Page 47 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"Of course." When she said nothing else, he asked, "Are you going to be okay here alone, Melissa?" She wouldn't do anything to hurt herself, would she? He'd never seen her so despondent, and he didn't know her well enough to know how she managed in situations like this.

"I'll be fine. Adeline will be here in a couple of hours and she'll check on me. She always does," she said. "That girl takes care of both of us."

Alex was glad to hear it. It would be after one by the time he and Lena left, so she'd only be home alone for an hour. But he'd feel better if she didn't look so miserable. "Hey, why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed while we're here. We'll stick around for a few more minutes, if you change your mind and want to see Lena before we go."

Melissa nodded, and he started to pull the door closed, but paused when he heard her say, "Thank you, Alex."

"You're welcome."

Back in Lena's room, Alex asked her to tell him the names of each of her stuffed animals in an attempt to slow her down as she put them into a large yellow duffel. Then he paged through some of her sketchbooks with her before she slipped them into her backpack. On the cover of one book she'd written in careful block letters, 'Daddy.' It was filled with colorful images of him smiling a toothy grin, of the two of them playing, fishing, eating, and even a few with Melissa, too, although usually, she was drawn on the sidelines, sitting on a bench or on her phone. Present, but not engaged. Alex wondered if Melissa had seen the drawings.

When she was completely ready to go, Lena, of her own accord, knocked on her mother's bedroom door. She only waited a moment before opening it and walking in. "I'm going with Daddy, now, Mommy. I love you." From where he sat on Lena's bed, Alex couldn't see inside Melissa's room, but the light was still on, and he could hear her response.

"Love you, too, Lena Marie. I'll call you tomorrow sometime, okay?"

"It's okay. You don't have to," came Lena's response. "I'll be fine with Daddy."

Alex grimaced. Would that set Melissa off?

"Okay," she only said. "Be good."

"I'm always good," Lena replied with a giggle, then she appeared in the hallway again. Before pulling the door closed behind her, she called, "Goodnight, Mommy."

The role reversal scene made Alex's chest tight. His daughter was growing up with far too much responsibility on her shoulders, and he was the only one who could do anything about it.

Things were going to change. Starting now.

As they pulled away from the condo, he glanced at Lena in the rearview mirror. She looked small and a little uncertain, with her ladybug still clutched to her chest.

"You okay, Lena-bug?"

She nodded, then asked in a small voice, "Are you okay?"

Alex pulled over to the curb so he could turn in his seat and look her in the eye. "I'm more than okay, because I'm with you."

"I didn't know Mommy would get so mad." Lena's eyes glistened as they once again filled with tears.

"Hey, now, it's going to be okay." He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "She's more upset at herself than you or me, sweetie. We all just need a good night's sleep, okay?"

Lena nodded and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "You don't mind if I come stay with you? I didn't ask you if it was okay first."

"Not at all," he declared, not needing to fake his enthusiasm. "My apartment isn't fancy like your mom's place. It's small, and I haven't had much time to clean up lately because of my ankle. But we'll make it work, okay?"

A genuine smile spread across Lena's face. "Okay."

As they drove around the lake toward town, Alex's mind homed in on Juno, the way it always did. Even though it had been so late, he couldn't help the disappointment that she hadn't responded to his text. He prayed it was because she was sound asleep, and not because she was choosing to leave him hanging.

He'd call her first thing in the morning. Surely, she would understand.

And then, he'd call his parents.

As they drove through the quiet streets of Autumn Lake, he allowed himself to feel something he hadn't fully experienced in years: hope.

"Are you tired?" he asked as they approached his apartment building.

Lena shook her head. "Not anymore. I'm too excited."

"Me too," Alex admitted. "How about this? Since it's a special night, we can have a little sleepover. Watch movies on the couch until we fall asleep. How does that sound?"

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