She stared at her feet, gnawing on her lower lip. The reason all revolved around the fact that she felt uncomfortable around Rob - and the fact that Alex had said she was encouraging him. He hadn't actually done anything and he was a customer. It would have been wrong to talk badly about him to Felipa. Still, she should have told Felipa where she was going. There was only one reason why she didn't, and that was because she was embarrassed that she had forgotten the phone in the first place.
She lifted her head to find Alex watching her. He was waiting for an answer. She sighed heavily and turned toward the stove.
"I should have told Felipa where I was going." She lifted a lid and checked the broccoli.
"And Rob? Why didn't you ask him to go with you?"
He had a right to know. He probably already suspected. She shrugged and then winced.
"I felt uncomfortable around him. He was always saying things that … I didn't want to be alone with him."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She lifted her head and frowned at him. "I did, but you said I was encouraging him."
His frown deepened. "I only knew what I saw. Did he touch you or threaten you in any way?"
She shook her head. "No. I can't explain it. I just don't feel safe around him."
He studied her face for a moment and then nodded. "Woman's intuition." He gazed absently at the wall for a few minutes. Finally he nodded again. "That makes me feel better about part of it, anyway. His eyes focused on her face again. "But why didn't you call me?
"You were at work. I thought I'd be back within an hour - and I didn't have my phone."
He nodded, still frowning. "Why didn't you call me when you fell - instead of Gerald?"
Of course, his pride was injured. She met his gaze.
"You were at work," she repeated. "I thought Gerald would be back by then and I could direct him to where I was."
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. He looked weary - more so than she had ever seen him. She had done this to him. And yet, he had been troubled by something before all this happened.
Supper was quiet. Even the children sensed his mood. Even so, his tone was casual when he did speak. After supper the twins and Destiny crawled into his lap and listened quietly as he read them a story. Felipa excused herself and left the house. If Alex knew she had a date with Aaron, he said nothing about it. Jonathan ghosted to his room for the evening, as though escaping the tension.