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“I don’t want to swing. Vanessa does. And it’s all pretend,
anyway, Daddy.”
“Oh,” he said, “okay.” He stood again. Scratch going to the park, he
thought.
Lost in her own world, Kristen began to undress the doll again.
Alex checked on Josh in the monitor just as a teenager entered the
store, wearing nothing but board shorts. He handed over a wad of
cash.
“For the pump at the dock,” he said before dashing out again.
Alex rang him up and set the pump as Katie walked to the
register. Same items as always, with the addition of a tube of
sunscreen. When she peeked over the counter at Kristen, Alex
noticed the changeable color of her eyes.
“Did you find everything you needed?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He began loading her bag. “My favorite Dickens novel is Great
Expectations,” he said. He tried to sound friendly as he put the
items in her bag. “Which one is your favorite?”
Instead of answering right away, she seemed startled that he
remembered that she’d told him she liked Dickens.
“A Tale of Two Cities,” she answered, her voice soft.
“I like that one, too. But it’s sad.”
“Yes,” she said. “That’s why I like it.”
Since he knew she’d be walking, he double-bagged the groceries.
“I figured that since you’ve already met my daughter, I should
probably introduce myself. I’m Alex,” he said. “Alex Wheatley.”