probably fine. Only the bricks collapsed, and they fell outward. I'll have the cops keep an eye out. Do you have anywhere else you can go for the night?"
She stared at him blankly for a minute, then apparently registering the question, nodded. With that nod, he watched her almost visibly discard the shroud of defeat, straighten her shoulders, and don the mantle of blithe vivacity. "We have cots at the school. It's just..." She threw a wavering look at the crumbled building and continued bravely, "We'll need transportation."
"You can't sleep on a cot," he said impatiently. "Besides, that place is way out in the country without security lights. It's not safe for a woman alone. How about family?"
She shot him a wry look that warned she was recovering from the shock and told him of the asininity of his question. Her only family was in jail.
"All right, let's walk over to the restaurant and get a bite to eat and think about it. I left Constance with the kitchen staff. She'll be wondering where I am."
Surprised that she actually acquiesced without protest, Axell steered Maya through the crowd of other shop owners and passersby and warned the policeman in charge to watch for the cat. This was a small town. People looked out for each other. He had confidence someone would take in the cat. He wished he was equally confident about the teacher.
Thinking she looked so frail that he ought to be carrying her, Axell did his best to adjust his steps to hers as they traversed the two blocks to his bar. The lights from the tall narrow windows of the restaurant glowed welcomingly as they approached, but as Axell's step lightened, Maya's grew heavier.
"I can't go in there like this."
Finally, the protest he'd expected. "Why not?" he demanded. "No one bites."
He couldn't see the look she shot him and probably couldn't interpret it if he could.
"I have dragons on my shoes."
Dragons. On her shoes. Axell closed his eyes and tried not to groan. He'd offered the position of nanny to a lunatic.
"I gots dragons too," Matty said in what sounded like consolation as he offered up his shoes for inspection.
In the faint glimmering light of a distant street lamp, Axell noted they both wore cheap sneakers and something did look particularly outlandish about the toes.
Well, maybe it was better if he didn't drag her through the expensively dressed crowd of yuppies inside looking as if she'd just been hit by a train. People would talk.
"We'll go in through the rear door," he said, steering her down the alley.
As they hit the bright lights and bustle of the kitchen, the delicate woman on Axell's arm unfolded like a sunstruck rosebud. The protective armor of her brilliant smile disguised her shattered fragility.
His staff stared as they entered. He'd listened to the gossip churning behind these walls for years and knew precisely how it worked. They'd either have Maya labeled as a mistress he'd dumped or as a homeless waif he'd picked up off the street. They'd have him with AIDS next and the mayor really would shut down the bar.
Constance raced to his rescue. Crying "Miss Alyssum!" she practically leaped into Maya's arms.
"Hi, honey bear," she answered softly, crouching to hug the child. "You going to show us where your daddy works?"
That's all it took to get her waited on, hand and foot. The staff doted on Constance. To make her happy, they would have baked a five-tiered cake and decorated it with diamonds. Fortunately for Axell's budget, Maya only required pasta and a salad. Matty tore into a hamburger as if he hadn't eaten in a week.
That thought gave Axell pause as he slipped into the seat beside his daughter in the staff break room. The boy wasn't precisely skin and bones, but he wasn't sturdy either. The clothes he wore were as neat as could be expected of a five-year-old at the end of the day, but they were a little too small and showed signs of wear.
His gaze drifted back to the schoolteacher. She wore the maternity jumper she'd worn every time he'd seen her. Her fine-boned features had a drawn look rather than the maternal glow one would expect, and all the blood had drained from her cheeks. Her usual smile had vanished now that she was behind closed doors, leaving her more vulnerable and worried than he'd ever seen her.
"Insurance will take care of it," he suggested, knowing he pried where he had no