The bell rang at St. Jude’s Elementary. A line of black SUVs idled at the curb, drivers waiting to whisk the children of Manhattan’s elite back to their penthouses.
But Leo Croft didn’t run to an SUV.
William Croft stood at the gate. He wasn’t wearing a three-piece suit. He wore a simple peacoat and jeans. He didn’t have a security detail or a Bluetooth headset. He was just a man, shivering slightly in the cold, holding a Spider-Man backpack.
“Daddy!” Leo shouted, sprinting into William’s legs.
“Hey, buddy,” William grinned, crouching down to zip Leo’s jacket. “Ready to walk? I was thinking we could stop for hot chocolate. The cheap kind with the marshmallows.”
From her parked car across the street, Victoria watched. She expected to see the “CEO” checking his watch, annoyed by the inefficiency of walking. Instead, she saw William hoist Leo onto his shoulders and start walking down the sidewalk, laughing at something the boy said.
This wasn’t the grand gesture of buying a music label or fighting a paparazzi. It was consistency. For the first time since the memory flood, the ice around Victoria’s heart began to thaw.