Her Eyes

Chapter 59: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Alex woke up to an unexpected shift in the bed. He had already forgotten where he was, but he quickly remembered as the events of the night before resurfaced. He smiled at her as she turned around to face him. "Morning," he muttered.

She smiled back at him. "Morning." Things were different between them now. They were connected somehow. There were no more lies. This was the truth. His eyes followed her to her dresser where she pulled out some clothes to wear. "You hungry?"

He stood up from the bed and slipped back into his clothing. "Not really."

She gave him a hard look after buttoning her blouse. "Alex." He stared back at her for a moment. He'd never win this fight. She was his weakness. He sighed and followed her down to the kitchen. She moved over to the cupboard as he took a seat at the table. "How does French toast sound?"

He smiled though she couldn't see it. He really did love her. "Sounds perfect." He watched as she moved about the kitchen. He knew how much she loved cooking for others—he just didn't like the thought of anyone doing anything for him. "Did you ever think about a culinary career?"

She laughed lightly. "No. I never thought I had the diligence for that." She paused as the sizzling in the pan grew. She sighed after a while. "Besides my father always told me I'd be nothing more than a housewife...and I guess he was right."

Alex gazed at her sadly. He knew she had a troubled childhood. It was one of the reasons he was so drawn to her. They understood each other. "You got that motel down there." He tried, though he knew it wouldn't help ease the pain.

"Yeah. And look where that got me." The sharpness of her tone stung inside him. She started to focus more on cooking than on him. It seemed easier for her to handle.

He could sense the tension filling the room so he changed the subject. "So how's Norman doing?" He did genuinely care about Norman. He just was a nice boy who had been handed a terrible circumstance.

She wouldn't look at him. He could tell she was still a little apprehensive when it came to talking about Norman with him. "He's doing better." He watched as she placed their breakfast on the plates. "They're actually letting him come home this week. He should be here Saturday." She seemed anxious about it all—like she was afraid to see her own son. She brought their plates to the table and took her seat. "So if you're not the sheriff anymore, what do I call you?"

"Alex," he teased. He poured the syrup over his toast, breaking eye contact with her. "I've been demoted to officer."

Her eyes were trained on him. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged it off. He pretended it didn't matter though deep down it really did. "It is what it is. It was bound to happen sometime. A king can't rule forever."

"A king?" She laughed and sucked the syrup off her thumb. "Well I like Alex better anyway." It warmed his heart. She was his only meaningful relationship.

After a few bites, he decided to try again. "Are you nervous?"

She glanced up at him. "About what?" She knew what he meant; she was just pretending not to know. It was easier for her.

He stared at her harshly. "About Norman." He didn't want to interrogate her, but he couldn't stand to see her hurt. Even the least bit of sadness on her face pained him.

"The doctors said he's doing fine. There's nothing to worry about." He knew she didn't believe that. Not after everything.

He hated that she still felt the need to disguise things from him. He hated feeling that she might not trust him. "Norma."

She glared at him. "He's my son."

He let his eyes drop to the plate in from of him. He didn't want to pick a fight with her. She was going through a lot...a lot that he'd never understand. He knew that. But that didn't stop him from wanting to protect her. "Maybe I should stay down in one of the motel rooms...just for a little while."

She rolled her eyes. "Alex, I don't need to watch over me. I'm not a child."

"Then where's your pool?" He knew it hit something deep.

She stared at him boldly. "You're an ass sometimes, you know that?"

He grinned meanly. "It's my job." He stared into her eyes. He knew she was worried...who wouldn't be? "Look I just want to be there in case you need me. Norman doesn't have to know I'm there. No one does. I just need to know that you're safe."

She nodded. "All right, officer." They stared at each other, cherishing the time they had. But the sound of Alex's phone broke through their daze. "Who's calling you?"

He pulled out his phone from his pocket. "I don't know." He didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Alex. This is Milton Arbogast. I was looking through some of your old files and I noticed that there was a case you left open...the Bradley Martin case. You never closed it. I was wondering..."

"It's a useless case. There's no evidence." He panicked. He could feel his heart rate accelerate.

"A young girl died. I don't know how you ran things as sheriff. But I'm not gonna let things like this happen...not in my town." Alex couldn't let him investigate the case. Everything would begin to unravel again. He couldn't let that happen.

"I'm on my way to work right now. We'll talk about it when I get there." He shut his phone and placed it back in his pocket before heading for the door. He didn't bother turning to face her—he was on a mission. "I have to go. I'll see you tonight."

She followed after him. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later. Just take care of yourself, all right?" There wasn't a moment in the day when he didn't worry about her. She was his responsibility. She was his one love. "I'll be back. I promise." He kissed her goodbye and headed out the door.