Leverage Fic: The Apple, Chapter 3/4: Dad (Eliot, Aimee, Parker, Sophie, OFC) PG
Title: The Apple, Chapter Three: Dad
Characters: Eliot, Aimee, Parker, Sophie, OFC
Word Count: ~2,500
Rating: PG
Summary: Can a hitter learn to be a father?
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is chapter 3 of 4 for “The Apple.” Previous parts can be found here:
Prologue
Chapter One: Spencer
Chapter Two: Eliot
Feedback is appreciated!
~*~*~*~
“He’s going to wear the finish off the floor with all that pacing.”
“Could that really happen? Nate’s gonna be mad if that happens.”
“Hmm, probably not. But that furrow between his eyebrows might become permanent if he’s not careful.”
Parker poked at her own forehead. “Could that really happen?”
Sophie nodded seriously and Eliot stopped his pacing to glare at them. “I asked you to be here because I thought you might be helpful. If you’re not gonna be, then go.”
“We’re sorry, Eliot,” Sophie said with a giggle. “We’re just not accustomed to seeing you like this.”
“All nervous and fidgety,” Parker chimed in, flapping her hands to demonstrate.
“It’s…cute,” Sophie added.
“It’s not cute!”
“Seriously, watch that furrow,” Sophie added. “It’s going to age you.”
When he responded with a heavy sigh, Sophie changed her tone. “Look, Aimee is telling Spencer everything, so the hard part is done. You can do this-children always love you.”
“This isn’t the same thing,” Eliot replied, running his hand through his hair. “This is… she’s my kid. What if I mess this up?”
“You won’t.” Sophie put a gentle hand on his arm. “She’s still a normal eight-year-old girl. Just talk to her. Ask her about herself. Children love talking about themselves.”
Eliot took a deep breath to try to relax.
“You can do th-” A knock on the door made her squeal. “They’re here!”
Eliot didn’t move, but just shook out his hands to release some nervous energy. Meanwhile, Parker bounced on the balls of her feet in barely contained glee.
“Do you want me to…?” Sophie asked, gesturing toward the door. He said nothing. “OK, I’ll get it then.”
She opened the door and greeted Aimee and her daughter, who stepped in tentatively. The girl watched Eliot with wide eyes.
“Honey,” Aimee said, putting a hand on Spencer’s shoulder, “this is your father, Eliot Sp-”
Eliot had begun to raise his hand in greeting when Spencer launched herself across the room. He instinctively braced himself for impact and caught her as she leapt at him and threw her arms around his neck.
“Hi,” he said with a chuckle as he put his arms around her. His hand rested on her long hair, and he inwardly marveled at how much it felt like his own-and like his mother’s. It occurred to him that his mother would have loved to have grandchildren, and he squeezed Spencer a little tighter.
“I missed you, Dad,” said the voice muffled against his shoulder.
Eliot’s voice caught in his throat, as he tried to think of what to say. Fortunately, before he could answer her, Spencer piped up again. “Is my mom crying?”
He looked up to see that Aimee was indeed tearing up, as were Sophie and Parker, who quickly turned away to try and hide that fact.
“Yup,” he said.
Spencer released her grip and Eliot set her down. “Moms,” the girl said with an eye roll.
“Yeah. So, um… how did you hurt yourself?” Eliot asked, pointing to the band-aid on her forehead.
“Poorly constructed bike ramp,” she said seriously as Eliot tried not to look amused. “I shoulda checked my friend’s work before I jumped. How did you hurt yourself?”
“Oh, it was just a work thing.” Eliot glanced at the scrapes on his knuckles and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“How did it happen? Mom said your job is helping people. Did you rescue someone, like a firefighter? Or a policeman? My friend Cara’s dad is a firefighter and he saves people all the time.”
The night before, Eliot and Aimee had decided that it was probably better if Spencer didn’t know about the less-than-legal aspects of her father’s job. So while part of him wanted to impress her, he needed to be vague.
“Well, we were helping someone who was having trouble with their insurance company, and…I just had a little accident. No big deal.”
“Insurance? Like, for doctor bills?”
Eliot nodded.
“Huh.” Spencer looked disappointed.
He looked over to Sophie, who gave him a stern look and pointed at the girl.
“So, uh-what about school?” he asked. “What are your favorite subjects?”
He wandered toward the couch to sit down, and Spencer followed. “I like history. And geography. My mom said you were in the Army-what did you do? Where were you stationed?” she asked excitedly, abruptly changing the subject.
“Well, just, you know, that’s just boring military stuff. I want to hear about you though. Do you play any sports?”
“I played soccer last year, but I’m not sure if I’m going to try out again this year.”
“Why not?”
“Karate’s on the same day and I think I like it better.”
“Karate, huh?”
“Yeah-I’m already a yellow belt! Did you ever take karate?”
“Hmm…I might be able to show you a few things.”
“Cool,” she said, kicking off another awkward silence. Eliot’s mind raced, and he wondered why it was so easy to have a spontaneous conversation with a mark but not with third-grader.
“So…” He had an idea. “How about go-carts? You like go-carts?”
Spencer’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Why-is there a track around here? Can we go?”
Eliot jumped up, feeling triumphant. “Just 15 minutes away.”
With a whoop, Spencer leapt off the couch and bolted for the door. “Bye, Mom!”
Aimee spun around to face them. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Dad’s taking me go-carting!”
“Wanna come?” Eliot offered.
“Do you need me to?” Aimee asked. Eliot considered taking her up on the offer, but then decided he needed to get to know Spencer without using another person as a buffer. And when Eliot was faced with a challenge, the only way he knew how to meet it was head on.
“Not unless you like driving tiny, loud cars around a track for a few hours.”
Aimee wrinkled her nose. “I think I’ll pass then. You two have fun.”
Spencer flung the door open and charged out, with her father jogging to keep up.
“And be careful! I don’t want anyone to get hurt!” Aimee yelled out after them.
No one got hurt-except perhaps Eliot’s pride, when Spencer roundly beat him two out of three times on the go-cart track.
“I think my cart is slower because I’m heavier than you,” he said after her first win.
“Pfft, excuses. Wanna go again?”
But he duly impressed her with his killer aim at Skee-Ball (especially when he gave her all the tickets he won), and they learned that they both liked the same pizza toppings (sausage and mushrooms).
Eliot had never understood those parents who seemed content to just watch their children play. It looked painfully dull, and he could never stand still for that long anyway. But that afternoon, Eliot found himself standing among the Dockers-clad dads and moms in sensible shoes, holding Spencer’s cheap Skee-Ball prizes and beaming at her while she tumbled through the moonbounce with the other kids.
“Do you know what time it is?” asked a parent to his left.
Eliot pulled out his phone and glanced at it. “Whoa-it’s 8:15.” How had so much time passed? He never lost track of the time. “Spence! We gotta go!”
Spencer did a headfirst tuck-and-roll out of the moonbounce, expertly landing next to her shoes. “What are we doing next?”
“Next we’re going home.”
“But I’m not tired!” she protested.
“Look, I texted your mom two hours ago and said we’d be back in a half-hour.”
“You’re in trouble,” Spencer cackled as she finished tying her shoelaces.
Eliot sighed as he texted Aimee an apology and a new ETA. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
On the drive home, Spencer’s energy level quickly dropped, and soon she was dozing in the seat next to him. Her limp body slumped against her seat belt, with her head tilted at an awkward angle that was sure to leave her with a stiff neck. Eliot slid his arm behind her, nudging her gingerly until her head was leaning on his shoulder. In her sleep, she gripped the edge of his flannel shirt. He’d been on many all-day fishing trips that had ended the same way, but it felt strange to now be in his father’s seat, driving the truck home while a child snoozed peacefully against him.
The next few days were packed with activities, and they were often joined by Aimee or members of his team-most frequently Parker and Hardison, who loved having an excuse to go to the zoo and eat junk food.
All too soon though, Spencer and Aimee had to go home so the girl didn’t miss too much school. At the airport, Eliot bought a ticket so he could walk with them all the way to the gate.
“You paid all that money to not go anywhere?” Spencer asked.
“Eh, Hardison will return it and get the money back,” Eliot said with a shrug.
“Oh, Mom!” Spencer yelped, stopping in her tracks. “Where’s the iPod that Uncle Alec got me?”
“It’s in my purse,” Aimee replied.
“He’s not your uncle,” Eliot growled, but Spencer just giggled.
“Aunt Parker said you’d say that.”
Even though they were early to the gate, Aimee and Spencer waited until the last possible minute to board. Aimee said her goodbyes to Eliot and got in the boarding line.
“I guess we gotta go now,” Spencer said, dragging herself slowly out of her chair.
Eliot felt the same way she did, but he tried to sound cheerful as he hugged her close. “Hey, don’t worry-I’ll be down to visit as soon as I can.”
“When?” she demanded.
“Next month,” he said. “I promise.”
~*~*~*~
He didn’t really keep that promise-because just two weeks later, he was already in Kentucky to see Spencer’s first karate class of the new session. Then three weeks after that, he came in for parent-teacher conferences. Another two and a half weeks passed and he visited, with Parker and Hardison tagging along, to stay with Spencer while Aimee and her father went to Memphis on business.
Any time he had a break between jobs, he was on a plane to Louisville. Nate was giving the team a lot more time off than usual, and Eliot knew that Spencer was the reason.
His most recent excuse to visit was the third-grade spelling bee. The following morning, he was waiting for Spencer when she came out the front door.
“Mornin’, champ.”
“I’m not the champ, Dad, I came in second,” she said, blushing a little at the praise.
“You woulda been first if they hadn’t tripped you up on that ‘i before e’ thing,” he said, ruffling her hair. “‘Receive’ is a tough one. Need a ride to school?”
“Nah, I wanna take my new bike,” she said as she shrugged on her backpack. “I have to show my friends!”
“You want to go riding this afternoon? I can get the horses all ready to go as soon as you get home so we can get in a good, long ride before dinner.”
“Yeah! I’ll come straight back after,” Spencer replied.
Eliot sent her off with a hug and a kiss and watched as she sped up the driveway in a cloud of dust.
Before he could go back inside, Aimee came out the door waving a sheet of paper. “What is this, Eliot?”
“That’s a college savings account.”
“A million dollars? A million dollars?”
“Do you know what the cost of college is going to be in ten years?” he said seriously. “I do. I did some research. And she’s so smart, she’s probably going to get into, like, Harvard or Oxford or somethin’. Plus, there’s books, and room and board, and…”
“OK, OK,” Aimee said, laughing gently. “It just seems like a little… much.”
“Look, you know I’ve got the money now, and I needed to make sure that you and Spencer are all set, no matter what happens to me.”
“Eliot…”
“I know you've been doing fine without me all this time, but I just wanted to do something to try and make up for not being here all this time before.”
“You’re making up for it now,” Aimee said. “Which reminds me-can we talk about all the things you’re buying her? If you keep taking her shopping every time you visit, you’re going to spoil her.”
“What? She needed a new bike. The old one may look fixed, but the frame is never going to be solid enough for jumping again. And we found a sparkly pink BMX bike-how was I supposed to pass that up?”
“It’s not just the bike.”
“She needs a computer for her homework, and Hardison said that was the best one,” Eliot said defensively. “And the clothes were from Sophie. That was not me.”
Aimee gave in, laughing. “I didn’t think you picked out the designer jeans.”
“A good fighter knows his weaknesses.”
Her smile took Eliot back to a simpler time, when their biggest concern had been how they could get some time together, away from their parents’ watchful eyes.
“Hey, my dad had to leave early to go into Louisville for the day. Can you help me feed the horses?”
“Already did it,” he said, causing her to raise her eyebrows in question. “I don’t sleep much. Figured if I got it done early, I could make Spencer breakfast-but she just scarfed down some cereal and took off.”
Aimee tilted her head and her strawberry-blonde hair swung softly over her shoulder. “You could make me breakfast…”
The corner of Eliot’s mouth quirked up. “Come on-I haven’t eaten yet either.”
They chatted amiably while they ate their omelets, talking about Eliot’s work, the stables, Spencer… Eliot usually wasn’t good at sitting still for too long, but he was learning to enjoy their mornings alone during his visits. His choices in life had closed off a lot of possible paths, but he’d been wondering lately if perhaps some paths were still more open than he’d thought.
Aimee’s story about teaching Spencer to ride a bike was interrupted by her phone ringing. “It’s the school,” she said when she looked at the display.
“Uh oh, what’d she do?” Eliot speculated with a smirk.
“Hello? … No, she’s supposed to be there… OK, her dad and I are on our way.” She ended the call and stood up. “They said she’s not there.”
Eliot was on his feet, keys in hand. “You call the cops, I’m going out to look-”
“Hold on, Eliot. This happened once before-she saw a rabbit and followed it into the woods and forgot about going to school.”
His jaw tensed. “Aimee…”
“Kids don’t get kidnapped out here-they chase the wildlife. Let’s just go get her and bring her to school.”
“Fine,” he harrumphed. “Let’s take the truck so we can put her bike in-” Eliot’s phone rang and he picked it up.
“Yeah?”
It was an unfamiliar male voice. “We have your daughter.”
~On to Chapter Four: Family~
Characters: Eliot, Aimee, Parker, Sophie, OFC
Word Count: ~2,500
Rating: PG
Summary: Can a hitter learn to be a father?
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is chapter 3 of 4 for “The Apple.” Previous parts can be found here:
Prologue
Chapter One: Spencer
Chapter Two: Eliot
Feedback is appreciated!
~*~*~*~
“He’s going to wear the finish off the floor with all that pacing.”
“Could that really happen? Nate’s gonna be mad if that happens.”
“Hmm, probably not. But that furrow between his eyebrows might become permanent if he’s not careful.”
Parker poked at her own forehead. “Could that really happen?”
Sophie nodded seriously and Eliot stopped his pacing to glare at them. “I asked you to be here because I thought you might be helpful. If you’re not gonna be, then go.”
“We’re sorry, Eliot,” Sophie said with a giggle. “We’re just not accustomed to seeing you like this.”
“All nervous and fidgety,” Parker chimed in, flapping her hands to demonstrate.
“It’s…cute,” Sophie added.
“It’s not cute!”
“Seriously, watch that furrow,” Sophie added. “It’s going to age you.”
When he responded with a heavy sigh, Sophie changed her tone. “Look, Aimee is telling Spencer everything, so the hard part is done. You can do this-children always love you.”
“This isn’t the same thing,” Eliot replied, running his hand through his hair. “This is… she’s my kid. What if I mess this up?”
“You won’t.” Sophie put a gentle hand on his arm. “She’s still a normal eight-year-old girl. Just talk to her. Ask her about herself. Children love talking about themselves.”
Eliot took a deep breath to try to relax.
“You can do th-” A knock on the door made her squeal. “They’re here!”
Eliot didn’t move, but just shook out his hands to release some nervous energy. Meanwhile, Parker bounced on the balls of her feet in barely contained glee.
“Do you want me to…?” Sophie asked, gesturing toward the door. He said nothing. “OK, I’ll get it then.”
She opened the door and greeted Aimee and her daughter, who stepped in tentatively. The girl watched Eliot with wide eyes.
“Honey,” Aimee said, putting a hand on Spencer’s shoulder, “this is your father, Eliot Sp-”
Eliot had begun to raise his hand in greeting when Spencer launched herself across the room. He instinctively braced himself for impact and caught her as she leapt at him and threw her arms around his neck.
“Hi,” he said with a chuckle as he put his arms around her. His hand rested on her long hair, and he inwardly marveled at how much it felt like his own-and like his mother’s. It occurred to him that his mother would have loved to have grandchildren, and he squeezed Spencer a little tighter.
“I missed you, Dad,” said the voice muffled against his shoulder.
Eliot’s voice caught in his throat, as he tried to think of what to say. Fortunately, before he could answer her, Spencer piped up again. “Is my mom crying?”
He looked up to see that Aimee was indeed tearing up, as were Sophie and Parker, who quickly turned away to try and hide that fact.
“Yup,” he said.
Spencer released her grip and Eliot set her down. “Moms,” the girl said with an eye roll.
“Yeah. So, um… how did you hurt yourself?” Eliot asked, pointing to the band-aid on her forehead.
“Poorly constructed bike ramp,” she said seriously as Eliot tried not to look amused. “I shoulda checked my friend’s work before I jumped. How did you hurt yourself?”
“Oh, it was just a work thing.” Eliot glanced at the scrapes on his knuckles and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“How did it happen? Mom said your job is helping people. Did you rescue someone, like a firefighter? Or a policeman? My friend Cara’s dad is a firefighter and he saves people all the time.”
The night before, Eliot and Aimee had decided that it was probably better if Spencer didn’t know about the less-than-legal aspects of her father’s job. So while part of him wanted to impress her, he needed to be vague.
“Well, we were helping someone who was having trouble with their insurance company, and…I just had a little accident. No big deal.”
“Insurance? Like, for doctor bills?”
Eliot nodded.
“Huh.” Spencer looked disappointed.
He looked over to Sophie, who gave him a stern look and pointed at the girl.
“So, uh-what about school?” he asked. “What are your favorite subjects?”
He wandered toward the couch to sit down, and Spencer followed. “I like history. And geography. My mom said you were in the Army-what did you do? Where were you stationed?” she asked excitedly, abruptly changing the subject.
“Well, just, you know, that’s just boring military stuff. I want to hear about you though. Do you play any sports?”
“I played soccer last year, but I’m not sure if I’m going to try out again this year.”
“Why not?”
“Karate’s on the same day and I think I like it better.”
“Karate, huh?”
“Yeah-I’m already a yellow belt! Did you ever take karate?”
“Hmm…I might be able to show you a few things.”
“Cool,” she said, kicking off another awkward silence. Eliot’s mind raced, and he wondered why it was so easy to have a spontaneous conversation with a mark but not with third-grader.
“So…” He had an idea. “How about go-carts? You like go-carts?”
Spencer’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Why-is there a track around here? Can we go?”
Eliot jumped up, feeling triumphant. “Just 15 minutes away.”
With a whoop, Spencer leapt off the couch and bolted for the door. “Bye, Mom!”
Aimee spun around to face them. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Dad’s taking me go-carting!”
“Wanna come?” Eliot offered.
“Do you need me to?” Aimee asked. Eliot considered taking her up on the offer, but then decided he needed to get to know Spencer without using another person as a buffer. And when Eliot was faced with a challenge, the only way he knew how to meet it was head on.
“Not unless you like driving tiny, loud cars around a track for a few hours.”
Aimee wrinkled her nose. “I think I’ll pass then. You two have fun.”
Spencer flung the door open and charged out, with her father jogging to keep up.
“And be careful! I don’t want anyone to get hurt!” Aimee yelled out after them.
No one got hurt-except perhaps Eliot’s pride, when Spencer roundly beat him two out of three times on the go-cart track.
“I think my cart is slower because I’m heavier than you,” he said after her first win.
“Pfft, excuses. Wanna go again?”
But he duly impressed her with his killer aim at Skee-Ball (especially when he gave her all the tickets he won), and they learned that they both liked the same pizza toppings (sausage and mushrooms).
Eliot had never understood those parents who seemed content to just watch their children play. It looked painfully dull, and he could never stand still for that long anyway. But that afternoon, Eliot found himself standing among the Dockers-clad dads and moms in sensible shoes, holding Spencer’s cheap Skee-Ball prizes and beaming at her while she tumbled through the moonbounce with the other kids.
“Do you know what time it is?” asked a parent to his left.
Eliot pulled out his phone and glanced at it. “Whoa-it’s 8:15.” How had so much time passed? He never lost track of the time. “Spence! We gotta go!”
Spencer did a headfirst tuck-and-roll out of the moonbounce, expertly landing next to her shoes. “What are we doing next?”
“Next we’re going home.”
“But I’m not tired!” she protested.
“Look, I texted your mom two hours ago and said we’d be back in a half-hour.”
“You’re in trouble,” Spencer cackled as she finished tying her shoelaces.
Eliot sighed as he texted Aimee an apology and a new ETA. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
On the drive home, Spencer’s energy level quickly dropped, and soon she was dozing in the seat next to him. Her limp body slumped against her seat belt, with her head tilted at an awkward angle that was sure to leave her with a stiff neck. Eliot slid his arm behind her, nudging her gingerly until her head was leaning on his shoulder. In her sleep, she gripped the edge of his flannel shirt. He’d been on many all-day fishing trips that had ended the same way, but it felt strange to now be in his father’s seat, driving the truck home while a child snoozed peacefully against him.
The next few days were packed with activities, and they were often joined by Aimee or members of his team-most frequently Parker and Hardison, who loved having an excuse to go to the zoo and eat junk food.
All too soon though, Spencer and Aimee had to go home so the girl didn’t miss too much school. At the airport, Eliot bought a ticket so he could walk with them all the way to the gate.
“You paid all that money to not go anywhere?” Spencer asked.
“Eh, Hardison will return it and get the money back,” Eliot said with a shrug.
“Oh, Mom!” Spencer yelped, stopping in her tracks. “Where’s the iPod that Uncle Alec got me?”
“It’s in my purse,” Aimee replied.
“He’s not your uncle,” Eliot growled, but Spencer just giggled.
“Aunt Parker said you’d say that.”
Even though they were early to the gate, Aimee and Spencer waited until the last possible minute to board. Aimee said her goodbyes to Eliot and got in the boarding line.
“I guess we gotta go now,” Spencer said, dragging herself slowly out of her chair.
Eliot felt the same way she did, but he tried to sound cheerful as he hugged her close. “Hey, don’t worry-I’ll be down to visit as soon as I can.”
“When?” she demanded.
“Next month,” he said. “I promise.”
~*~*~*~
He didn’t really keep that promise-because just two weeks later, he was already in Kentucky to see Spencer’s first karate class of the new session. Then three weeks after that, he came in for parent-teacher conferences. Another two and a half weeks passed and he visited, with Parker and Hardison tagging along, to stay with Spencer while Aimee and her father went to Memphis on business.
Any time he had a break between jobs, he was on a plane to Louisville. Nate was giving the team a lot more time off than usual, and Eliot knew that Spencer was the reason.
His most recent excuse to visit was the third-grade spelling bee. The following morning, he was waiting for Spencer when she came out the front door.
“Mornin’, champ.”
“I’m not the champ, Dad, I came in second,” she said, blushing a little at the praise.
“You woulda been first if they hadn’t tripped you up on that ‘i before e’ thing,” he said, ruffling her hair. “‘Receive’ is a tough one. Need a ride to school?”
“Nah, I wanna take my new bike,” she said as she shrugged on her backpack. “I have to show my friends!”
“You want to go riding this afternoon? I can get the horses all ready to go as soon as you get home so we can get in a good, long ride before dinner.”
“Yeah! I’ll come straight back after,” Spencer replied.
Eliot sent her off with a hug and a kiss and watched as she sped up the driveway in a cloud of dust.
Before he could go back inside, Aimee came out the door waving a sheet of paper. “What is this, Eliot?”
“That’s a college savings account.”
“A million dollars? A million dollars?”
“Do you know what the cost of college is going to be in ten years?” he said seriously. “I do. I did some research. And she’s so smart, she’s probably going to get into, like, Harvard or Oxford or somethin’. Plus, there’s books, and room and board, and…”
“OK, OK,” Aimee said, laughing gently. “It just seems like a little… much.”
“Look, you know I’ve got the money now, and I needed to make sure that you and Spencer are all set, no matter what happens to me.”
“Eliot…”
“I know you've been doing fine without me all this time, but I just wanted to do something to try and make up for not being here all this time before.”
“You’re making up for it now,” Aimee said. “Which reminds me-can we talk about all the things you’re buying her? If you keep taking her shopping every time you visit, you’re going to spoil her.”
“What? She needed a new bike. The old one may look fixed, but the frame is never going to be solid enough for jumping again. And we found a sparkly pink BMX bike-how was I supposed to pass that up?”
“It’s not just the bike.”
“She needs a computer for her homework, and Hardison said that was the best one,” Eliot said defensively. “And the clothes were from Sophie. That was not me.”
Aimee gave in, laughing. “I didn’t think you picked out the designer jeans.”
“A good fighter knows his weaknesses.”
Her smile took Eliot back to a simpler time, when their biggest concern had been how they could get some time together, away from their parents’ watchful eyes.
“Hey, my dad had to leave early to go into Louisville for the day. Can you help me feed the horses?”
“Already did it,” he said, causing her to raise her eyebrows in question. “I don’t sleep much. Figured if I got it done early, I could make Spencer breakfast-but she just scarfed down some cereal and took off.”
Aimee tilted her head and her strawberry-blonde hair swung softly over her shoulder. “You could make me breakfast…”
The corner of Eliot’s mouth quirked up. “Come on-I haven’t eaten yet either.”
They chatted amiably while they ate their omelets, talking about Eliot’s work, the stables, Spencer… Eliot usually wasn’t good at sitting still for too long, but he was learning to enjoy their mornings alone during his visits. His choices in life had closed off a lot of possible paths, but he’d been wondering lately if perhaps some paths were still more open than he’d thought.
Aimee’s story about teaching Spencer to ride a bike was interrupted by her phone ringing. “It’s the school,” she said when she looked at the display.
“Uh oh, what’d she do?” Eliot speculated with a smirk.
“Hello? … No, she’s supposed to be there… OK, her dad and I are on our way.” She ended the call and stood up. “They said she’s not there.”
Eliot was on his feet, keys in hand. “You call the cops, I’m going out to look-”
“Hold on, Eliot. This happened once before-she saw a rabbit and followed it into the woods and forgot about going to school.”
His jaw tensed. “Aimee…”
“Kids don’t get kidnapped out here-they chase the wildlife. Let’s just go get her and bring her to school.”
“Fine,” he harrumphed. “Let’s take the truck so we can put her bike in-” Eliot’s phone rang and he picked it up.
“Yeah?”
It was an unfamiliar male voice. “We have your daughter.”
~On to Chapter Four: Family~