Page 89 of The Guy in the Alley

Unlike his dad, Alvin was not a man of few words. He was making it much easier for me to form my plans. Halfway through dinner, he’d rambled excitedly and frankly about his obsession with water, with side tracks covering fish tanks, colored shrimp, pH, the biodiversity of Lake Michigan, and his dream to one day visit the Emerald Coast.

And wasn’t that just convenient? My folks lived near there. Their house was just south of Tallahassee.

Alvin was very proud of his seashell collection too.

“You remember when your ma and I gave you that coral for your birthday?” Ben grinned around a mouthful of food.

Alvin scowled at him. “We agreed not to talk about that. I forgave you.”

“We wore you down,” Ben argued, chuckling. He looked over at me. “When Alvin turned seven, Lindsey ordered a pink coral as an extra gift for him, and we thought it was gonna be a hit.” He nodded at Alvin. “Kid didn’t speak to us for two months after.”

I lifted my brows.

“Coral should never be harvested from the ocean,” Alvin responded vehemently. “It’s one thing if a piece gets washed up on a beach, but I think we both know the ones idiots make money off aren’t random bits they found onshore.” He flicked me a glance. “For the record, I only collect seashells found on the beach. I make that very clear on eBay, and I contact every seller who isn’t clear about the origin.”

The guy was passionate.

“Good to know.” I stifled my grin by taking another bite of my cheeseburger, but I chewed quickly to circle back to the Emerald Coast. “By the way, my parents live outside Tallahassee. That’s pretty close to the Redneck Riviera, innit? Last time I was down there, my old man and I drove over to Destin.”

Alvin stiffened in his seat. “They have some of the most beautiful waters. I want to see that entire coastline so badly.”

I shrugged. “You’re very welcome to visit. I road-trip down there once a year.”

Was I crossing a line? Fuck it. Elsie didn’t look bothered one bit, and Ben was just watching us in silence as he ate.

Alvin chewed on his lip and glanced at his dad.

“Don’t look at me, small fry,” Ben chuckled. “That’s kind of Trace to offer, but you might wanna discuss this with Rose. Florida is far away, and you’d need to spend several nights away from your own bed.”

Alvin grew pensive, suddenly looking way more like Ben, and he turned back to me. “Could my dad come too?”

“Of course,” I said. “And your grandma if she wants. My folks love visitors.” Only half a lie. Ma would be over the moon for these specific visitors if it meant her son was finally in a relationship.

Ben and my dad had only met in passing, but I knew they’d get along great.

“I’m gonna talk to Rose,” Alvin decided.

At that, Ben reacted. He furrowed his brow. Confusion, surprise, and wariness flitted by in one swoop. And I could, for once in my fucking life, practically read his mind. Maybe the option of seeing the ocean hadn’t existed before, so he wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation. Maybe he was surprised Alvin would even consider it; he’d told me about his son’s inability to even go through with a sleepover at a friend’s house, and that was in Elmwood Park. And last but not least, I bet he was thinking ahead. It was another thing he’d shared. Ben had to be two steps ahead to consider ramifications and things that could go wrong.

But I was a man of my word, and if Alvin wanted to see Florida, I’d make sure it happened. I wasn’t just talking out of my ass.

Unbeknownst to Ben, I’d talked to Scottie and Tina. I mean, I’d kept shit casual and hypothetical, but yeah, I’d asked about the hardships of having a kid with special needs. And I didn’t have to worry as much about the jargon with them. They knew I meant well.

I was ready to show Ben I was in it for the long haul—and that I knew it wasn’t always gonna be sunshine and roses.

* * *

True to his word, Alvin ate his entire meal, plus the leftovers of our appetizers. I didn’t fucking know where he put it all. He just grinned and said he took advantage every time they were in a restaurant. Apparently, he loved steakhouse food, bar food, all things fried, so…he’d come to the right place.

While Alvin and Ben whispered something to each other, Elsie filled me in about their birthday traditions. That was when they ate out, though they’d “missed” Ben’s last three birthdays. In other words, Ben had come up with an excuse to get out of it, presumably because he hadn’t been able to afford restaurant dining.

I felt for him. He’d fought for so fucking long. Was it wrong that I wanted to take care of him? More than that, I just…wanted to share everything with him. He’d made me crave something that wasn’t the Clover.

“Excuse us for one moment,” Ben said with a smirk. “Alvin wants to check out the arcade games.”

Yeah, no problem. “If you beat Adam’s top score, I’ll give you free desserts for a year,” I told the kid.

Alvin beamed. “I will give it a go!”

---