Sometimes Alex thought she had a charmed life, because everything always seemed to work the way it should. Well, not everything. but look at the letter the principal had written for her! Look at how perfectly her plot was working. She sat at her desk in the living room pretending she was studying while really she was straining hard to hear the conversation in the kitchen. When she heard Mom say it was nice to have someone besides her to cook for, she bit her pencil in glee. You can cook for him every night, Mom! And then he brought up her father, and Alex felt sudden outrage, because she was telling him that Alex thought of him as a father! She wasn't even supposed to know that, and she definitely wasn't supposed to tell him! She would scare him away!
Then Alex had to look extremely studious, because Dr. Linus came out into the living room and stared at her. She didn't dare look up. She was so afraid of the disapproval on his face. She had a sudden idea, like one of the flashes, that she knew exactly how he would look with deep disapproval for her on his face. She couldn't bear that.
But he returned to the kitchen, and she heard her mom ask what was wrong and him say something about onions. Had she made him cry? Seriously. Had she? Alex got up and ran into the bathroom.
Later Dr. Linus was leaving, and he came over to her desk and put his hand on the back of her chair. His voice was soft. "Thank you for inviting me, Alex."
She looked up at him, and there was no disapproval at all, only softness. "Will you come again, Dr. Linus?"
"Yes, Alex, I will come again."
