ALEX DISAPPEARS BEFORE lunch with a murmur that he’s going to get some air and an exhortation for Paul to keep an eye on the baby. Paul gives him ten minutes, then leaves Claudia under Laura’s watchful eye and goes after him.
He finds Alex on the back porch that looks out over the scrubby lawn and the fields behind the house. He’s hunched over in some position Paul assumes is meant to be healthy or strengthening or something, because it doesn’t seem like it makes much physical sense.
“Nice view,” Paul observes. He takes a seat next to Alex on the old plank steps of the porch.
“If you want dead grass and dying trees, we can get that in California.”
“Wasn’t talking about the trees,” Paul says. He slides a hand down Alex’s back.
Alex straightens up and untangles his limbs to sit more nor
