42097609460

Talking to Jo had helped, she thought. A little, anyway. She was
still anxious, but it had less to do with the Feldmans or other
troubling memories than what she was going to say to Alex. Or
rather, what he was going to say to her in return.
She pulled to a stop out front. A couple of older men were fanning
themselves on the benches and she walked past them toward the
door. Behind the register, Joyce was ringing up a customer and
she smiled.
“Good morning, Katie,” she said.
Katie quickly scanned the store. “Is Alex around?”
“He’s upstairs with the kids. You know the way, right? The stairs
out back?”
Katie left the store and went around the side, toward the rear of
the building. At the dock, a line of boats queued, waiting to fill up.
She hesitated at the door before finally knocking. Inside, she could
hear footfalls approaching. When the door swung open, Alex
stood before her.
She offered a tentative smile. “Hi,” she said.
He nodded, his expression unreadable. Katie cleared her throat.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about what I said. I was
wrong.”
His expression remained neutral. “Okay,” he said. “I appreciate
the apology.”
For a moment, neither of them said anything, and Katie suddenly
wished she hadn’t come. “I can go. I just need to know whether
you still need me to watch the kids tonight.”
Again, he said nothing, and in the silence Katie shook her head.
When she turned to leave, she heard him take a step toward her.