Common Bonds (Chapter 3)

Alex awoke the next morning with a groan. She hadn't gotten to sleep well the night before. It was hard not to admit she was affected by Dave Tiler when she kept going over what she was going to be doing tonight. Meeting his family. And oh yes, she had a few words for Anna before she even got out of bed She had planned that the night before, and had it not been so late at the time, she would have been lighting up her phone with texts then.

She grabbed at her phone and started typing furiously.

I'm coming to dinner at Dave's tonight, too, so I guess I'll see you there. We're going over some work stuff afterwards. By the way, it would have been nice to know that he is married with kids.

She sighed and tapped the side of the phone while she waited for Anna's text.

Anna: So, you two didn't discuss any of that yet?

Alex: Any of what, Anna? He got a call from his kids' school, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.

Anna: Can you meet me at The Brew for tea? We should talk. In person. In an hour?

Alex sighed. Now Anna was ready to talk. Finally, she might get some answers. She didn't want to be mad at Anna, after all, Dave was a phenomenal photographer and she was hoping they would work together more in the future. But Alex wasn't ignorant about some things implied by Anna's behavior at the party, like the way she snuck away. To say it was mixed signals was an understatement. Anna was never shy about discussing Alex's love life, but Dave was married with kids!

An hour later Alex sat at The Brew in her favorite chair by the fireplace waiting for Anna to arrive. She did some work from her tablet, checking emails, reviewing her schedule, until Anna approached.

"Hi." Anna said, rather overtly cheerful, as she gave Alex a quick hug and sat down herself.

"Okay, Anna. Can we cut to the chase now? What is going on?"

"Alex," Anna sighed and fiddled with the corner of the arm of the leather chair she sat in, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you two haven't talked about this. I mean, it isn't something one just casually brings up in conversation, and Dave doesn't like to talk about it if it can be helped."

Anna was rambling and Alex was trying to follow along. "Talk about what exactly, Anna?"

"My sister, Rita, was Dave's partner. They never got married but had been together so long they might as well have been. They had three children together. Both had a child of their own before they became partners," Anna slowly and deliberately explained things to Alex.

"Wait. But your sister – she died in a tragic accident, right? She was hit by a car? You've told me about that. You never mentioned she was married, or well practically married, with kids." Suddenly the puzzle pieces fell together in Alex's head. Dave Tiler. Dave Tiler had lost his partner in a car accident. "But Anna, that means…"

"Yes, remember when we realized there were only months separating Rita's death and John's? Dave lost Rita just months after you lost John, Laney, and Blake." Anna looked with deep concern in Alex's eyes. This revelation was one of the things that had brought the two of them so close together. But she knew that at times it was still, of course, a sensitive and tough subject to discuss.

Alex leaned over and rested her forehead in her hands. "This is just—it's just too much. I mean, it explains so much, so many of the questions I had. But… it's just…"

Anna leaned over, giving Alex's shoulder a quick squeeze and leaving her hand there in a comforting gesture. "Breathe deep, Alex. This is a good thing. He's someone who can understand a bit of what you've been through, right?"

Alex nodded her head but covered her mouth as a gasp escaped and tears began to fall down her cheeks. Something about so quickly learning of someone else's grief made her's rear its ugly head. She moved her hands away and gripped her knees. "I just don't know- I don't know if I'm prepared to open up to someone. Will I ever be?"

"When it's the right time, I believe you will be. I've told you what happened to Dave because it was necessary. With the questions you had, you needed to know. But it's up to you to tell him about your own past when you feel the time is right, Alex. I promise I won't say a word about it. Although I did mention to him that you two have a lot in common, I don't think he had a clue what I meant. I won't say anymore. I promise." Anna took Alex's hand briefly and squeezed.

Alex took a deep breath and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "Well, now, I suppose it was time for another good cry, it's been a while since my last." She gave her best attempt at a smile. "Really, Anna, thank you for your friendship. I'm thankful we became friends. And I'm so grateful you introduced me to Dave, his photography skills are amazing. I'm hoping we can work together more in the future. That is if I don't make an idiot of myself tonight in front of his kids."

"Are you kidding me? I've seen you with children, you'll be fine."

Alex shook her head, "I can only imagine how they got through the grief they've dealt with."

"Well, there have been a few big bumps in the road. Dave got himself into a serious relationship too soon after Rita's death and everyone involved ended up getting hurt, including the kids. But they're past that now and are quite happy. Obviously, they still have their moments."

"And obviously, I can understand having a moment." Alex nodded, thinking over how tonight might go. "I'm not at all trying to be presumptuous when I ask this, Anna, because as far as I'm concerned right now this is a friendly but business-connected dinner, but I know kids can sometimes assume things, particularly when they see a strange woman invited into their family dinner."

"I can't say they won't be wary, but I'm confident you'll manage. And Dave won't let them run all over you."

"Alright, well," Alex looked down at her watch, "I have to go get some work done before dinner tonight. Thanks for letting me meet you to talk about this."

Alex and Anna said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the rest of the day. Alex headed back to her flat and finished up work, printing out proofs of the various materials. After texting briefly with Anna, she headed out to do some quick shopping before coming back to the flat to get showered and ready for the evening. She pulled on her dark blue jeans, a black sweater and her black boots. She towel-dried her hair before brushing it out and letting the loose curls fall around one side of her neck. She grabbed her messenger bag and the shopping bag from earlier before heading out to her car. After placing the bags in the passenger seat, she got into the driver's side and pulled up Dave's address on the GPS on her phone, allowing it to direct her to his home.

Upon arriving she saw was grateful to see that Anna and Robin's car was already present in the front drive of the house. She pulled in next to them and got out, grabbing the bags on her way. Stepping up to the house, she took several deep breaths and reached out to press the doorbell just as the door opened.

"You made it, hello!" Dave and Alex exchanged smiles, then Dave glanced down, and his left eyebrow raised as he examined the shopping bag. "I thought I said not to bring anything?"

"Oh, it's just a few things for the hosts." Alex smiled, and Dave ushered her in. Upon entering she was quickly met by Anna and Robin, with hugs and quick greetings. As she hugged Anna, she noticed the kids sitting on the couch in what appeared to be the family room, with a TV show on, though they were all looking in her direction. "And these must be your children, Dave?"

"Yes, here's the lot of them. C'mon kids, come meet Alex," he paused long enough for the kids to get up from the couch and make their way over. "This is Evie, she's eight; Ewan, he's eleven; Paul is thirteen, and that's Lucy, she's seventeen. My eldest, Tanya, couldn't make it. Her son is sick with a stomach bug and they gratefully chose not to share it with the rest of us."

Alex smiled at the kids as they took turns shaking her hand while they were introduced. It was very clear they were a bit wary of her, the older ones at least. Evie didn't seem to mind her too much, her smile seemed genuine. "Well kids, thank you for letting me invade your family dinner so your dad and I could talk a bit of business afterwards. As a thank you for that, I've brought you a little something to share," she reached into the shopping bag, "For the kids, chocolate!" She pulled out a tin of Cadbury's Heroes.

"Oooh, chocolates!" Evie grinned and held out her hand and took the bag. "Thank you!"

Dave quickly swooped in and grabbed them from Evie, "Ah! Not till after dinner!" The kids quickly grumbled at their dad but then turned and headed back to what they were watching on TV.

Alex grinned, then reached her hand back into the bag. "And for the adults," she said as she pulled out a bottle of wine.

"Thank you, Alex. You really didn't have to." Dave took the wine with a sincere smile and went to put it away in the kitchen, hiding the chocolates up high where the kids couldn't get to them yet. "Kids, dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" Dave yelled from the kitchen into the family room.

"Ah, the yelling, I remember the yelling." Alex giggled and she, Anna, and Robin walked into the kitchen and gathered around the bar to chat.

Dave looked over with a blush. "Sorry about that, it's a habit, the yelling. Sometimes it seems like the only way they hear."

"Oh no, don't apologize. It's – okay – kind of nice actually. And after all, I like to think it's not yelling, so much as it's motivational speaking for people that don't want to hear." He returned her grin. She continued to look directly at him. "And I know what you mean –selective hearing and all that, especially with teenagers. Been there, done that." Alex shrugged a bit and smiled at Dave. She had to remember that he didn't know her story yet. He had no reason to. In the same moment she realized that Dave's gaze had remained on her, she realized they had only known each other a few days now. It seemed almost hard to believe. Something about him felt— familiar. The buzzer on the oven beeped and it brought them both out of their thoughts, both blushing and turning their attention away.

Anna smiled as Alex turned back to her and Robin with a sheepish smile on her face. Dave grabbed an oven mitt and opened the oven, pulling out a roast beef.

"Splendid, that smells and looks wonderful," Anna gushed as she helped Dave with moving the dishes to the table.

Dave stepped into the other room, hoping not to yell in Alex's ear again, still curious over her reaction. "Kids, dinner is ready, come have a seat."

Robin began pouring wine for the adults as Alex sat down with Anna to her left. Dave took his place at the head of the table, to Alex's right. Robin sat next to Anna and the children found their places on the opposite side of the table, with Lucy being the eldest sitting at the opposite end of the table.

As they ate dinner, the adults made a bit of small talk, and Alex attempted to ask the children some questions about things they liked, school, etc. She got very few answers, except from Evie, who seemed the most open to talking to her. Dave seemed a bit frustrated by his children's behavior, but since they weren't outright acting out, he chose to remain quiet about it. That was till Paul and Ewan began asking questions back.

"So, your name is Alex? Isn't that a boy's name? I have a friend at school whose name is Alex. Is it some sort of American thing, to give girls boys names?" Ewan spoke up, a bit belligerently.

"Ewan, that is—" Dave shot at his son before Alex interrupted him.

"No, Dave, it's okay." She nodded to Dave before turning back to Ewan. "You'd be right, Ewan, except," she paused and took a sip of her wine, "My name is actually Alexandra. When my mom found out she was pregnant with me, she was determined to believe I was going to be a boy. She had already had my sister. So… she came up with a boy's name and refused to decide on a possible girl's name. It would have been Alexander. But, here I am, a girl." She said the last word with a bit of feigned disgust and rolled her eyes, then began smiling again. "So, she settled on Alexandra. They started calling me Lex when I was young, and when I got to high school I wanted to be rebellious, so I had all my friends start calling me Alex. It just sort of stuck. Later, I had—some loved ones— who called me Lex." In her pauses she glanced quickly at Anna, "But when I moved to Scotland I decided to stick with Alex."

Lucy finally showed attention to the conversation, she snickered and let out a snort, "Wait, you were rebellious in high school?" She glanced at her dad then back to Alex.

"Oh, I had my moments. Nothing too dangerous though, changing my nickname was just about as intense as it got." She paused for a moment, staring off a bit, seeming to go to a different time and place. "But, things like that, mushy nicknames and the like, they mean a lot to parents." She glanced from Lucy to Dave, then back to Ewan. "So, Ewan, that is why I have a boy's name!" she said a bit enthusiastically and smiled wide. Ewan seemed a bit happy with that response and his eyes went back to his food.

Alex thought for a moment that she might have gotten through the worst of the onslaught of questions from Dave's children, until Paul spoke up. "You want to date our dad, don't you?" he accused, a definite sense of bitterness held in his tone.

Dave almost choked on the wine he had just taken a sip of. He started to speak, but Alex held her hand up a bit off the table to stop him and spoke before he could. "Oh, I don't know, Paul. I've only just met him a few days ago. I would like to work with him some more. Your dad is a very talented photographer, but I bet you know that. And—" She grinned and gave a sideways glance at Dave before returning her full attention to Paul, "—he seems nice, I think I might like to be his friend," she placed emphasis on the word, making it clear she really did just mean what she said. "He seems like he might be a good friend." She spoke smoothly and genuinely. She didn't notice but Dave, Anna, and Robin all looked on in wonder, their jaws slightly slack as they watched the conversation occurring. Dave especially couldn't believe how well she was handling the firing line, and frankly was in awe. Alex leaned over the table a bit conspiratorially towards both boys. "You tell me, boys, would he be a good friend or is he going to try and beat me at all my video games?"

The boys both leaned back in their chairs, almost synchronously, Ewan spoke first. "YOU play video games?!"

Alex grinned. "Doesn't everyone?"

With that the boys both started firing questions at her, kind ones, about what games she played, what systems she had, and everyone relaxed back into finishing their dinner. Alex continued to smile as she answered. She knew she hadn't won the war, it wasn't over, but she was pretty sure she had maybe just won one of the battles.

They finished dinner soon after, and the kids begged their dad for the chocolates Alex had brought. He sent them off for one more episode of their favorite show while they snacked on the chocolates. Anna and Robin insisted on cleaning up so Dave and Alex could begin their work.

As soon as the dining table was cleared, Alex brought her messenger bag in and pulled out four folders, plus her laptop. While her laptop turned on and loaded, she opened the first folder and began laying out proofs. "Well, here we are." She then pulled up the test website on the laptop and sat down. Dave sat down next to her, crossed his arms on the table in front of him and turned towards her before looking at the papers in front of him.

"Alexandra Stanton," he spoke each syllable purposefully with a grin, "I do believe you are a force to be reckoned with."

"Oh." She grinned, glancing at him a bit playfully before fiddling with the corner of the folder in front of her. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps the way you so miraculously dealt with the harsh critique my children were prepared to deal out to you."

"Well," she drew out the word, "I have a little experience in the minefields children will lay for those they deem enemies."

"You mean like their own parents? I'm dealing with minefields all day it seems sometimes." Dave chuckled.

Alex caught his eyes. "That's exactly what I mean actually," she quietly responded, then turned back to the papers, trying to quickly move on, swallowing hard. "So, go ahead then, tell me what you think. Be honest now, it's quite a bit of your work on these pages, I want you to be pleased with how it's presented."

Dave nodded slowly to himself a moment, not having missed her first statement. Before he could follow his own thoughts into what she meant, she led his attention to the work in front of them. "Yes, well," he said as he looked over the proofs in front of him, "I have to say, Alex, I love your work." He saw that Alex wasn't taking him seriously. "I mean it, it's brilliant. If you can say I'm a good photographer, I can say you're good at this. You have a great eye for this sort of thing."

They talked a while longer, her or him pointing out specific photos or layout points and discussing them. She had pulled out a red pen and was marking certain items as they discussed them. She scrolled through the website, showing him different items there as well.

"Alright, well I'm going to make those few changes we discussed, then I'll have them prepared for the clients return on Monday," Alex said happily, shuffling the papers back together. As she finished putting them back into the folder she turned her body slightly towards Dave and looked up at him, "Dave, while I'm here, I was wondering if we could discuss a couple other things?"

"Oh?" Dave said, his voice squeaking up a bit higher, deceiving him in his hope to not seem a bit concerned by that open-ended question.

"Well, I was being honest when I said I think you're a fantastic photographer." She paused, holding the folders in one hand and tapping them against her other. "You see, yesterday before we met for the photos of the B&B, I actually had just gotten two more work proposals accepted by other business." She wasn't looking at him as she spoke, shuffling out two of the other folders. "I wanted to ask you, if you were okay with how things have gone so far, if you'd be interested in working with me on projects in the future? Like these two?" She set the two folders down on the table and opened them, revealing in each a one-page document that summarized the company and the work involved. "I of course understand that you'd probably want to take it on a case by case basis. I'm sure some of it might be dreadfully boring to you…"

"Well—" Dave paused and feigned concern, "Are you sure you want to work with me, I mean, you don't know, I may try to beat you at your video games." His serious expression broke into a wide grin. They both broke into a laugh together.

"Fat chance you could even do that, mister." She laughed and pushed into his shoulder with her own. "You may not have been listening at the moment, but your boys, in no uncertain terms, made it clear that you are no good at video games."

"Argh!" he gave a fake cry of disgust. "Outed by my own children." Then he chuckled along with her for a moment. "Seriously though, I'd love to work with you. It's good for business— actually sounds like it's going to be good for both our businesses, so I don't see as I can say no.?"

"Well, alright then," she smiled. "You keep these," she said as she handed him the two folders, "give them a read through and let me know what you think." She pulled the other folders back into her messenger bag, shut down her laptop and began packing it away in the bag. In perfect timing, Anna came back down from putting Evie to bed, Robin having checked to be sure the boys were also settled in for the night.

"You all done, Alex? Would you like to walk out with us?" Anna spoke up, upon seeing Alex hefting her messenger bag over her shoulder.

"Sure, sounds good." She turned to Dave and held out her hand. "Dave, thanks so much for dinner. I really enjoyed it. Even with the minefield." She winked and smiled.

Dave smiled back to her, taking her hand and gently pulling her in for a quick hug with his other arm. "Ah, pleasure was all mine," he said, releasing her quickly, but she still felt a bit of a blush rising up, "I'm glad we could get together to finish up that project. I look forward to going over these." He nodded towards the folders he had set on the table. "I'll get back with you as soon as I can."

"Alright then." She nodded and smiled and the three made their way out the door. Dave stood at the doorway as they walked to their cars, leaning against the doorframe and watching Alex walk to her car and sling her messenger bag gingerly into the passenger seat. She smiled and waved as she got into the driver's seat and he waved back, waiting for her to start her car before stepping back inside.