video Constance had popped into the VCR, and pried a reluctant smile out of her as the schoolteacher compared the dragons on her toes with the one in the movie. A minute later, Constance was begging to have her new Nikes painted and was clinging to Maya's hand as if she wouldn't let go.
He still didn't see how she did it.
Instead of lingering in the family room doorway, Axell strolled in and sat on a massive leather footstool near Constance. He took the unadorned Nike from his daughter's fingers, held it up to the TV dinosaur, and tried to join the conversation. "Purple and green?" he asked facetiously, while Matty ignored them in favor of the video.
Constance drew closer to Maya, whipped her long hair back and forth, and held out her hand for her shoe. She didn't say a word.
Exasperated, he handed the shoe back. "Will you show Maya and Matty to the room next to yours?"
For a moment, her thin face lit from within. Then it shuttered and she nodded warily. Still, not a sound.
"Give your daddy a hug," Maya whispered in tones he could hear. "He has to go back to look after all your friends in the kitchen."
That was a hell of a way of looking at it, but Constance willingly turned and grabbed his neck for a swift hug before retreating to Maya's side. Maybe it was a female thing. Maybe little girls needed mothers at this age more than they needed fathers.
Anguish seared his heart as he watched Constance cling to a virtual stranger, leaving him more alone than ever. He didn't know why he kept trying, except he didn't know the meaning of the word quit.
He'd always thought fathers worked to provide food and shelter and earned love and respect in return. What had he done wrong?
"I apologize for my lack of hospitality, but I've got to get back to the bar." At least, at the bar, he knew where he stood. He provided the executive decisions. His employees provided the friendly atmosphere. "Make yourself at home as best as you can. I think the housekeeper keeps up the guest room, but you can ask Constance for anything you need. She knows where everything is."
"Of course she does." Maya slipped her arm around Constance's shoulder. "She's an excellent hostess. You can leave us safely in her hands."
She threw him a veiled look he couldn't interpret. Axell suspected he was supposed to do or say something now but he didn't know what it was. His father might have punched him in the arm and said "Come on, Tiger, let's you and me go to the bar," but that didn't seem the appropriate response in this case. He patted Constance's head awkwardly. "You look after Miss Alyssum and Matty for me. I'll see you in the morning."
Maya shook her head and watched him hurry away. The poor man didn't have a clue. She could almost sympathize with him. Almost. But years of experience told her that men were a self-centered lot when it came right down to it, and just because Axell was older and wealthier than most she knew, he wasn't any different.
She let both Constance and Matty wind down by watching the video. She doubted if Matty had ever seen a video, or that he had any idea how it operated. Cleo's ancient television didn't have cable. Matty watched a few cartoons on Saturday morning but nothing else. Maya preferred it that way, but she didn't have the heart to tear him away from this fascinating entertainment after seeing his home reduced to a crumbled pile of brick.
Homeless. Maya fought off another slam of panic as the baby kicked.
Matty wasn't the only one who needed diversion. Bubbles of pure fear percolated through her veins. She needed her tea. She should have insisted on rescuing her cups.
After the video ended, Constance led them through the darkened corridors of the house. The unlived-in decor didn't ease her fears. Dining room furniture gleamed with wax, vacant of any hodgepodge of sugar bowls or salt cellars or placemats. The beautifully decorated living room with its plush white rugs could never have seen a child's toy. The lovely apricot walls sported no dirty fingerprints. Against the silver sofa, charming pillows lay in perfectly symmetrical patterns that could never have held a human head.
Maya rolled her eyes and with a spurt of humor, imagined what this place would look like if she let Matty and Muldoon and herself loose