Her Eyes

Chapter 67: HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME

Alex pulled up at the motel after work. He felt an odd sense of nostalgia parking his car in the driveway, though it was better than parking in the woods a quarter mile back and hoping to God he remembered to roll the windows up. The golden glow peeking through the windows of the house lured him. This was his prison. His heart pounded as he knocked on the door. For as many times as he'd been in their house he never quite felt comfortable there. He felt like he was intruding on them, mainly because most of the time he was. But this was different; she asked him to come.

He smiled at her as she opened the door, though her face held a look of pained frustration. "Hi, Alex," she muttered without looking at him. She simply opened the door for him and left for the kitchen.

Alex shut the door behind him, following after her down the hall. "Is everything all right?" He had only been gone for a few hours and she was already a mess.

She opened the cupboard, reaching for some plates and handing them to him. "Can you set the table?" He could hear the years of stress seeping back into her voice. He wanted to comfort her, but he took the plates from her instead, setting the table like she'd asked. It was best not to pester her. He knew she'd eventually come around. He watched as she checked the pot roast a second time. He could feel her anxiety. He was only this empathetic when it came to her.

She shut the oven door and sighed, knowing he was still waiting for an answer. She moved over to him and motioned for him to have a seat at the table as she did. "Sheriff Arbogast came to see Norman today. He wanted to talk to him about Bradley Martin. Norman was fine about it. He answered all his questions, told him everything he knew..." Her eyes drifted away from his gaze as she took a breath. "Norman thinks I killed Bradley Martin."

Alex's brow furrowed at the confession. "Why would he think that?"

Norma opened her mouth to answer but the oven beeped before she could say anything. She sighed, standing up and moving over to the oven. "We'll talk about it later." She placed the pot on the stove and went down the hall to call Norman and Dylan down for dinner. Part of Alex believed she was just avoiding the topic like she always did, but something had changed in her a while back that gave him faith in her. She made her way back to the counter, her hand resting on her hip as she waited for her boys.

Dylan came down first, stopping in the doorway and sending his mother a look. "Hey, Romero," he greeted after a moment of confused silence.

Alex smiled at the kid as he took the seat next to him. "Hey, Dylan."

Soon enough Norman came down, offering his mother the same reaction to their surprise guest as Dylan had. Although Norman didn't seem as happy to see Alex as Dylan had. He moved over to the stove, scooping up some mashed potatoes. "Why is he here?" Norman whispered loudly to his mother. Alex knew Norman didn't like him very much and that he'd say anything to scare him away, but a part of him was honored that Norman felt he was that much of a threat. It just meant that Norma really did like him as much as he thought she did.

Norma sent her son a scolding look before returning to her seat across from Alex, leaving Norman the seat next to him. She smiled at him before taking a sip of her wine. It made him feel slightly more comfortable in her house.

They ate in silence for a while before Dylan piped up. "Emma's coming home from the hospital next week. I thought maybe we could throw her a welcome home party or something."

Norma smiled at her son. "I think that's a wonderful idea." Norman clanked his fork against his plate, taking a sip of his water to clear his frustration. His mother turned to face him, giving him a disapproving look before continuing with her dinner. Alex observed them in silence, unsure whether he should change the subject or not. But he had Norma to do that for him. "So Alex, how was work?"