Page 52 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"Mom, Dad," Alex said, his voice catching despite his best efforts. "I'd like you to meet Lena. My daughter."

Roxanne's eyes filled with tears, but she recovered quickly, kneeling down beside Lena and the dog. "Hello, Lena. I'm—I'm Roxanne, your grandma, and I'm so very happy to meet you."

Lena looked up, momentarily shy again. "Hello," she said quietly. "You have a nice dog."

"Thank you," Roxanne replied, her voice warm, stroking the dog's fur. "Ralphy loves you already, and he's a good judge of character."

Lena leaned in and draped her arms around the dog's neck. "Daddy said he'd love me."

From behind Roxanne, Dwight chuckled, then when Lena stood, he extended his hand to his granddaughter with formal politeness. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady."

Lena stood and shook his hand solemnly. "Thank you for having me at your house, um, Mr. Frampton."

Dwight offered his wife a hand and helped her stand. "You can call me Grandpa, if you'd like."

"And I'm Grandma," Roxanne added, touching Lena's shoulder. "We've been waiting to meet you for a very long time."

Lena looked up at Alex, confusion evident in her expression. "But they didn't know about me until today."

Alex winced slightly at her honesty, but Roxanne laughed, a genuine sound of amusement that broke the tension. "We may not have known about you, but we have been waiting for your daddy to give us a grandchild for a very long time," she admitted. "And now that we've met you, we know that you're the one we've been waiting for. We're so happy you're here."

Dwight clapped Alex on the shoulder. "Let's head inside. Lunch is almost ready."

As they made their way toward the house, Ralphy trotting alongside Lena, Alex felt something inside him begin to unwind—a knot of tension he'd carried for so long he'd forgotten it was there.

Inside, the house had changed little over the years. The same comfortable furniture, the same family photos lining the walls, the same faint scent of his mother's lemon potpourri. Lena looked around with undisguised curiosity, taking everything in.

"Would you like a tour, sugar?" Roxanne asked.

Lena nodded eagerly, and Alex watched as his mother took his daughter's hand and led her deeper into the house. Their voices drifted back—Lena asking questions, Roxanne answering with growing warmth.

"That went better than expected," Dwight observed, gesturing for Alex to follow him into the kitchen. "Your mother skipped church this morning to clean the house and make cookies. She's roasted a chicken and baked potatoes, too, enough to feed an army. She'll be sending you two home with more leftovers than you can possibly eat in a month."

"I should have told you sooner," Alex said, guilt tightening his throat. "I should have told you the moment I found out." He'd called them that morning, while waiting for Lena to wake up. It hadn't been an easy conversation, but Alex wouldn't just show up on their doorstep with her unannounced. It didn't take long, though, for surprise to turn to anticipation, and now, he could see in his father's eyes how happy they were to have the chance to get to know their new grandchild.

Dwight shrugged, a gesture so like Alex's own. "You had a lot to figure out." He filled a couple of glasses with iced tea and handed Alex one.

Alex took a long drink, using the moment to collect his thoughts. "I didn't know how to tell you. And honestly, I wasn't sure Melissa would let me be part of Lena's life long-term. I didn't want to get your hopes up."

"And now?"

"Now..." Alex shook his head. "I don't know. Melissa's letting Lena stay with me for a few days, which is a big step." How did he explain the situation he found himself in? "But she's got a new boyfriend who's taking them to his Greek island to live." He shook his head. "Lena doesn't want to go and I think Melissa is hoping if she spends a little time in my Hicksville bachelor pad that Lena will realize how good she's got it with her mom. This Daniel guy can certainly provide her with a lifestyle I never could, even in my wildest dreams."

Dwight's expression darkened. "Can he provide her with a father who loves her? Grandparents? A close-knit community that would embrace her as one of their own?"

"Melissa doesn't even talk to her parents, so Lena's never met them."

From the dining room came the sound of female laughter. Alex peered through the doorway to see Roxanne showing Lena the collection of framed school photos arranged on the sideboard.

"And this one is Alex when he lost his two front teeth," his mother was saying. "He had this adorable whistle when he tried to say anything with an 's' in it."

"Like Mississippi?" Lena giggled, her earlier shyness completely gone. She pointed to another photo. "Is that Jason?"

Roxanne's hand trembled slightly as she picked up the frame. "Yes, that's Jason, Alex's brother. Your uncle."

Lena studied the photograph with intense focus. "He looks like Daddy. And me."

"He does," Roxanne said, her voice thick with emotion. "You have his eyes, exactly the same blue. And his smile."

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