Alexander (5 page)

The weight loss had made them look twice as big, and no matter how much weight she did lose, her boobs remained the same. Bailey had told her once that her tits came around the corner ten minutes before Heather did. She still flushed when she thought about it.

At five-thirty, one of the day shift girls called off. As much as Heather wanted to go home and go to bed, she stayed over when Todd had asked her. She got permission to use the office phone and called Grandda.

“
I have to go in too, sweetie,” Grandda told her when she asked him if he could get Jack on the bus. “He’ll just have to get himself going. He’s a good boy, he’ll do fine.”

Heather almost told Todd that she couldn’t do it when Jack got on the phone. “I want to do this, Mom. I’ll call you when I get to the school and let you know I got there okay. I’ll be very careful, okay?”

She knew he was almost ten, but she worried about him so much. After he told her another dozen times he’d be all right, she said yes.

“
But you call the moment you get there. If you don’t, Jack, I will come down there and yank you out of class and embarrass you. Understand?”

“
Yes, ma’am. I swear.” He sounded so excited she couldn’t tell him no. “I have the number for the restaurant right here. I’ll get there around eight. Thanks, Mom.”

Three hours. She would have to wait three hours before her baby got to school and he’d call her. She didn’t think she’d make it. Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer and tried to concentrate on work.

~Chapter 5~

Jack knew the rules. He’d had them drilled into his head since he could walk. The number one was not to tell anyone who he was and to scream his bloody head off if anyone tried to take him somewhere he didn’t want to go. He smiled when he thought of his mother telling him that one. He’d pointed out that girls screamed and she said she didn’t care what he did so long as he came home to her at the end of the day. He held his tray in his hands and looked around the bakery.

It had been three days in a row now that his mom had worked over her shift at the restaurant. She’d made so much extra money in tips that she’d told him that he could treat himself to breakfast out. His grandpa Tom was getting more hours, too, at his job. They assured him that it wasn’t going to be much longer and the money would be good. And he called her every morning when he got to school just like he’d promised.

The second morning had been a little tense. He had tried dialing her four times before he finally got her. She told him that her boss was on the phone trying to replace the girl who had quit. Jack had been just about ready to walk to the restaurant to tell her he’d made it when she came to the phone.

“
I’m so sorry. Are you going to be late to class now?”

He looked up at the big clock in the hall when she’d asked. “No, ma’am. I have about five minutes. I was scared you were gonna be mad at me if I didn’t call.”

“
I know.”

She sounded close to tears and he didn’t want her to cry anymore. So he put as much humor in his voice as he could. “I was going to catch myself a taxi and go down there and yank you bald. You’d look pretty silly waiting tables with no hair.” He grinned when she laughed a little. “Of course then maybe that Todd guy would leave you alone.”

She laughed again, then sighed. “Thanks, buddy. I needed that. I’ll see you tonight. Be careful and have fun today.”

“
Mom, I’m at school. Nobody has fun at school.”

After that, he wasn’t required to call her unless something happened. Which it hadn’t, not really he supposed. It was just the normal stuff, kids giving him a hard time because of his clothes or because of his grades, which were always the best in the class. It bothered him more about the grades than his clothes, but then he wasn’t trying to make the cover of any girly magazine.

He knew his mom worked here as the cook. He also knew that she had been the one to make the blueberry muffin on his plate. What he didn’t know was where he was supposed to sit to eat it. Every table in the place was filled. He saw the man sitting with the laptop on his table and walked toward him, keeping an eye on the other people in the dining area as well.

“
Excuse me, mister, can I sit down, please?” Nothing. Whatever was on the computer had the guy’s full attention. He tried again. “Mister. Do you think it would be okay if I eat my breakfast here?” The guy didn’t move except for his fingers over the keyboard.

Jack looked around the room again and decided when the man by the door winked at him, Jack was going to sit with this guy and nobody else. Maybe the guy was too busy to notice one kid anyway. He put his tray down as quietly as he could and sat across from him. He was pulling off the paper from the muffin when the guy’s phone went off.

~~~

Alex looked at the kid across from him. He didn’t say anything, but watched him finish unwrapping his muffin and then fold the wrapper into a neat square before he picked up his knife. Alex watched as he cut the thing into four pieces before he spoke.

“
Usually people wait to be invited before they sit down. Of course, I could be wrong about the way things are done in this part of Ohio, but I don’t think so.”

“
I tried, but you didn’t hear me. I asked you twice. I have to catch the bus in a bit and you can hog the table back up if you want.”

Alex raised a brow. The kid had a smart mouth on him, that was for sure. Now he was taking the knife and cutting the muffin’s four pieces into four more, all in precise sizes. When he was finished, he laid the knife across his plate and put his paper napkin on his lap.

“
I could have sat with the lady with the eight hundred kids, I guess. But I was afraid she’d gather me up with the rest of her brood and I’d be gone for a month before she noticed me.”

Alex looked over at the woman with the four children. They were very rowdy and loud and Alex thought the kid was right in thinking she’d never notice him. One of her children was on the floor asleep and the woman just kept talking on her cell phone.

“
And you picked me because I have no kids? For all you know, I could be waiting on someone.” He didn’t know why he didn’t just tell the kid to get lost, but he was enjoying himself too much.

“
You were too absorbed in whatever you’re doing on your computer to notice a kid. I doubt very much you were waiting on anyone. Even if you were, how do you know they didn’t already come and leave because you didn’t notice them?”

Alex had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing at his answer. “That still doesn’t mean…what about that guy by the door? Why not go pick on him?” Alex didn’t like the way the guy was looking at them, but decided he wasn’t going to say anything.

“
You mean the guy who looks like a pedophile? I think I saw him on the news last week.” The kid turned and looked at the guy in question. “Yeah, I think he’d murdered like seventeen people before he disappeared off the face of the earth. No, you were my safest bet.”

Alex threw back his head and laughed. “You’re all right, kid. My name is Alexander. And you would be?”

“
Not telling you who I am.” The kid picked up his tray as he stood. “Thanks for the use of your table, Mr. Alexander. You can go back to your work.”

“
Wait. You can’t go.” The kid quirked a brow back at him. “What I mean is the guy, the pedophile, he might follow you. Let me at least walk you to the bus stop. If you don’t trust me, you can…you can ask the owner of this shop about me. She’ll vouch for me.”

The kid looked at the man by the door that had stood when he did. Alex wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, but he wasn’t going to let the kid walk out of here alone. He’d like to find the boy’s parents and tell them what could happen to a kid on the streets alone now days.

“
I swear to you I’m not going to touch you or do anything to you. I just want to make sure you get on the bus all right.” Caroline came out into the dining area just then and Alex waved her over. “This is my friend Caroline. She owns this establishment. I don’t want this young man to leave here alone to catch the bus. Would you tell him I’m harmless? Please?”

He wasn’t sure she thought he was serious until she looked at the kid. “You couldn’t ask for a better guy in your corner. Saved my butt the other day.” Caroline ruffled the kid’s head as she went by him.

The kid looked torn. He kept looking at the man who had just walked out the door and back at Alex. He knew the moment the kid decided to let him come with him. But it was still undecided if he trusted him or not.

“
I have to catch the bus on the corner. If I’m not there, the bus will know to call my mom.” Alex nodded, knowing the kid was lying to him, but thought it was very smart of him too. “Okay, but you do one thing that makes me think you’re as bad as the guy on the corner and I’ll…I’ll scream bloody murder.”

Alex nodded again and stood. He’d remained seated until then because he was sure his size would have terrified the already scared kid. He left his computer on the table and moved to the other side. Caroline said she’d keep an eye on it for him.

“
Geez, mister, you’re huge.” The kid backed up three steps and Alex was sure he was going to bolt. “I guess I should have looked harder before I sat down.”

“
Maybe my size will keep the guy outside from bothering you if he thinks we’re together.” Alex grabbed his coat and looked out the door to see the guy on the other side of the street.

“
I’m not dating you, you’re walking me to the bus stop. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.” The kid took a napkin off the holder on the table and wiped his area down, then he took the tray to the trash can and put his trash in, what little bit there was. He handed Lisa the tray with a smile. “That was very delicious. Thank you very much.” Lisa looked up at Alex with a stunned look on her face.

Most of the kids they got in here were rude and obnoxious. The other day there had been a food fight and he had helped Caroline toss them out. One of the kids, some rich punk, told Alex that he’d be back with his lawyer. Alex took out his business card and told the kid to have him call him instead. He hadn’t been called nor had anyone showed up.

The kid in front of him was a handsome boy. He was tall, but since Alex didn’t have a clue how old he was, he couldn’t say if he was tall for his age. His clothes were clean if not a bit worn. His coat was a little tight on him and Alex knew he’d be out of it before real winter hit. He had on gloves and a skull cap and both those looked a little big, but otherwise he was covered.

His eyes were a startling shade of gray. Not really gray, Alex thought, but a slate color. His blond hair was long, just over his collar, and it curled slightly. His nose was a classic one, and the high cheekbones told of good breeding. Alex grinned when he thought of what the kid would say to that. He was sure it would be a lot.

“
So,” Alex started when they were about halfway down the block, “you going to tell me your name? I told you mine.”

“
No, sir. That could be your alias and you could be Attila the Hun for all I know, or at least related to him.” They were at the crosswalk when the kid looked up at him. “No offense, but my mom would flay my skin off me if she knew I was doing this. If I told you my name, I might as well just walk in front of the next car. It might be quicker.”

Alex laughed. He liked this kid and wondered about his mother. She must be a hell of a woman to raise a smart-mouthed kid like him and still have a sense of humor too. He was crossing the street when he noticed the man again. He walked up beside the kid to shield him from the stranger.

“
Kid, your mom is a walk in the park compared to mine. She once hosed me and my sister down in the kitchen because we were fighting. She has a wicked way of making you toe the line without raising her voice.”

“
My mom told the electric guy the other day that she’d sooner eat a skunk raw than to go out with him. I believed her. The guy…I think he thinks she’s nuts.” Alex was amused to think of this spunky kid being afraid of his mom. “This is my stop. Thank you, mister.”

“
I’ll wait until the bus comes.” Alex saw the kid glance back to the stranger. He was pleased to see the kid was aware too. “I won’t leave you.”

“
He followed me here. And he’s taking pictures. Do you suppose he uses them for sex?” The kid looked back at the stranger on the corner again. “I don’t know him. And I don’t want to either.”

“
He won’t come near you. When you get off the bus at school, are there other people around? Adults?” Alex stared at the man, trying to get as much detail as he could. Suddenly, the stranger put his cell phone away and moved down the street.

“
Yes, sir. Teachers.” He heard the kid sigh. “He’s gone now. Thanks for walking me here.”

“
No problem. But I’ll stay until the bus comes.” There were enough people milling around that Alex stepped closer to the kid. He didn’t know why he was getting involved and was a little surprised at it. He’d been doing that a lot lately and was starting to think he should have found something better to do with his time.

“
This is my bus,” the kid said as he pulled out a card. “Thanks again, sir. I really appreciate you letting me sit at your table and then this. It was very kind of you.”

Alex stuck out his hand and was happy when the kid took it. When he turned away then turned back, Alex could see the kid was struggling with something.