Little girls. They could melt the toughest hearts.
Alex was straightening some of the condiments when he heard the bell on the front door jingle. Raising hishead over the aisle, he saw Katie enter the store.
“Hi, Miss Katie,” Kristen called out, popping up from behind the register. “How do you think my doll looks?”
From where he was standing, he could barely see Kristen’s head above the counter, but she was holding…
Vanessa? Rebecca? Whatever the doll with brown hair was called, high enough for Katie to notice.
“She’s beautiful, Kristen,” Katie answered. “Is that a new dress?”
“No, I’ve had it for a while. But she hasn’t worn it lately.”
“What’s her name?”
“Vanessa,” she said.
Vanessa, Alex thought. When he complimented Vanessa later, he would sound like a much more attentivefather.
“Did you name her?”
“No, she came with the name. Can you help me get her boots on, though? I can’t get them on all the way.”
Alex watched as Kristen handed Katie the doll and she began to work on the soft plastic boots. From his ownexperience, Alex knew it was harder than it looked. There wasn’t a chance a little girl could somehow muscle themon. He had trouble putting them on, but somehow Katie made it seem easy. She handed the doll back and asked,
“How’s that?”
“Perfect,” Kristen said. “Do you think I should put a coat on her?”
“It’s not that cold out.”
“I know. But Vanessa gets cold sometimes. I think she needs one.” Kristen’s head vanished behind the counterand then popped up again. “Which one do you think? Blue or purple?”
Katie brought a finger to her mouth, her expression serious. “I think purple might be good.”
Kristen nodded. “That’s what I think, too. Thanks.”
Katie smiled before turning away, and Alex focused his attention on the shelves before she caught him staring.
He moved jars of mustard and relish toward the front of the shelf. From the corner of his eye, he saw Katie scoopup a small shopping basket before moving toward a different aisle.
Alex headed back to the register. When she saw him, he offered a friendly wave. “Good morning,” he said.
“Hi.” She tried to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but it was too short to catch. “I just have to pick up a fewthings.”
“Let me know if you can’t find what you need. Sometimes things get moved around.”
She nodded before continuing down the aisle. As Alex stepped behind the register, he glanced at the videoscreen. Josh was fishing in the same spot, while a boat was slowly docking.
“What do you think, Daddy?” Kristen tugged on his pant leg as she held up the doll.
“Wow! She looks beautiful.” Alex squatted down next to her. “And I love the coat. Vanessa gets cold sometimes,right?”
“Yup,” Kristen said. “But she told me she wants to go on the swings, so she’s probably going to change.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Alex said. “Maybe we can all go to the park later? If you want to swing, too.”
“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 ateenager 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 atube 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 soundfriendly 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 likedDickens.
“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.”
“Her name is Miss Katie,” Kristen chirped from behind him. “But I already told you that, remember?” Alexglanced over his shoulder at her. When he turned back, Katie was smiling as she handed the money to him.
“Just Katie,” she said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Katie.” He tapped the keys and the register drawer opened with a ring. “I take it you livearound here?”
She never got around to answering. Instead, when he looked up, he saw that her eyes had gone wide in fright.
Swiveling around he saw what she’d caught on the monitor behind him: Josh in the water, fully clothed and armsflailing, in panic. Alex felt his throat suddenly close and he moved on instinct, rushing out from behind the counterand racing through the store and into the storeroom. Bursting through the door, he knocked over a case of papertowels, sending it flying, but he didn’t slow down.
He flung open the back door, adrenaline surging through his system as he hurdled a row of bushes, taking ashortcut to the dock. He hit the wooden planks at full speed. As he launched himself from the dock, Alex could seeshortcut to the dock. He hit the wooden planks at full speed. As he launched himself from the dock, Alex could seeJosh choking in the water, his arms thrashing.
His heart slamming against his rib cage, Alex sailed through the air, hitting the water only a couple of feet fromJosh. The water wasn’t deep—maybe six feet or so—and as he touched the soft, unsettled mud of the bottom, hesank up to his shins. He fought his way to the surface, feeling the strain in his arms as he reached for Josh.
“I’ve got you!” he shouted. “I’ve got you!”
But Josh was struggling and coughing, unable to catch his breath, and Alex fought to control him as he pulledhim into shallower water. Then, with an enormous heave, he carried Josh up onto the grassy bank, his mindracing through options: CPR, stomach pumping, assisted breathing. He tried to lay Josh down, but Josh resisted.
He was struggling and coughing, and though Alex could still feel the panic in his own system, he had enoughpresence of mind to know that it probably meant that Josh was going to be okay.
He didn’t know how long it took—probably only a few seconds, but it felt a lot longer—until Josh finally gave arattling cough, emitting a spray of water, and for the first time was able to catch his breath. He inhaled sharply andcoughed again, then inhaled and coughed again, though this time it settled into something that sounded like hewas clearing his throat. He drew a few long breaths, still panic-stricken, and only then did the boy seem to realizewhat had happened.
He reached for his dad and Alex folded him tightly in his arms. Josh began to cry, his shoulders shuddering,and Alex felt sick to his stomach at the thought of what might have been. What would have happened had he notnoticed Katie staring at the monitor? What if another minute had passed? The answers to those questions left himshaking as badly as Josh.
In time, Josh’s cries began to slow and he uttered the first words since Alex had pulled him from the water.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” he choked out.
“I’m sorry, too,” Alex whispered in return, and still, he held on to his son, afraid that somehow, if he let go, timewould start to run backward, but this time, the outcome would be different.
When he was finally able to loosen his hold on Josh, Alex found himself gazing at a crowd behind the store.
Roger was there, as were the customers who’d been eating. Another pair of customers craned their necks,probably just having arrived. And of course, Kristen was there, too. Suddenly he felt like a terrible parent again,because he saw that his little girl was crying and afraid and needed him, too, even though she was nestled inKatie’s arms.
It wasn’t until both Josh and Alex had changed into dry clothes that Alex was able to piece together what hadhappened. Roger had cooked both kids hamburgers and fries, and they were all sitting at a table in the grill area,though neither of them showed any interest in eating.
“My fishing line got snagged on the boat as it was pulling out, and I didn’t want to lose my fishing rod. I thoughtthe line would snap right away but it pulled me in and I swallowed a bunch of water. Then I couldn’t breathe and itfelt like something was holding me down.” Josh hesitated. “I think I dropped my rod in the river.”
Kristen was sitting beside him, her eyes still red and puffy. She’d asked Katie to stay with her for a while, andKatie had remained at her side, holding her hand even now.
“It’s okay. I’ll head out there in a little while and if I can’t find it, I’ll get you a new one. But next time, just let go,okay?”
Josh sniffed and nodded. “I’m really sorry,” he said.
“It was an accident,” Alex assured him.
“But now you won’t let me go fishing.”
And risk losing him again? Alex thought. Not a chance. “We’ll talk about that later, okay?” Alex said instead.
“What if I promise to let go the next time?”
“Like I said, we’ll talk about it later. For now, why don’t you eat something?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I know. But it’s lunchtime and you’ve got to eat.”
Josh reached for a French fry and took a small bite, chewing mechanically. Kristen did the same. At the table,she almost always mimicked Josh. It drove Josh crazy, but he didn’t seem to have the energy right now to protest.
Alex turned to Katie. He swallowed, feeling suddenly nervous. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She stood up from the table and he led her away from the kids. When they were far enough away that he wassure they wouldn’t hear, he cleared his throat. “I want to thank you for what you did.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she protested.
“Yes,” he said. “You did. Had you not been looking at the monitor, I wouldn’t have known what was happening. Imight not have reached him in time.” He paused. “And also, thank you for taking care of Kristen. She’s thesweetest thing in the world, but she’s sensitive. I’m glad you didn’t leave her alone. Even when we had to go upand change.”
“I did what anyone would do,” Katie insisted. In the silence that followed, she suddenly seemed to realize howclose they were standing and took a half step backward. “I should really be going.”
close they were standing and took a half step backward. “I should really be going.”
“Wait,” Alex said. He walked toward the refrigerated cases at the rear of the store. “Do you like wine?”
She shook her head. “Sometimes, but—”
Before she could finish, he turned around and opened the case. He reached up and pulled out a bottle ofchardonnay.
“Please,” he said, “I want you to have it. It’s actually a very good wine. I know you wouldn’t think you could geta good bottle of wine here, but when I was in the army, I had a friend who introduced me to wine. He’s kind of anamateur expert, and he’s the one who picks what I stock. You’ll enjoy it.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“It’s the least I can do.” He smiled. “As a way to say thank you.”
For the first time since they’d met, she held his gaze. “Okay,” she finally said.
After gathering her groceries, she left the store. Alex returned to the table. With a bit more cajoling, Josh andKristen finished their lunches, while Alex went to the dock to retrieve the fishing pole. By the time he got back,Joyce was already slipping on her apron, and Alex took the kids for a bike ride. Afterward, he drove them toWilmington, where they saw a movie and had pizza, the old standbys when it came to spending time with kids. Thesun was down and they were tired when they got home, so they showered and put on their pajamas. He lay in bedbetween them for an hour, reading stories, before finally turning out the lights.
In the living room, he turned on the television and flipped through the channels for a while, but he wasn’t in themood to watch. Instead, he thought about Josh again, and though he knew that his son was safe upstairs, he felt aripple of the same fear he’d felt earlier, the same sense of failure. He was doing the best he could and no onecould love their kids more than he did, but he couldn’t help feeling that somehow it wasn’t enough.
Later, long after Josh and Kristen had fallen asleep, he went to the kitchen and pulled out a beer from therefrigerator. He nursed it as he sat on the couch. The memories of the day played in his mind, but this time, histhoughts were of his daughter and the way she’d clung to Katie, her little face buried in Katie’s neck.
The last time he’d seen that, he reflected, was when Carly had been alive.
4
April gave way to May and the days continued to pass. The restaurant got steadily busier and the stash ofmoney in Katie’s coffee can grew reassuringly thick. Katie no longer panicked at the thought that she lacked themeans to leave this place if she had to.
Even after paying her rent and utilities, along with food, she had extra money for the first time in years. Not alot, but enough to make her feel light and free. On Friday morning, she stopped at Anna Jean’s, a thrift shop thatspecialized in secondhand clothes. It took most of the morning to sift through all the clothing, but in the end, shebought two pairs of shoes, a couple of pairs of pants, shorts, three stylish T-shirts, and a few blouses, most ofwhich were name brands of one sort or another and looked almost new. It amazed Katie to think that some womenhad so many nice clothes that they could donate what would probably cost a small fortune in a department store.