"I thought maybe I'll go see him," Dora said. "Find out why we were meeting."
"Would you like me to come with you?" Steve tried to keep his voice calm, well modulated, but he was desperate to find out. Did Dora know something and decide now, after all these years, to set the record straight? Her eyes snaked to the side in that private way she had of observing people. Her mouth tightened. "No. I better go on my own. He might not talk if you're around." Dora stood and stretched, gazing around. "This is such a nice house, so much light. And the view." She smiled shyly.
Steve took a breath, trying to mentally bat the earlier conversation away. "Would you like a tour?"
"Oh, you don't have to."
"I'd like to." He smiled and she smiled back, eyes locking with his a moment before making a quick up and down scan of his body and darting her gaze away. Steve blushed, his emotions on a rollercoaster. Was Dora just checking him out? The thought sent a thrill through his belly, a pleasant stabbing sensation in his groin.
"I think you'll like the kitchen," he said, leading the way.
They wound up at the pool, feet dangling in the adjacent hot tub. Steve had made margaritas and they came out a little sour. Their conversation turned to the past, the vernacular of their youthful teen slang falling in and out. He and Dora had slipped easily into the part of their friendship that was effortless and comfortable, like a well-worn pair of jeans. Steve could detect a mild attraction that wafted over them like a subtle scent.
The greyness of the sky had darkened into early night, the sun making a brief appearance in the afternoon before disappearing behind a wall of clouds. Dora crossed her arms and Steve was about to ask if she might like a sweater when Tera suddenly appeared, Sheena bounding ahead, coming to sniff curiously at Dora. The rottweiler's big wet nose inspected the rim of Dora's glass and then pushed up against her neck. She patted Sheena's head and smiled lazily at the dog.
"There you are," Tera said.
Jesse, Laird and Sara traipsed out to the backyard moments later, staring at Steve and Dora curiously.
"Mom?" Sara's eyes were a squint of confusion.
Tera batted away a lock of her hair, her expression inscrutable. "Did you two have a good visit?" She asked. The tension in her tone belied the casualness of the question.
Jesse, in a long sweater shirt, tights and UGG boots, scampered over to them, overjoyed. "Are you staying for dinner?"
Dora's eyes darted over to Tera and she shook her head no, turning to get up and missing his outstretched arms. A look of hurt clouded his eyes.
"I should get going," Dora said, without even a hello to the children.
"Whatever." Sara muttered and marched back into the house.
Laird had started to remove his clothes and Tera was suddenly busy with him. "No, no, no. We're not swimming. I'm going to make dinner."
Steve removed his feet from the tub and stood, trying to rescue the situation. He felt a little tipsy. But the way Dora was acting made his throat feel tight with anger.
"You might want to say goodbye to the kids," he called after Dora. He meant to keep his tone light, but his voice came out hard and firm. Dora glanced over her shoulder at Jesse and stared at him for a moment as if he were an afterthought.
"Yeah. Sure. See you." She gave a little wave, and then to Steve, "How do I get that car service? Can you help me?"
They fought after dinner, Tera's face red, her brown freckles splotchy looking against the flush of her anger. She didn't like what was happening. She didn't like that the kids no longer seemed to have a schedule anymore. She didn't like how cozy he and Dora looked when she found them at the jacuzzi. But most of all, as a mom, she didn't like how Dora treated her own kids. Appalling. What kind of mother doesn't say hello to her own children? Ignores them when they try to hug her and says goodbye with such indifference, as if they were just any old kids, someone else's kids.
“They are someone else's kids!” He finally yelled back at Tera. Tired from his day with Dora. Tired from too much alcohol and tired of Tera yelling at him. “They are Dora's kids,” he said, bringing his voice down to a hiss, “and Dora doesn't exist anymore.” Tera stiffened then, looking over his shoulder, and he had a horrible sinking feeling. When had Jesse come into their room? His son stood in the doorway, in a pink nightgown, blond hair gleaming over his shoulders, face pale.
"Jesse," he started to say, but Jesse turned and fled.
"She's not ready to be around her children," Tera said in a fierce quiet voice. "You need to talk to Erica about Dora getting more help because this is child abuse."
Tera's words were like a liquid heat that burned right through him. Child abuse. The mental image of his son standing in a pink gown flashed through his mind. Dora's brief glance at Jesse and the utter lack of emotion on her face, like he was no one to her. Child abuse.
Steve slept in a different room that night, tossing and turning. Maybe he ought to have the kids come live with him. But would Tera go for that? Erica wouldn't, he was sure of it. But Erica wasn't their legal parent, and Dora was not Dora. The thought of a custody battle and going to court made him think of Darpan. Steve's stomach clenched with fear and anguish. What had Dora known?
38
Serene - June 1996
Kanani came to a halt in the doorway, Serene almost walking into her. When she peered around Kanani's shoulder, she saw Taylor emerging from her kitchen. Serene stepped around Kanani.
“What are you doing here?”
“I stopped by to say what's up.” Taylor flashed them
