Page 65 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

“I thought he was only working mornings,” Alex noted, his tone conversational, but he didn’t fool her. She saw the tension in his shoulders.

Alex had crossed paths with Leonard several times over the last two weeks, and while he'd been unfailingly polite, there was a guardedness to his interactions with her father that Juno couldn't ignore. She understood his concern—of course she did—but his persistent watchful regard was beginning to grate on her.

"He's always willing to work extra hours if I have stuff for him to do," she said, keeping her voice light. "He’s good with his hands. Always was, even when..."

She trailed off, not wanting to complete the thought in front of Lena, who was arranging books by color to create a rainbow effect on the bottom shelf.

Alex nodded, a muscle working in his jaw. "Well, that's good. Saved you calling a plumber."

The conversation stalled, that invisible barrier rising between them again. Lately, it seemed to happen whenever Leonard came up, which was increasingly often since he'd become a fixture at the coffee shop.

Lena, oblivious to the tension, piped up from her spot on the floor. "Can we check the stars now? Pretty please?"

Grateful for the interruption, Juno nodded. "I think they should be set. Want to do the honors?" She went to the window and drew the drapes, blocking out as much of the setting sunlight as possible, then gestured toward the light switch.

Lena's face was alight with anticipation. "Ready? Three, two, one..." She flipped the switch, plunging the room into shadows.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Lena gasped. "It's perfect! My very own sky!"

As Juno's eyes adjusted, she made out the soft, luminous glow of the stars scattered across the ceiling. Alex had moved to stand beside his daughter, his arm draped around her shoulders as they both gazed up.

"What do you think, Lena-bug?" His voice was soft with wonder.

"I think it's the best room in the whole wide world," Lena whispered back. “I wish Mommy could see it.”

Juno met Alex’s gaze and tried to give him a silent boost of encouragement.

“I’m sure she’ll come see it soon,” he told her, ruffling her hair.

Melissa had been understandably livid when she’d learned that her plans to take Lena out of the country had been stalled. She’d not only answered Alex’s calls after that, but for a few days, she’d called him incessantly, relentlessly begging him, threatening him, bargaining with him to work with her.

But Alex had stayed firm, partly because by ‘working with her,’ she’d meant letting her have her way, but also, as he’d expressed to Juno, the more time he spent with Lena, the more he realized how much they needed each other. “I know this sounds selfish, but I’m a much better man when I have someone else to think about other than myself.”

Juno had chuckled softly. “Aren’t we all?”

And so, two weeks had gone by, and Lena was still staying in Alex’s care, while Melissa, supposedly, was frantically rearranging her life and trying to find an attorney who would see things her way. Apparently, she hadn't taken Alex seriously when he'd said he was getting a lawyer, and now she was scrambling.

Over the last week, she’d started video chatting with Lena in the evenings, and sometimes Juno thought it might be a way for Melissa to monopolize Lena’s time, now that Alex was back at work fulltime, but Alex didn’t mind. He wanted peace between the three of them, and if that meant sharing Lena’s attention with Melissa, he was good with it. “She’s here with me, and that’s what counts,” he’d said when Juno had tentatively broached the subject.

Juno marveled at the person she was getting to know, the grown up Alex, a man with a purpose, with goals for his future.

Lena broke away from her father and turned to Juno. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, and flung her arms around Juno's waist. The unexpected embrace nearly knocked her off balance, but she recovered quickly, wrapping her arms around the girl and breathing in the scent of paint and the strawberry shampoo they'd picked out together at the store.

Over Lena's head, Juno's eyes met Alex's in the dimness. Something passed between them in that moment—an acknowledgment of what they were building here, the three of them. Something like a family.

The thought should have terrified her. Instead, it filled her with warmth.

Later, after they'd tucked Lena into bed in Alex's room (she'd have to wait another night to sleep in her new room, once the paint smell had dissipated), Juno and Alex slipped outside to sit on his tiny balcony. The night air was warm, humming with the sounds of summer insects. Alex had poured them each a glass of lemonade, and Juno savored the tart sweetness on her tongue.

"How are you doing?” Juno asked softly, watching as Alex tilted his face up to catch the evening breeze.

"I’m okay,” he said, not looking at her. “It’s Lena I worry about. Though I think having my parents around has helped a lot." Lena spent the days with her grandmother while Alex was at work.

Juno smiled. "Roxanne is a natural grandmother. The way she looks at Lena..."

Alex nodded. “I know.” He reached over and took her hand. "Thank you for being part of this. I know it's been a lot, all at once."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she replied honestly.

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