Page 61 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

Alex, however, had felt a growing sense of unease as he approached the man who was chatting with a customer while wiping down a table close by. When the man straightened and turned to see Alex and Lena coming toward him, Alex hadn’t missed the way his eyes had gone cold, steely, dark. For a moment, Alex had felt a strong surge of protectiveness wash over him and he’d had the impulse to shove Lena behind him to keep her out of Leonard’s line of sight.

But then the man had nodded in acknowledgement. “Alex. My daughter said you still called Autumn Lake home.” His handshake had been firm, his smile wide, but his gaze had been almost wary, almost calculating, when he looked at Alex. There was something about him that set Alex's teeth on edge, a feeling he remembered even back when they’d met the first time.

Back in high school, the first time Alex had picked Juno up from her family’s apartment, Leonard had gripped Alex’s hand hard, like a challenge, and had made a show of sizing him up. “You dating my daughter, hm?” he’d asked, his chin up, eyes narrowed.

“With your blessing, sir,” Alex had returned politely. He’d known even then how to use his good looks and charm to make points with the adults in his life. Leonard, however, hadn’t seemed affected in the least by Alex’s straight back and fine manners.

“And if I don’t give my blessing? You going to break her heart?” Leonard had leaned forward, a threatening glint in his eyes.

“Dad, please,” Juno had said, moving to stand closer to her father, like she was prepared to get between them if she needed to.

For several tense moments, Leonard had just stood there squeezing Alex’s hand and staring him down, but then he’d finally let go and waved the two of them off. “Get on outta here, boy. And take her with you. I’m a busy man.”

"Daddy, why are you looking at Juno’s daddy like that?" Lena whispered, following his gaze.

Alex stiffened, caught. “I was just thinking about the first time I met him,” he said honestly. “It was a long time ago, and I was wondering if he remembered it, too.” Alex watched as Leonard collected dishes from a recently vacated table, his movements quick and efficient. The customers at the next table smiled up at him, and Leonard responded with easy charm, making them laugh with some comment Alex couldn't hear.

“Is he nice?” she asked around a spoonful of whipped cream.

After debating on how to answer, he said, "He seems nice, doesn’t he?” But Alex wasn't convinced. There was something performative about Leonard's affability, like he was playing a role.

The bell above the door chimed, and a group of women entered, their laughter preceding them. The cavalry had arrived in the form of Penny Anderson, Liz Needham and her cousin, Candy, Addison Stewart, and Claire Maitland. The Garden Variety Lovers Club, they called themselves, and Alex found himself grinning, his tension easing considerably as the women settled in around a table that had been reserved for them. The group of friends had lunch together at Juno’s at least once a week, and now that Addison had left her airport job and was converting the storefront beneath her apartment into a plant and flower shop, all of them worked locally, making it easier for them all to attend.

Alex was glad for these women in Juno’s life. Knowing now what he did about her past, he had a feeling that before she’d returned to Autumn Lake, she’d never really known how important friends were. Alex knew he wouldn’t have made it through the worst of his times without Ward and guys at J&J keeping him on the right track.

Claire spotted them and hopped up from her seat to come over to their booth. “Well, hello, Lena. Fancy meeting you here,” she declared, her gaze darting back and forth between Alex and his daughter. “Do you know this guy?” she asked the child, pointing at Alex.

Lena giggled. “He’s my daddy. I’m allowed to tell people now.”

Claire’s smile faltered for a moment, and Alex grimaced. He assumed Juno would explain the situation to her friends, but he hoped he could get Lena to understand that maybe she didn’t need add that last bit on.

“Your daddy, huh?” By now, the rest of the Garden Variety Lovers Club ladies had gathered around and were all grinning like cats in their cream. “Did you know your daddy is a hero?”

“What?” Lena exclaimed, her shocked gaze landing on Alex. “You’re a super hero? You never told me that. What can you do?”

Claire reached over and patted Alex’s shoulder gently. “He jumped in front of a car to save two precious people from getting run over.”

Is that why you broke your foot?” Lena asked, reaching beside her to pat his foot. Then she held up her hand and screwed up her face. “Ew. I just touched your stinky toes. Now my hand is contaminated. Blech.” She made a gagging sound that garnered laughter from the group, and Penny pulled a packet of wipes from her purse.

“I always carry wipes with me,” she explained. “My mom is kind of a messy eater, and she really doesn’t like it when stuff gets on her hands.”

“You mommy is messy?” Lena asked, understandably confused by the notion. She let Penny use the wipe on her hands and listened carefully as Penny explained about Jane Anderson’s early onset dementia. To Alex’s surprise, Lena took it all in stride.

“So she’s like my age but in an old lady body?”

“Pretty much,” responded Penny, reminding Alex that she’d been an elementary school teacher and was probably well-accustomed to the way kids processed information. “She might even be a little younger than you, so maybe when you meet her, you can be like a big sister to her.”

Lena looked delighted at the prospect. “I always wanted a sister.”

Alex watched with amusement as his daughter charmed them all, answering their questions with growing confidence. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it,” Claire commented to him in a quiet voice. “She looks just like you; I can’t believe I didn’t see it the other night.”

"Everyone says I look like my daddy," Lena interjected, having overheard. “And like Uncle Jason.”

For a moment, the group stilled, but then Alex reached over, scooped a dollop of whipped cream on his finger, and stuck it on her nose.

“You sure do, Lena-bug. The spitting image of him.”

“Ew. Spitting is rude.”

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