“Our room is just down the hall, Trish. You can hear Jon-Jon from our room and you know it.”

  “I think this is best for now.”

  “So this is how we gon’ do things around here, huh?”

  “I don’t want to fight with you, Dwayne. I don’t feel good. Can you just please get Jon-Jon up so he can use the bathroom and then fix him some breakfast?”

  “But I thought you moved all your stuff so you could be on this side of the house for Jon-Jon? So shouldn’t you be fixing him breakfast?”

  “Will you just do it, please?” She was about to cry again. She’d cried all night long. Trish had turned up the TV and moaned into her pillow as the tears fell from her eyes. She tried her best not to let Jon-Jon hear her cry. She had to get a handle on herself. She couldn’t let Jon-Jon see her like this. Her son was dealing with enough. She wanted to help, but she couldn’t even go into his room right now. Not like this. She was just thankful Jon-Jon didn’t have any sharp objects he could get his hand on in that room.

  Trish figured that if she stayed in her room for the rest of the day, she might be able to get her emotions intact. Things had not been good around here for a while, but she hadn’t expected Dr. Phillips to tell her that her son didn’t want to live anymore. How could he be so ready to give up when the doctors all agreed that he might be able to walk again? But it was football—always football. Could football really be the end-all and be-all of life for Jon-Jon?

  She had to find a way to make Jon-Jon see that life without football was better than no life at all. Yes, he had suffered a great loss, but couldn’t Jon-Jon find a new dream?

  Trish wished she could talk to Dwayne about this, but their conversations never ended well. She sighed deeply as her husband walked away from the door, because she was beginning to believe that life without Dwayne was better than life with him.

  She went back to sleep. Sleep was her friend. Sleep didn’t make her face the reality of life with a husband who was unbearable and a son who didn’t want to live any longer. Trish wanted to lay in bed for as long as she could because she couldn’t deal with the reality beyond this room.

  Her eyelids were heavy as they closed and shut out the world around her. She didn’t want to dream, didn’t want to think. Jon-Jon needed her, but she couldn’t make herself get out of bed.

  Trish didn’t know how long she had slept, but she heard someone messing with the bedroom door. The sound jolted her upright. Wiping the drool from around her mouth, she realized that Dwayne was fiddling with the interior door key that they used since Jon-Jon was in sixth grade whenever he locked himself out of his bedroom.

  “What are you doing, Dwayne? I’m trying to get some sleep.”

  He finally got the door open. Trish was about to yell at him, but he entered the room with a tray of food. She looked down to see pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, and grapefruit on her plate. There was also a cup of green tea with lemon in it. Her favorite breakfast, and Dwayne had fixed it for her.

  “I already put Jon-Jon in the shower. He’s eating his breakfast now, so you don’t need to get up.”

  Trish didn’t know what to say. She had been terrible to him, but he’d deserved it. Shake off the bad thoughts, she told herself, just shake them off. “Thank you,” she finally said to Dwayne.

  “It’s the least I can do.” Dwayne turned to walk out of the room. As he reached the door, he turned back. “I called out from work today. I’ll take care of whatever Jon-Jon needs. Just get some rest.”

  He shut the door and left her to eat the breakfast he had cooked. But after only a few bites, Trish realized there was no cinnamon in the pancakes. “I should have known.” For Trish, love was in the details, and Dwayne didn’t get it. He didn’t get her. As the tears started again, she wondered why she was wallowing in pity like this. Why couldn’t she just get out of this bed and enjoy her day? Nothing was the same for them, that’s why—and it never would be again.

  Trish glanced over to her nightstand. The piece of paper with Dr. Vance’s name and phone number lay next to her cell phone. She was going to call to make Jon-Jon an appointment for his depression. Trish found herself wondering if she needed to make herself an appointment too.

  Chapter 6

  Alexis squealed with delight as she gave Lillie Longmoor a big ole bear hug and then sat back down behind her small desk in the county building. “You did it, Lillie. I’m so proud to know you.”

  A puzzled look crossed Lillie’s face. “How could you be proud to know someone like me? I’m nothing. Look at me, celebrating getting a job as a grocery store clerk, while my brother is an attorney and my younger sister is the vice president of marketing at a company she’s worked at for ten years. I’ve never been able to keep a job longer than six months at a time.”

  Alexis put her hand on top of Lillie’s shaky hand. “Your family loves you. Would your brother have allowed you to move in with his family if that wasn’t so?”

  “I’m in the cottage in the back of his house. And he’s only doing that so I won’t be on the street anymore. If our parents were still living, he wouldn’t have anything to do with me. I’ve just been such an embarrassment to everyone.”

  Alexis had witnessed this self-sabotaging behavior with her bipolar clients more times than she wanted to think about. They knew their behavior could destroy relationships with family and friends, but they were powerless to stop it. “Things are going to be different, Lillie. Your doctor found the right medication for you, you have a job, and your brother wants you to stay with him as long as you need to.”

  “I know everything you’re saying is true. I just don’t want to mess up again.”

  Alexis put her elbow on the desk and her hand under her chin, then gave Lillie an easy smile. “What if you decide to take things day by day for a while? If you’ve had a good day, acknowledge that and give yourself some credit. Maybe one day you’ll look back and discover that you’ve had three hundred sixty-five good days.”

  Tears welled in Lillie’s eyes. She leaned over and gave Alexis another hug. “You are heaven-sent. Thank you for being so patient with me.”

  “Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being of service to you in your time of need.”

  Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lillie shook her head. “I just don’t understand why a lady like you would come to this side of town to help out. I thought you rich people were too busy with PTA meetings, shopping, playing golf, and looking down on people like me.”

  Alexis had dreamed of going to college to either become a scientist who would discover the cure for mental illness or a psychiatrist who would help her patients reinvent themselves. But from the time she had turned sixteen, Alexis had started waitressing at night after school just so she and her mother could keep the roof of that double-wide over their heads. There had been no time or money for college.

  That’s why Alexis thought of Michael as her earth angel. Her American prince. He wasn’t only a business wiz; he also had connections, and those connections allowed her to work in the mental health field. No, she wasn’t a scientist or a psychiatrist, but she volunteered as a human services assistant. She helped clients recovering from substance abuse or who had mental health issues obtain benefits, repair relationships, sign up for job training programs, or obtain food or housing assistance vouchers.

  People thought she was a saint because she spent one day a week working with people who were typically thought of as the dregs of society. They only thought this because they didn’t know where she came from, and Michael would die of mortification if she told her story. He wished she would just work on the PTA at their kids’ school, but she was passionate about the people she was able to help and wouldn’t let him take that away.

  “Lillie, now stop that. For all you know, I could live just two blocks away. Anyhow, wherever I live, it’s no problem to drive into the city. I enjoy helping out. I just wish I could be here more often, but my kids wear me out.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. Ethan and Ella would be out of school soon. She had to pack up her desk and head out.

  Lillie gave her an oh-please look. “I might be on medication, but I’m no dummy. My parents had money. That’s how my siblings received such distinguished college educations. I got kicked out at the age of seventeen for refusing to go to college. So, I know what people with money look like, and you’ve got it.”

  Putting a few files in her leather briefcase while reaching for her handbag, Alexis said, “But that doesn’t make me any better than you or any of the other clients I see.”

  “Oh, honey, yes it does. But the thing I like about you is that you don’t seem to know that. I just can’t figure out why.”

  Standing, glancing at the clock again, Alexis said, “I am so sorry to cut this a bit short, but I have to pick my kids up from school.” She handed Lillie an envelope. “Here is the furniture voucher I was finally able to get approved.”

  As Alexis left the social services building and hopped into her white Mercedes SUV, she prayed she hadn’t made anyone feel uncomfortable around her. Alexis thought that putting on a pair of jeans and a sweater would help her blend in to some degree. She even wore her Target jeans, not the ones that were made in Italy. But who was she kidding? They all probably looked at her as some rich white lady doing charity work to ease her upper-crust guilt.

  They would never know how much she understood them, how much she had been one of them, but she would hold her truth and just be thankful that she had the opportunity to help people like Lillie. Each time she helped someone move forward into a better situation, she felt as if she was paying it forward.

  Traffic was terrible, as it normally was in Charlotte. It hadn’t always been this way. When she was growing up, this city had been like a forest with trees everywhere. She remembered playing hide-and-seek behind the trees in some of the many neighborhoods she and her mother lived in. When developers came to town, they knocked down most of the trees and turned Charlotte into the biggest city in North Carolina and the fifteenth-largest city in America. Alexis was now thirty-four and longed for that small-town feel again, especially while driving in traffic.

  Her phone beeped, letting her know that she had just received a text. It was probably the kids, wondering what was taking her so long. Sad to say, but she was often late on Tuesdays when she helped out at the county office. Alexis got so involved in her clients or the assignment at hand that she often lost track of time. She had to ask Michael to pick the kids up twice. He hadn’t been happy about it but had done it anyway.

  Thankfully, she didn’t need to call Michael today because she would only be about ten minutes late. The phone beeped again. She wouldn’t dare reach for her purse to see the text. One thing was for sure; she would never check another text while driving for the rest of her life. The kids knew she wouldn’t just leave them at school. They were far too impatient.

  The phone rang. It was Michael. Alexis was okay with answering her phone while driving because she could keep her eyes on the road and just had to tap a button on the steering wheel. “Hey, hon, are you actually calling your wife before your workday ends?”

  “Ella just called. She says you’re not at the school yet.”

  “I’m turning the corner now and heading into the school parking lot. Your children are just as impatient as you, my love.”

  He laughed. “Well, at least they got their good looks from you.”

  “I’m here, so you can go back to inventing your next got-to-have tech project.”

  “We are trying to develop another program,” he admitted.

  “You are always developing a program. I am fully convinced that I married a genius.”

  “And I married the best wife and mother in this town.”

  “Oh, so I’m only the best in the city, not the whole world?”

  “What was I thinking? I forgot that Ella gave you the Best Mother in the World award last year.”

  “Just don’t forget it again,” she joked. “Talk to you later. I’m pulling up to the school.”

  “Okay, and don’t let me forget that I need to talk to you tonight.”

  They hung up as she pulled in front of the school. Long faces greeted her as Ethan and Ella hopped in the back seat. “You owe me another Marvel hero figure for this, Mom. This is the second time this month you’ve been late picking us up.”

  “I was three minutes late last time, Ethan.” She glanced at the clock on her dashboard. “And seven minutes today. So in a whole month, I’ve only been ten minutes late picking up my two wonderful children. Do I get any credit for that?”

  “Of course you do, Mom,” Ella said. “I know you didn’t mean to be late. You were helping people and time just got away from you.”

  Ella was her forgiving, understanding child. She’d told her how much it meant to be able to help people who couldn’t help themselves and Ella had never forgotten that.

  “I still want another one,” said Ethan. “You can get me Thanos.”

  “I just bought you Thor. What did you do with that superhero?”

  “I still have him, but I only have the good guys. My superheroes need somebody to battle with, like Thanos or Ultron. Oh, and don’t forget that you already promised to get me Loki.”

  Alexis didn’t understand this whole Marvel Universe thing. “But I thought you wanted Loki because he’s Thor’s brother?”

  He gave her an oh-Mom-you’re-so-old look. “Thor and Loki are always fighting. Loki’s one of the bad guys.”

  Ella shook her head at her brother’s antics. “All Ethan can think about is fighting. Just ignore him, but don’t forget that I need a new dress for the father-daughter dance next week.”

  Her children were spoiled and loving life. Alexis enjoyed every moment she spent with them and would do anything for them, like buy tons of superheroes and hundreds of dresses.

  In truth she would rather do anything than have this discussion with Michael tonight. She hadn’t made contact with the Robinson family yet. How could she when her family’s biggest issue was whether to get Thanos or Ultron for her son’s superhero collection?

  When they arrived home, Alexis took the leftover cheesy chicken casserole she’d made the night before out of the refrigerator. Her children loved this casserole and didn’t realize how many veggies were mixed in with the pasta shells, chicken, and cheese.

  She put the casserole in the oven along with garlic bread. She rarely made the kids wait until Michael came home from work to eat because her children were always so hungry after school. “Go wash your hands, change out of your school clothes, and then come right back to the kitchen.”

  “Can I bring my laptop to the table, Mom?” Ella asked.

  “No, honey. You’ll have plenty of time to do your homework. Just take a moment to eat your food first, okay?”

  “Okay,” Ella said as she and Ethan skipped out of the kitchen.

  Alexis leaned against the counter holding a dry towel in her hand as she watched her children leave the room. It still amazed her how carefree they were. She wondered what made them feel so at ease all the time. Was it the house they lived in or was it that she and Michael had created a safe circle around them? Whatever it was, Alexis never wanted them to lose that skip in their steps.

  After feeding the kids, Alexis sent them off to do homework while she took a hot bath. She then got comfortable on one of the lounge chairs in their massive master bedroom and picked up where she left off with the novel she had been reading. She usually was able to get about an hour of reading in a couple of days each week before someone had an emergency.

  She had read five chapters of the suspense thriller when Michael came into their bedroom. He looked worn and weighed down. She put her book on the chair. “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself,” he said while undoing his tie.

  “You hungry?”

  “Not right now. I just want to rest.” Michael went into the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into a pair of pajamas. He then stretched out on the lounge chair next to Alexis.

  She reached a hand over to him and rubbed his arm. “How was your day?”

  “Exhausting.”

  “You did look like you wanted to just lay on the floor, like you couldn’t go any further. I’m surprised you had the energy to take a shower.”

  “I almost fell in it.” He laughed at himself. “But how was your day? Must have been something exciting going on down at social services for you to be late picking up the kids.”

  Alexis’s eyes lit up. “As a matter of fact, there was. One of my clients got a job at the Publix in Steele Creek.”

  “A whole job? Well, oh my goodness, alert the media! Better yet, let’s throw her a party.”

  “It’s not funny, Michael. She hasn’t had a job in over two years and had been living on the street. Things are going to be a lot better for her now that she’s on the right medication.”

  “I shouldn’t have made fun,” he acknowledged. “It’s just, you seem so excited about someone working at the grocery store. I guess I just don’t understand people like that.”

  No, he didn’t understand why Alexis’s eyes lit up whenever she discussed the successes of the people she helped. Michael didn’t see those accomplishments as successes. He thought those were just basic things people did in life. She was tired of trying to explain it to him and was just happy he didn’t put up a fuss about the one day a week she did something that brought joy to her heart. “I guess you had to be there.”

  Snapping his finger, he said, “Before I forget. I need you to put together a dinner party on Thursday.”

  “How many people?”

  “Two of the executives from Media Matters Inc. are coming to town on Thursday. Peter and I will be meeting with them and showing them around the office. Afterward, I want to treat them to dinner. Peter suggested that they might feel more comfortable here.”