Page 34 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

Over dinner, Juno found herself charmed by Lena, despite her lingering anger at Alex. She was bright, articulate, and had her father's easy smile. She talked about her favorite books, her favorite places on the lake, and how she was learning to swim.

"Daddy promised to teach me to fish while I'm here," she said through a bite of sandwich. "He says the best fishing is early in the morning when the lake is still."

"Your dad knows this lake well," Juno agreed. "He's lived here his whole life."

"I wish I could live here too," Lena sighed. "Mommy and me move all the time."

The child's words resonated so personally with Juno, and her heart ached for her. What was wrong with Alex that he would deny Lena the life she so longed for. Even if it was just for the summer, to know she always had a place to come to, a place she could depend on to be there waiting for her.Peopleshe could depend on to be there waiting for her.

After dinner, Juno put on a movie for Lena while she and Alex cleared the dishes. In the kitchen, with the sound of the film providing cover, she finally confronted him.

"Why on earth are you keeping that remarkable child a secret, Alex?" she asked, her voice low but intense. "And I don't mean just a secret from me. From everyone. Do your parents know about her?"

Alex carried a stack of plates from the table. "They don't," he admitted. "I actually planned on telling you about her tonight."

"Really?" Did she believe him? Did it matter? "Well, that's all fine and dandy but it doesn't change the fact that she thinks she's supposed to be a secret. Your own daughter, Alex." She shook her head in disbelief. "Are you embarrassed by her?"

"What? No! Of course, I'm not embarrassed of her. She's amazing" He glanced over at Lena who was curled under a fuzzy blanket at one end of the sofa he'd slept on only the night before. The adoration on his face was unmistakable, Juno saw.

"Then why does nobody in town know about her? Why the secrecy?" Juno kept her voice down with effort. "What kind of father doesn't acknowledge his own child?"

Alex's jaw tightened. "Melissa wanted—"

"You're blaming Melissa for your decision to not tell anyone you have a daughter?" Her tone had turned scathing now. She snatched the dishes out of his hands and dunked them into the sink she'd just he'd just filled with hot, soapy water.

"You don't understand, Juno. You don't know what this has been like—"

She cut him off again. "Oh, I know good and well what it feels like to have a father who doesn't give a flying flip about you," she shot back. "I know exactly what it feels like to live a secret life, to feel like an inconvenience. Is that how you see her? Is she an inconvenience for your Peter Pan lifestyle?"

"That's enough." His voice was hard. "You don't get to judge me when you don't know the first thing about my relationship with Lena."

"I know you haven't been a real father to her. Standing on the sidelines while she 'moves around' with her mother? Not even telling your parents and friends you have a child?"

"I only learned about Lena three years ago," Alex hissed, his hands gripping the edge of the sink. "When I got a bill from Melissa insisting that if I wanted to meet my child, I'd need to come up with the thousands in back child support I didn't have. I had to prove to her that I was fit enough to be in Lena's life."

Juno stepped back, momentarily silenced. Was that even legal? Or was he telling her a one-sided story to make her feel sorry for him?

"That's when I quit drinking." The anger seemed to drain from his voice. "I had to save every penny to pay for a child I'd never met."

"Oh, so now it's Lena's fault you had to give up your partying?" The words were out before she could stop them, but, seriously? To pay for a child? "You poor baby."

"Are you being deliberately obtuse?" Alex ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm trying to explain—"

"You're trying to justify being a deadbeat dad," Juno cut in.

"Why do you keep cutting me off?" he demanded, crossing his arms. "You ask me a question, and then you don't let me answer."

She jabbed him in the chest, leaving a wet spot on his shirt. "Why are you defending your behavior?"

"Why are you guys fighting?"

They both turned to find Lena standing near the kitchen table, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you fighting about me? Everyone always fights about me."

The wounded look on the little girl's face cut through Juno's anger like a knife. "Oh, sweetie," she said quickly. "We're talking about something we disagree on. I'm sorry if if we worried you."

"It sounded like you were fighting about me," Lena insisted, her lower lip trembling slightly.

Alex moved to his daughter's side, kneeling awkwardly with his booted foot extended. "It's okay, Lena-Bug. You don't need to worry. Juno and I just have some things to work out."

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