Page 91 of The Guy in the Alley

“When he met Lindsey, I was so relieved that I missed out on the complete personality change he’d gone through,” she went on. “Looking back on those years now, I am ashamed of how I let that play out. How I allowed my own son to conform to whatever he thought was acceptable to society—by me, by his father, his whole family. He stopped making jokes. He stopped laughing.” She sighed and shook her head, and she refolded the napkin on her lap. “I’m glad he could forgive me, but I don’t intend to make the same mistake twice.” She lifted her gaze to meet mine, and I saw a sense of conviction. “Ben has been different lately, and it’s not only his new job’s doing. It’s you.”

I sat a little straighter, and I clamped my mouth shut to keep from asking what she was probably about to elaborate. I didn’t wanna miss a single word.

“You see, Ben needs someone he has great chemistry with,” she said. “Someone who shares his sense of humor, and someone who enjoys the back-and-forth ribbing you two seem to have going on already. That’s when I see the boy I raised. He’s more energetic now. He cracks jokes when he stops by, and he finds joy in the most mundane tasks. Like grocery shopping.” She smiled. “He mentioned you two went to the store the other day and found something for your soup kitchen. And the way he told me—it was as if it’d been the funniest field trip in school.”

I grinned. We did have a good time together, whether we were watching a game or walking the aisles at Aldi.

“You’re not another Sheila, dearie,” Elsie said. “You’re the one he probably didn’t believe existed.”

My pulse drummed faster, and I looked over at Ben and Alvin. The kid was engrossed in the game, but Ben was glancing my way.

You in love with me too, hon?

I bet he was suspicious, wondering what his ma was saying to me.

I cleared my throat and faced Elsie again. “In the spirit of communicating better, I wanna spend the rest of my life with him.”

She smiled and patted my hand. “I’m glad to hear it. He’s worth it. You’ll never find someone more loyal—and thickheaded. He doesn’t always give himself the credit he deserves.”

Yeah, no shit. I chuckled. “I’ve learned that much about him.”

* * *

No top score for Alvin yet, but Ben had struck a deal with him I was ridiculously happy about. They were gonna come here for dinner a few times a month, which worked great for my plan. Because maybe next time or the one after that, it’d feel like a good move to show Elsie and Alvin the upstairs.

Maybe I’d ask for Alvin’s advice on what kind of fish I should get. How to set up a tank and such. And if he started finding gym chalk or bath bombs up there, he might wanna stick around for a movie night or, in the future, a sleepover.

He wouldn’t have to move abruptly and drown in panic. We had time. It could take months—hell, years. Whatever. Slowly but surely, Ben and I could turn our home into his too.

I had a feeling Elsie would be easier to get on board, because it was clear she liked being close to her son and grandson. Furthermore, Ben was protective of her—and judging by the stories he’d shared, he wanted to look out for her since she’d given up the rest of the family to be there for him.

I got it.

I also got that I was thinking so far into the future that I should be terrified, but this was what Ben had been talking about. He always needed to think ahead for Alvin’s sake. So I was gonna do the same thing.

“Are you gonna finish that, Dad?” Alvin pointed his fork to Ben’s leftover hot fudge brownie.

Ben rumbled a laugh and looped an arm around Alvin’s neck. “No, you go ahead. I’m full.” He kissed the side of his boy’s head before sliding the plate closer to him.

I’d done that for Chip too, pretending I was full so a happy kid could increase his sugar intake. ’Cause kids could never get enough sugar or something.

It was sort of doing it for me, to be honest. Watching Ben be a dad was not only hot as fuck, but heartwarming. And that was so unlike me to even notice. I mean, kids…? I hadn’t bothered getting to know Bella until she could form words. Babies were fucking useless—and way too fragile. I always worried I’d drop them. We had a few parents working here, and every now and then, they brought their newborn in…

I suspected Sandy was next. His wife was about to pop.

“I should be getting yous home soon,” Ben said. “I’ve received my gifts, so you’re no good to me anymore.”

Alvin laughed. “You’re joking, I can tell!”

I grinned.

Elsie shook her head in amusement, though I could spot something that ran way deeper. She was happy to see her son happy.

He was happy about those gifts too. He had a gift card from Elsie, along with stern instructions to buy a new trimmer, which he’d apparently mentioned thinking about buying. And from Alvin, a key ring that said Best Dad in the World and a bag of salty licorice imported from Denmark.

Every person had their flaws. Ben had two. The Sox and his love for salty licorice.

“He used to buy a bag every Friday after work when I was little,” Alvin had told me.

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