped only after reaching Alexander.
She looked up at him.
“We have pancakes Saturday.”
Alexander glanced at Claire.
Claire looked horrified.
“Sophie.”
“At our house.”
“Sophie.”
“At nine.”
“Sophie.”
“With chocolate chips if Lily doesn’t eat them out of the bag first.”
“I did that one time,” Lily shouted from inside.
Alexander looked back at Claire.
She covered her face with one hand.
“I am going to disappear.”
“You appear to have four people assigned to prevent that.”
Claire lowered her hand.
Sophie waited.
Alexander had a briefing, an overflowing inbox, a Saturday fitness inspection he had been trying to avoid attending, and a kitchen refrigerator containing little besides mustard, eggs, and half a lemon he no longer trusted.
He also had twenty-seven years of practice recognizing moments that looked small only until they were gone.
“Saturday at nine?” he asked.
Sophie nodded furiously.
Claire stared at him.
“You do not have to do that.”
“I know.”
Sophie grabbed her mother’s hand.
Alexander looked at Claire.
“Send me the address.”
Claire blinked.
“You’re serious?”
“Apparently.”
Sophie threw both arms around his waist before anyone could stop her.
Alexander stood perfectly still.
He had received medals with less difficulty.
Then, carefully, he rested one hand against the back of her coat.
Sophie whispered, “I knew you were safe.”
Alexander looked over her head at Claire.
Claire’s eyes filled, but she smiled instead of looking away.
For reasons Alexander could not yet explain, that frightened him more than Richard Mercer had.
By Friday afternoon, Alexander had convinced himself that Saturday breakfast was a logistical mistake.
He had spent most of the morning reviewing deployment readiness reports, correcting a staffing memorandum, and listening to two lieutenant colonels argue over training funds with the peculiar intensity of men who had forgotten that nobody outside the conference room cared.
None of it required him to think about Claire Bennett.
That should have helped.
It did not.
At lunch, Collins found him standing in front of the vending machines holding a packet of salted peanuts he had not opened.
“You’ve been staring at those for three minutes, sir.”
Alexander looked at the packet.
“I’m reading the ingredients.”
“They’re peanuts.”
“There are standards.”
Collins leaned one shoulder against the wall.
“You’re going tomorrow.”
Alexander did not look at him.
“To what?”
“Whatever has you reading peanut ingredients like intelligence reporting.”
Alexander tore the packet open.
“Your career would improve if you developed less curiosity.”
“My career is already endangered by working for you.”
“That is a fair point.”
Collins smiled.
Then he became careful.
“Those kids okay?”
Alexander poured a few peanuts into his palm.
“I assume so.”
“You didn’t ask?”
“I have Claire’s number.”
“That was not my question.”
Alexander gave him a look.
Collins lifted both hands.
“Sir.”
The major walked away before Alexander could decide whether insubordination had occurred.
His phone buzzed less than thirty seconds later.
Claire’s message was short.
Saturday still works if you still want to come.
No pressure.
The second sentence irritated him.
Not because it was unreasonable.
Because he recognized it.
He typed three different replies and deleted all of them.
Finally he sent, I said I’d be there.
Three dots appeared immediately.
Then vanished.
Then returned.
May you like
Okay.
That was all.
