Chapter 5
Pascal sent a copy of the invoice to the company’s safety officer and told me to give the details to Andre’s attorney.
I wrote down the invoice number while standing in Simone’s kitchen. Then I called Leila.
“Three weeks ago?” she repeated. “Andre said the platform failed last week.”
“That’s why the attorney needs to see it.”
The attorney, Ms. Brooks, asked us to send her what we had lawfully received. She said she would request the company’s records through the proper process. She also wanted to speak with Rosa.
Rosa agreed to meet her that afternoon.
I spent the morning with Noah at home. His fever was gone, and he wanted to make a card for Andre. He drew all three of us standing beside a hospital bed, with Pascal holding a bag of oranges.
“Pascal doesn’t know what fruit Dad likes,” Noah said. “Oranges are safe.”
I looked at the drawing.
Noah had a place in his heart for both men. I wished Pascal could see how easily my son made room.
When Pascal called, I told him about the card.
“I’d like to bring the oranges,” he said.
“You can ask Andre first.”
“I will.”
He hesitated. “Alexa, can I come by Simone’s tonight? I want to talk to you.”
“We can talk after Noah goes to bed.”
He came with Noah’s favorite soup and stayed in the kitchen while Simone helped Noah get ready for sleep. Pascal looked tired.
“I checked the payment record,” he said. “The company paid for replacement parts. The invoice says the work was complete, but the warehouse has no matching record of anyone entering to install them.”
“Where are the parts?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who approved the invoice?”
“The night supervisor, Martin.”
“And your mother?”
“She approves large expenses. This was below the amount she reviews.”
I could hear him trying to state only what he knew. I appreciated it.
“I told the safety officer,” he continued. “She said she’d look into it.”
“Will Vivian let her?”
Pascal looked down. “Mom says Rosa and Andre misunderstood what they saw. She says the platform was working.”
“You were there when Vivian tried to get Andre to sign a statement. You read it.”
“I know.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“I’ve worked for my mother since I finished college. I’m used to trusting her when she says she’s handled something.”
“Then start checking.”
He met my eyes.
“I am.”
We were quiet for a moment. I wanted to ask him to take back the ultimatum. Instead, I asked what had been in my suitcase.
“Everything I thought you’d need for a week,” he said.
“For a week?”
“I didn’t know if you’d come back.”
“You told me not to.”
“I was afraid you would choose Andre if I let you leave.”
“I left because he might die. I came back in the morning.”
“I know.”
“Noah came back to a bag on the porch.”
Pascal put both hands on the table.
“I can’t undo that. I’ve apologized to him. I owe you an apology too.”
“I need more than an apology before I bring him home.”
“What do you need?”
“I need you to stop making Noah’s relationship with his father a test of how much I love you. I need to know you won’t put him out when you’re hurt.”
Pascal swallowed.
“I’ll speak to a counselor,” he said. “I’ll do the work.”
I believed he wanted to. I was not ready to rely on wanting alone.
After he left, Ms. Brooks called. Rosa had told her the platform dropped several inches the previous week. Rosa and Andre stopped using it and reported it to Martin. He told them it would be repaired before their next shift.
“Did Rosa see anyone repair it?” I asked.
“No. She found a tag saying it was cleared for use. She kept a photograph because she was worried.”
The photograph showed the tag’s date and Martin’s name. Ms. Brooks would handle it. She told me not to confront anyone at the warehouse.
The next day, Noah returned to school. Simone picked him up because I was at the hospital with Leila.
When I reached her apartment, she met me at the door.
“Vivian called the school,” she said.
My stomach dropped.
“She told them she was Noah’s grandmother and asked whether he’d been collected.”
“Did they tell her?”
“Only that an authorized adult had picked him up. I went in and made sure they knew not to release information about him to her.”
I thanked Simone, then sat beside Noah while he worked on his card.
He looked up. “Why did Grandma Vivian call school?”
I did not know what she wanted.
I called Pascal.
His mother had already called him too.
“She says she only wanted to make sure Noah was all right,” he said.
“Then she can ask me.”
“I told her that.”
“What did she say?”
May you like
Pascal paused.
“She said I shouldn’t let you keep him from our house.”
