The Things You Did For Me
Chapter 21: WHEN THEY SEE YOU
It was late when they finally pulled into Alex's driveway. "Don't mind the mess," he told them as they gathered some bags from the back and approached the door. He kicked himself for not cleaning up before he left. He was sure there were going to be dishes in the sink and piles of laundry lying about the house. He was a young bachelor, could anyone really blame him?
But of course Norma didn't mind. She needed a place to stay. And right now, Alex was the only friend she had. "This is nice," she stated as she set some luggage down.
He smiled gratefully, passing her to lead her down the hall. "The guest bedroom's this way. There's a double bed so there should be enough room for the two of you."
She watched as her son curiously peeked about the house, a smile forming. "Thanks…for everything."
Alex woke up the next morning to sound of his alarm going off. He had mixed feelings about going back to work today. He liked working, but part of him felt bad leaving Norma and Dylan at the house.
He stumbled out of bed, pulling some sweatpants over his briefs and making his way to the kitchen for his morning coffee. He was surprised to find Norma bustling about the kitchen. But then again in the times she'd slept over his house she always up and gone before he opened his eyes. He smiled as she caught him lurking in the doorway.
"I made us breakfast." His heart warmed as she poured him a cup of coffee, ushering him to a seat.
"Thanks." He hadn't been this taken care of since his mother.
She shrugged. "I like cooking."
He sat back in his chair, taking a sip of coffee. "It smells delicious."
"You didn't have much to work with so I just made ham and eggs." He could smell her perfume as she leaned over him to scoop some eggs on to his plate. "I'll look at the want ads after I do a load of laundry."
This came as a bit of a shock. He wasn't mad that she wanted to be independent, but a part of him hoped that she'd let him take care of her for a little while. "You're gonna have a baby. Are you sure you want a job right now? Who's gonna take care of Dylan during the day?"
She scoffed, setting the pan in the sink before making her way to the chair adjacent from him. "I have to support us somehow. You can't keep shoveling money at me."
He sighed internally. He knew she was right. But he knew she wasn't going to have any luck finding a decent job, especially once she started showing. "How about you work for me?"
She nearly choked on a piece of egg. "Doing what?"
"Housekeeping? Cooking, cleaning, all the stuff you already like to do. You can manage my house."
She looked at him in disbelief. "You want me to be your maid?"
"Well, I would never refer to it as that. Housekeeper. That sounds much less demeaning." She still wasn't buying it. He could tell. "I'd pay well. You could do whatever you wanted during the day and be with Dylan. And most importantly you'd have time to rest when you get further along in your pregnancy."
Her eyes narrowed a bit as she picked up her fork. "You really shouldn't be eating those frozen dinners."
He was always by her ability to judge him on his eating habits. "I didn't have a wife to cook for me."
"Well, now you do," she retorted, taking a bite. "I mean—now you have SOMEONE to cook for you, not—sure, I'll manage your house, officer."
He chuckled, watching her squirm. "Perfect. We can stop by the bank and set up an account for you when I get home from work."
She smiled. She hadn't been this content ever. The unfamiliarity of happiness worried her, but she trusted Alex. He was her best friend. "Okay."
"We're gonna have to get you a car," Alex stated on the way to the bank. He glanced over to find her staring out the window. "You're not gonna fight me on this one?"
"No. How am I supposed to run errands for you without one? I could walk, but you probably wouldn't let me do that because I'm pregnant." She shot him a look. She was back all right.
When they pulled into the bank a couple of people greeted Alex, staring at Norma as if they couldn't quite place her face. "Is it weird to be back?" he asked.
She caught his gaze, grabbing her son's hand to lead him into the building. "Very weird."
"Alex," a woman shouted as soon as the door shut behind him. "I can help you over here?
Norma stared at him, furrowing her brow. "What are you mister popular?"
An awkward smile crossed his face as he led them to the woman's desk. "Hey, Rebecca."
The woman smiled at Norma and her son, planted her eyes on Alex. "You haven't called me in a while."
"I've been gone for a few days," he explained, pulling out the seat for Norma to sit then taking a seat for himself and helping Dylan onto his lap. "I was helping Norma move back to White Pine Bay."
"Oh, are you from around here?" She was feigning interest.
Norma glanced at Alex, a shy laugh escaping her lips. "Yeah, we grew up next door to each other."
The woman's eyes studied them for a moment. "That's cute," she murmured after a while. "What can I do for you today?"
"We need to open an account for Norma and then transfer some money from my account onto hers." He could tell this was awkward for everyone involved except Dylan, of course. The boy giggled as Alex bounced him on his knee.
Norma smiled at them despite the growing tension between the adults. She wondered why Alex was so good with Dylan. As far as she knew he was never around young kids. Yet, with Dylan he seemed an expert.
"Is that the woman you're seeing?" Norma asked, after they put her son to bed.
Alex stared at her, his expression blank. "What?"
"The woman at the bank. Rebecca. Is she your girlfriend?" He couldn't tell if she was jealous or genuinely curious.
He sighed, making his way to the kitchen to pour himself a drink. "She's not my girlfriend. I already told you. I don't have time to meet women."
"Well, yeah, I know. That's why you pick them up at the bank." He glared at her. She loved to agitate him. She made her way over to the counter to grab some glasses when an envelope caught her eye. "This came in the mail for you."
Alex recognized the black envelope. Dread seeping in. "You can throw it out."
She huffed. "You're not even gonna open it. It looks fancy."
"It's from Bob Paris."
She stared at him. She could sense something was up. "I thought you were friends?"
"Yeah, we were. We're not anymore." He didn't mean to be so harsh with her, but the mention of his name made his skin crawl.
"Did something happen?" she asked innocently. He was hesitant to tell her the truth. "What is he seeing the banker too?"
He glared at her, setting the bottle of whiskey of the table. "I found out he's working for my dad. And he doesn't know I know."
She wasn't getting it. "Well, what is this?"
He could already see where this was going. "It's an invitation to one of his parties."
"Are you gonna go?"
He stared at her. "No. I just told you. We're not friends anymore."
"Yeah, but we could go undercover." He couldn't tell if this was another one of her jokes. But purity of the expression on her face said otherwise.
"What are we? Mystery incorporated? We're not gonna go out and solve crimes together. I'm not taking you to that party." He tried to be as stern as possible.
Because some part of her was still that teenage girl who lived next door. "Maybe I'll just go without you."
She was incorrigible as always. "You're not invited." He sighed, his eyes falling to the bottle sitting on the table between them. "I can't believe he's one of them. Now not only am I going to have to arrest my own father, but I'm gonna have to arrest my friend too."