He did not fight her on refusing to give Espa a biscuit to thei- her daughter. Grace couldn't have one. But he had expected a fight from Sioni. He wanted to fight her on everything else, she saw no reason he should not fight her on this too. "She's getting a few more in I think." Charlie had already cut her four front teeth, the next set over were starting to come in, she'd been chewing on toys quite a bit, especially the ones that belonged to Grace.

For anyone else a hand on a shoulder would have been nothing. Any other two people would have smiled at each other. She might have placed a hand on his briefly. He would have leaned over and kissed the top of her head if they were especially close. And would have both parted feeling nothing different at all. But Esperanza could not even look at him as he touched her. She turned her head away from him, knowing he would read in her expression all the things she was not going to say to him. He squeezed her shoulder, and she stopped breathing until he was a safe distance away.

While Sioni was at the counter, Espa lay her head on her daughter's dark hair and watched the other people in the little shop. She watched how easy they sat together and talked. Everyone else in the cafe seemed so normal. Hands rested on hands, on arms, heads leaned close, lips brushed ears in whispered secrets, and no one else seemed to feel as though their entire existence collapsed under one touch.

He returned faster than Espa expected, and she bushed her hair back behind her ear. "Gracias." She collected a biscuit for Charlie, giving Grace's hand a small smack as she reached for the other.

"I. Said. Sorry." Grace emphasized each word a little more this time.

"You may have a bun so long as you leave it on the plate." Espa did not necessarily approve. "Please don't make a mess."

This seem to satisfy Grace, and Charlie happily chewed at her biscuit making small happy noises to it. Her daughter never said anything but did make quite a bit of noise when she wanted to. When Sioni reminded her, Grace started to thank her mother.

"Not with your mouth full." Espa interrupted, and Grace promptly forgot that she was supposed to be saying thank you. "You are welcome." Then she let her eyes wander to the other couples in the shop and how easy it was to sit together. Why couldn't they be like that? "Since you've…" She started then hesitated, wavering in her faith for a moment. She had sworn she was not going to do this. Not again. She was stronger than this. She was. She could let them have their treat and then never see him again.

But tomorrow or the next day, Charlie would make this happy nose again, and she would be reminded all over. Why wasn't she as strong as she wanted to be?

"Since you've fed my children all this sugar, I feel that its only fair when we've finished you put them down for a nap." Which was as close to admitting what she was trying so hard not to say out loud as she was likely to come.