Peter pushed his way through the doorway and stepped into the kitchen. Alex looked at her watch. Supper was nearly done; he was running a bit later than usual.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he responded in nearly a whisper. He kept his gaze averted from hers. That wasn't like him.
She stopped stirring the spaghetti sauce and turned toward him. "Did something happen at work today?"
His chest inflated with the deep breath he drew in and lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Not really, it's just that I have to go to Milwaukee for a couple of days for work. I really hate to leave you right now." He'd hardly finished speaking before his gaze landed on the floor.
"Is there more?"
Peter nodded and met her stare. "Captain Franke will be keeping an eye on you while I'm gone."
"What exactly do you mean by keeping an eye on me?" she asked, unable to hide the complete disapproval from her tone.