Chương 7
Victoria looked frightened by her own smile.
She lowered her eyes to Leo before anyone could comment on it.
His fingers remained curled around hers while he drank, opening and closing once as if testing whether she would stay.
Marcus watched from the opposite bench.
He seemed to want to say something encouraging and had finally learned enough in the last hour to keep quiet.
Elena adjusted the frozen peas against her hip.
The bag had begun to soften.
Cold water dampened the dish towel and seeped through the fabric of her uniform.
Rosa returned from downstairs holding a grocery receipt and stopped when she saw Leo in Victoria’s arms.
No one spoke.
Rosa looked at Elena.
Elena gave the smallest possible shrug.
Rosa folded the receipt twice and tucked it into her apron pocket.
“Well,” she said.
Victoria glanced up.
Rosa pointed toward the bottle.
“He likes to stop halfway and pretend he is finished.”
Victoria looked down just as Leo pushed the nipple away with his tongue.
Her face fell.
Rosa raised one finger.
“Wait.”
Leo stared at the ceiling.
Victoria sat perfectly still.
Ten seconds later he turned his mouth back toward the bottle.
Rosa nodded.
“There.”
Victoria blinked.
“That’s strange.”
“He is a baby.”
Rosa looked at Elena.
“They are all strange.”
Elena smiled.
Leo resumed drinking.
Victoria shifted her arm slightly beneath his weight.
“Is this angle okay?”
Elena leaned closer.
“A little higher.”
Victoria adjusted him.
“Like this?”
“Yes.”
Marcus looked between them.
“You make it look complicated.”
Three women turned toward him.
He lifted both hands.
“I’m withdrawing the statement.”
Rosa nodded approvingly.
“Good survival instinct.”
Marcus almost laughed.
Victoria did not, but the corner of her mouth moved.
The moment lasted only a few seconds.
Then the front doorbell rang downstairs.
Rosa checked the time.
“Again?”
A second ring followed.
Marcus stood.
“I’ll get it.”
“No,” Rosa said.
“You will make it worse.”
He frowned.
“How?”
“I don’t know yet.”
She walked away before he could answer.
Victoria’s attention returned to Leo.
His eyes had begun to droop.
She brushed one fingertip over the back of his hand.
Elena saw her test the movement first, almost as if asking permission from the baby.
Leo did not object.
Marcus sat down again.
His phone vibrated inside his jacket.
He pulled it out, looked at the screen, and immediately silenced it.
Victoria noticed.
“Work?”
“Yes.”
“You should answer.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“You said I should answer.”
“You can answer here.”
Marcus looked at the screen again.
“It can wait.”
Victoria gave a small shrug.
“Then let it.”
The old irritation between them flickered back so naturally that Elena almost felt relieved.
Perfect tenderness would have been harder to trust.
Leo slowed his sucking.
Victoria glanced at Elena.
“He’s doing it again.”
“He’s almost done.”
“How do you know?”
“The pauses.”
Victoria watched him.
“He always does that?”
“Usually.”
Victoria nodded as if filing away evidence.
Marcus looked toward Elena.
“You said the night nanny called out.”
“Yes.”
“Who covered before you?”
“No one.”
He frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Elena covered,” Victoria said.
“That’s what she means.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Elena isn’t supposed to work overnight.”
Elena lifted one eyebrow.
“Apparently I’m not supposed to do a lot of things I do.”
Victoria looked ashamed.
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck.
“Were you paid overtime?”
“Yes.”
“Correctly?”
Elena hesitated.
Marcus noticed.
“So no.”
“I didn’t check.”
Victoria looked at her.
“You always check.”
Elena glanced at her.
“How do you know?”
“You complained about payroll in March.”
“That was because they missed six hours.”
“You were furious.”
“I was six-hours furious.”
Victoria’s face softened.
“Then why didn’t you check this time?”
Elena looked at Leo.
Because the night had been chaos.
Because the nanny had called at eight forty with a fever.
Because Victoria had been at a charity dinner and Marcus had been in Chicago.
Because Elena had planned to stay until midnight and somehow midnight became two, then four, then sunrise.
Because Leo had slept with his cheek against Elena’s shoulder while she sat in the nursery chair eating crackers from her pocket.
None of that sounded like an answer she wanted to give.
“I forgot.”
Victoria stared at her.
Marcus said, “We’ll make sure.”
Elena looked at him.
He corrected himself immediately.
“I’ll ask payroll to send you the record.”
“Better.”
He nodded.
The doorbell rang for a third time.
This time a man’s voice carried faintly from downstairs.
Rosa answered.
A moment later her footsteps came quickly back toward them.
She appeared at the end of the hallway without the grocery receipt.
Her expression had changed.
“Marcus.”
He stood.
“What?”
“There is a man downstairs asking for Victoria.”
Victoria went still.
Marcus looked at her.
“Who?”
Rosa glanced toward Victoria before answering.
“He says he is from Dr. Halpern’s office.”
The bottle stopped moving.
Elena looked at Victoria.
Victoria’s grip around Leo tightened.
Not enough to hurt him.
Enough to notice.
Marcus’s face sharpened.
“Who is Dr. Halpern?”
Victoria stared at Rosa.
“You let him in?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Who is he?” Marcus asked again.
Victoria handed the bottle toward Elena too quickly.
Leo made a protesting sound.
Elena took him and settled him against her chest.
Victoria stood.
“He shouldn’t be here.”
Marcus stepped into her path without blocking her completely.
“Who is Dr. Halpern?”
“Move.”
“Victoria.”
“Please move.”
Something in her voice made him step aside.
She started toward the stairs.
Marcus followed.
Elena looked at Rosa.
Rosa looked back.
Neither woman needed to say that the fragile calm had just ended.
“Stay here,” Rosa said.
Elena almost laughed.
“Apparently that is today’s theme.”
Rosa went after them.
Elena remained on the bench with Leo.
His bottle was unfinished.
She held it while he fussed against her shoulder.
Downstairs, voices began.
Too far away to distinguish words.
Then Victoria’s voice rose sharply.
“No.”
May you like
Marcus answered.
Another man spoke in a calm tone.
