He pulled into his
parking spot and took Elizabeth out of her car seat. If it got too
awkward he could always say Lizzy wanted to see her. He looked at
his watch, it was midday. He thought of popping into the office for
a few minutes, but decided against it. If he went in, he would most
definitely get roped into a case on his day off, instead he would
go to the day care and pick up Miguel.
He had done his homework
on Paula and Miguel, but there wasn’t much he could get about them,
apart from her work place and his day care. He found hundreds of
Michaels, but he narrowed his search to the west because of her
accent, and the list was cut down to thirty one, but they were
Caucasian, these Michaels only existed once they set foot in New
York, and there was nothing else before that, that’s what spiked
his curiosity about them. The first thing he thought was that they
were illegal immigrants, but Paula’s accent was western, not
heavily, but it was noticeable, probably because of the months they
had already spent in New York. Dave was determined to know more
about them.
He opened the colorful
doors to the day care center and stepped in. A stoutly nurse
approached him and extended her arms for Elizabeth, “I’m not
dropping off, rather I’m picking up.” he said with a
smile.
The nurse looked at him
questionably, “I thought you had only one child?”
“
I do, but I’m
picking up my friend’s kid for lunch.” Dave lied. He hated
explaining himself to people, but if he was going to take Miguel,
he needed to come up with an excuse. He was glad the kids were well
taken care of, maybe now he would be more relaxed when he left
Elizabeth here.
She raised an eyebrow and
stared at him, not saying a word. Dave thought he had been caught
in a lie, but Miguel came to his rescue, “Dave, are you leaving
Izzy?” he stretched his hands out for Elizabeth and she bent down
for them, “Give her to me, I’ll watch her.”
“
No, we are
going to your mom’s place for lunch.” Dave put her down, but Miguel
insisted on carrying her. He looked like he would fall over, but he
kept steady on his feet. It disturbed Dave how the boy had grown
attached to his daughter, and how Elizabeth was so willing to go to
him. She usually didn’t like strangers no matter the height, he was
even more surprised he found her serene and calm with Paula the day
before.
“
You want
Miguel?” the nurse asked.
“
Yes.” Dave
answered her, leaning down to put a secure hand on Michael’s
back.
She shrugged, “They were
going out for lunch anyway. You could save Paula sometime and take
them.”
“
Them?” Dave
asked, he didn’t know she had more than one kid.
“
Julie, Jane’s
daughter,” Miguel answered him, shifting Elizabeth to his other
hip, “Julie lets go.” He yelled. A blond girl turned her head and
came running towards them.
“
Our moms are
going to be mad if we break out again.” she said in a squeaky
voice.
“
Break out?”
Dave asked amused.
“
We aren’t
breaking out. Dave is taking us.” he turned and walked out of the
room, Julie behind him. Dave stood there, not sure exactly what to
make of Miguel, he had completely taken charge of the situation. He
looked like the type kids younger than him would look up to, and
follow his every word, probably why Julie and
Izzy
- his new pet name for his
daughter were so at ease with him.
“
Paula, did
you send someone to pick up the kids?” Jane placed the cups of tea
down on the table before she turned to Maria.
Maria looked at her with
a raised eyebrow, “What are you talking about?” She walked to the
counter and placed her tray down, placing her next order on
it.
“
The day care
just called, they said a man picked up the kids.” she spoke
quietly, walking to the back of the counter.
Maria stood there frozen.
She could feel all the blood rush out of her head, to her feet, her
heart beat hard, ready to explode out of her chest. She could feel
her former companion fear creep up her spine as she slowly broke
into a panic. It had been too soon, too fast for Ricky to have
found them already. Edna reassured her that Ricky was nowhere near
New York, and how was it possible he found out where Michael was?
Was he watching the apartment, did he follow them here? Leo
wouldn’t let him take Michael and the day care knew better than to
give her child to a complete stranger? And what would Ricky want
with Julie? No, it had to be someone else. “It could have been
Leo,” she spoke with a quivering voice.
Jane looked up at her
suspiciously. She heard the fear in Maria’s voice and thought it
unusual. Her eyes were already filling up with tears and her body
seemed to shake as her chest moved up and down, as if she was
struggling to breath. Jane had never seen her like that and it made
her wonder, “No it wasn’t him, it was some guy
called...”
Maria didn’t wait for
Jane to finish speaking. She turned around and jetted towards the
door, her mind already imagining all the cruel things Ricky was
already doing to Michael. She stopped a few feet from the door when
it swung open, revealing a laughing Michael and Julie, each holding
Elizabeth’s hand, Dave walking closely behind them smiling down.
Maria rocked on her feet dizzy, the relief of seeing Michael
crippling her. She fell on all fours crying, struggling to
breathe.
Michael ran to her and
pulled her head up in his little hands. She pulled him to her and
held him tight against her, her sobs reducing, “Don’t ever go off
with anyone ever again without telling me!” Michael nodded
realizing the fear his mother was in. He had only seen her like
that a few times, but the situation was different, she was just
worried, that’s all, they wouldn’t lie to him, “I’m okay mama,
everything is okay, remember?” he pulled away and looked into her
eyes with a smile.
Maria looked at him,
jealous of his false sense of security. He wouldn’t be this at ease
or as happy if he knew how very wrong he was. They weren’t okay,
they would never be okay, and they had more reasons now than before
to be scared out of their minds, but he didn’t need to know that,
he would never know that. She nodded and kissed his forehead
drawing him into her arms, “I was just worried.” she spoke into his
hair, her mind filled with Ricky’s face and threatening
voice.
He pulled away from her,
kissed her nose, something he loved doing, and took Elizabeth’s
hand and walked past her, “Good, can we have lunch now?” Maria took
a deep breath and wiped her wet face dry. Her surroundings came
alive to her when she noticed the whole cafe staring at her, she
stood up to meet Dave’s worried eyes, but she saw more than worry
in them and she didn’t like it.
Dave stood there quietly
watching mother and son. His first reaction when she went down was
to go for her, but Miguel beat him to it, soothing and comforting
her like a parent would do a child, for those few minutes he was
her shoulder. He knew there was something more to the child, he’d
acted more mature than his cute baby face let on. What he found
surprising was Paula’s reaction, he thought he was a paranoid
parent, but she took the cake. He saw something more than paranoia
in her eyes. Before she went down, he saw intense fear, then
blinding relief, and her tears and cries expressed the relief she
felt when she saw Michael, and then there was a distant pained look
in her eyes once she soothed down. Dave missed nothing. He knew
instantly she was running from someone, and her son was the glue
holding her together. He felt the urge to protect her, to comfort
her like she had done for Elizabeth, but he felt intrigued, and the
hunger to solve the puzzle he saw her life to be.
“
I’m sorry, I
should have called.” he spoke softly, moving closer to her. She
took a step away, her stance cold.
“
Yes, you
should have.” she said coldly, turning away from him. She went to
the table the kids were at and stroked Michael’s head tenderly, she
was still shaken up and then she disappeared into the
kitchen.
Dave understood the anger
she must have been feeling towards him, but he didn’t want her to
shut him out before he got to know the person behind those
expressive green eyes, which harbored a lot of emotions, so he
followed her into the kitchen ignoring the cook’s protests, “I
figured since you kidnapped my kid, I should return the favor.” he
joked with a smile.
Maria turned and looked,
at him irate, she was in no mood for his obsequiousness after the
stunt he pulled, “The difference is, I knew where my kid was,” she
put three plates on her tray and walked around him, “Jane, I’m
taking my break.”
“
After your
break down, you should take the rest of the day off.” Jane mumbled.
Maria gave her an unmasked stare. She placed the plates of mashed
potatoes and veggies in front of the kids. She put Elizabeth on her
lap and helped her eat. She sat with her back to the crowd, half
embarrassed by the melt down they had witnessed.
Dave stared at her with
his daughter on her lap, they looked good, like a perfect picture.
Elizabeth smiled up at her before she took the little spoon she
offered, and turned her attention to her food. Paula looked
uncomfortable, but a little at ease, stealing glances at Michael
and talking to the kids about their day. Dave sat down opposite her
next to Miguel, his eyes glued on Paula, watching her sad face
slowly get replaced by a joyous one. The need to know her became
intense as he watched her pink lips part in a smile, reflecting the
smile in her eyes, her beautiful green eyes.
Dave was stunned at how
he ogled the stranger. This wasn’t him, it was very unlike him to
feel that sort of attraction, not the kind men have when they meet
a woman and want to bed her immediately, his attraction was
something...... different.
“
What will you
have, sir?” Jane stood next to him with her notebook in her hand.
Dave didn’t answer her, it was like he hadn’t noticed she was
standing next to him. She looked at him and followed his dazed
gaze. She felt irked at how he stared at Paula, she had stolen her
thunder, men used to look at Jane like that before Paula came
along.
Maria looked up at Jane,
then at Dave, he looked dazed, “Dave what will you have?” she
asked, repeating Jane’s question.
“
Huh?” Dave
woke up at her question. The sincere smile on her face and the new
sparkle in her eyes dazzled him. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t
believe it had taken him so long to notice. He had an excuse for
the day before, it was a difficult, frustrating day for him, but he
didn’t see how he didn’t notice right off the bat. She looked
fragile and precious when she cried, but she looked like the
epitome of beauty when she was happy and smiling.
“
Do you want a
menu?” Maria asked him again.
“
No, I’ll have
what they are having.” he said, pointing to Miguel’s plate. Jane
creased her face angrily before she left. Maria was shocked, but
yet amused by that, she knew Jane didn’t like her and she really
didn’t care. She wasn’t here to make new friends, she liked the one
she had back home just fine.
Maria looked back at
Dave, finally noticing the look he was giving her. She hated that
look, more with each passing day and with every man who gave it. If
he tried to touch her, she was going to join his hand, the table,
and a fork, and make them an artistic piece. “I’m sorry about
snipping at you.” She wanted to distract him with a conversation,
she liked his daughter too much to hate him.
“
Don’t worry
about it. I would have balled up too, if I wasn’t afraid of looking
like less of a man.” Dave tried to look normal once he saw her
light fade. She was feeling uncomfortable under his gaze and it
made her pull back into herself.
“
Men and their
pride.” Maria mumbled unconsciously.
“
Well, that,
and I think my boss would have fired me if he saw his top lawyer
crying in a public place. Emotions aren’t good for my
business.”
“
You work at
McKenzie and Associates?” Maria remembering their short
conversation the day before, “You are Dave Greer the shark!” She
had heard of him, he was apparently the man you would want on your
side and not against you.
Smiling, “I’m not a
shark, just good at what I do.”
“
The way your
wife, or ex-wife acted yesterday, and your rep on the streets, I
beg to differ.”
“
You see how
showing emotions would be damaging to my street rep?” Dave leaned
back making way for the plate Jane brought, his eyes glued on
Paula’s beaming face. Jane didn’t like that, so she dropped the
plate on the table, startling everyone, thankfully there was only a
tiny splutter on the table cloth. Dave looked at her with a raised
eyebrow, not at all amused by her behavior. She feigned an
apologetic smile and walked away. Dave stared after her, even more
peeved.
Maria laughed at his
reaction, “Forgive the poor service, I think it’s me more than it
is you.”
“
Why?” he
turned back to her. Her smile captivated him again, making him
stare at her blankly, completely wiping out his
annoyance.
“
You are the
lawyer, tell me your theory,” she said, ignoring the stare, “when
the kids aren’t around.” she added quickly.