Page 41 of The Perfect Mistake

I know he doesn’t date, but does that mean he’s celibate?

I scroll through to find the Gilmore Girls and try not to let the notion bother me. He’s been a widower for over five years. He’s a grown man. Does he bring women here? That strikes me as unlike him…

But maybe some of his late nights aren’t work events at all. Maybe he meets up with women in the city. I wonder what he’d be like, in those situations. If he smiles with the women he goes out with. Or at least the ones he’s interested in sleeping with.

My thoughts leap from one thing to another, and I watch the TV with unseeing eyes. Somehow it’s not hard to imagine what he might be like in bed. He’s always been intense. A control freak, definitely. Highly competent. Intelligent. It’s a dangerous combination.

What would he look like, if he was overcome with—

“Hey,” he says. “Mind if I join you?”

I jump. Alec is standing beside the couch, his laptop in hand. He’s changed out of his suit into a pair of black slacks and a T-shirt. It fits snugly over his shoulders.

“Yes. Sorry.”

He frowns. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, no, I was lost in my thoughts.” I smile at him. “Have a seat. If you don’t mind me binge-watching Gilmore Girls.”

“Still watching that show?”

“It has seven seasons.”

“Oh.” He sinks into the couch, propping his laptop up on his lap. His hair looks a bit mussed. Unusually so. Like he’s been running his hand through it. To see him a little disheveled, even just his hair, feels thrilling.

I look at the TV screen and barely notice what’s happening. I’m too focused on Alec, sitting only a few mere feet away.

He types something on the computer. Rory and Lorelai order food.

I glance at him from the corner of my eye. “Did you have a good day today?”

“Yeah. Got a lot done.” But the answer doesn’t sound complete. I look at the left-side corridor, toward the kids’ bedrooms. I know both doors are firmly shut and they won’t overhear.

“So, Willa wasn’t herself this afternoon,” I say carefully.

He sighs. “No, she wasn’t.”

“I tried to ask her why, but she wouldn’t tell me. I’m not sure she enjoyed practicing piano today, either.”

Alec leans his head back against the couch and looks at the TV. For a long moment, I don’t think he’s going to answer me. “Are they… wait, is that group of people recreating The Last Supper?”

“Yes,” I say seriously. “They are. This is the quaint town of Stars Hollow. There needs to be a town event at all times.”

“And what is this event?”

“A Festival of Living Art,” I say. “I know. It’s ridiculous and fantastic.”

He shakes his head. “Do these people have nothing to do? No families, no jobs, no hobbies?”

“I think participating in community events is a hobby.”

He stares at the screen as if it offends him. I can see the tense set of his jaw. But then he sighs and looks over at me. “Willa was angry at me. It wasn’t anything you did, if you are concerned.”

“Was it something at school? Because it started just today, and…”

“Yeah. There’s a fundraising event tomorrow evening, for parents and kids to attend together. St. Regis puts on things like this all the time.” His voice is dry, and his eyes look tired. “It wasn’t like that back when I was a student there. These days, it’s not enough to pay sky-high tuition. No, we’re expected to participate in building and nurturing a community. I hope they never see this fucking show, or it would give them even more ideas.”

I chuckle. I almost never hear him swear, and somehow it’s even more effectual coming in his steady tenor. “What’s the fundraising event?”

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