Chapter 150: Slight Detour

"He’s a mechanic," Alexa replied. "He fixes cars."

Ethan nodded with a smile. "That’s an important job. People rely on their cars every day, and when something goes wrong, they need someone who knows how to fix it."

Alexa’s face brightened a little. "Daddy says he can fix almost anything with an engine."

"Then he must be pretty good at what he does."

"He is!"

Ethan smiled at her enthusiasm. It was easy to see that the girl admired her father, and he found himself wondering how Richard managed to balance his work with raising her.

Time passed as they continued talking, but Richard still hadn’t appeared.

Ethan checked his watch again. Fifteen minutes had gone by, then twenty. Eventually, half an hour had passed since the girls had come out of the school gate.

His brows drew together This was getting unusual.

He glanced at the school entrance once more before crouching slightly to meet Alexa’s eyes. "Sweetheart, do you know your way home?"

Alexa nodded. "Yes, Uncle Ethan. I know the way."

"Good. I’ll take you home, then."

He opened the car doors and helped the girls settle into the back seat before getting behind the wheel. Once everyone was buckled in, he looked at Alexa through the rearview mirror.

"All right. You’ll have to guide me."

"Okay!"

Following her directions, Ethan drove away from the school and into a quieter part of Cold River District. The roads gradually became less crowded, and the buildings grew farther apart. After a while, they entered a remote residential area where the houses were smaller and the streets noticeably quieter.

"Turn left here, Uncle Ethan," Alexa instructed.

Ethan followed her directions until they reached a modest building. He parked in front of it and looked around briefly before stepping out with the girls.

The apartment was small, with a single bedroom and a narrow entrance. It wasn’t much, but the place appeared reasonably maintained from the outside.

Alexa walked ahead and pointed toward the door. "This is our home."

Ethan nodded and approached it with her. He knocked twice, then waited.

No one answered.

He knocked again, a little louder this time. For several seconds, there was still nothing. Then they heard hurried footsteps coming from the bedroom, followed by the sound of someone fumbling with something inside.

The door swung open a moment later.

Richard stood there, looking half-awake as he struggled to pull a shirt over his singlet. His hair was disheveled, and the moment his eyes landed on Ethan and the two girls, his movements stopped.

For a brief second, he simply stared at them.

Then his gaze shifted to Alexa, and his expression changed from shock to unmistakable relief.

"Ah... Alexa!"

"Daddy!" The little girl stepped forward.

Richard quickly pulled his shirt into place and crouched to embrace her.

"I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry." He checked her face as though making sure she was unharmed, then hugged her again. "Daddy made a mistake."

Alexa wrapped her arms around his neck. "It’s okay, Daddy. Uncle Ethan brought me home."

Richard closed his eyes briefly before looking toward Ethan. The embarrassment on his face was impossible to miss.

"I can’t believe I did this." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was supposed to pick her up. I even set an alarm to remind myself, but I must have slept through it."

Ethan glanced at his rumpled clothes and tired expression. He could guess what had happened.

"You were asleep when we arrived?"

Richard gave a sheepish nod. "I got home after working for hours, intending to rest for a few minutes. I must have fallen asleep almost immediately. By the time I woke up, I realized something was wrong and rushed to the door."

His eyes returned to Alexa, and he let out a quiet breath. "I’m glad she’s safe."

He stood and faced Ethan properly, his expression turning serious. "Thank you for bringing my daughter home. I don’t know how to repay you for this."

"There’s no need for that," Ethan replied calmly. "I happened to be there, and I wasn’t going to leave her waiting outside."

Richard looked at him for another moment before bowing his head slightly. "Still, I appreciate it. Truly."

Ethan waved away his gratitude. "Just make sure you don’t oversleep next time. You don’t want your daughter thinking she has to find her own way home."

Richard let out an embarrassed laugh. "You’re right. I’ll be more careful."

"Good. Get some rest when you can, but make sure you set that alarm properly next time."

"I will. Thank you again, Ethan."

After exchanging a few more words, Ethan said goodbye to Richard and Alexa before returning to the car with Nora. He waited until she was settled before starting the engine and driving back toward Eve Refreshments.

The journey was relatively quiet, and before long, the familiar storefront came into view.

Ethan parked outside, and Nora climbed out as soon as he unlocked the doors. Evelyn, who had been inside the shop, noticed them returning and immediately came over.

"What took you two so long?" She asked, her eyes moving between them.

Before Ethan could answer, she pulled Nora into a hug, smoothing her daughter’s hair as she checked her face. Nora returned the embrace without complaint, and Evelyn finally relaxed enough to step back.

Ethan walked past them and settled onto the couch in the shop. After stretching his legs, he looked at Evelyn, who was still waiting for an explanation.

"We ran into a small problem," He said. "Alexa’s father didn’t show up to pick her up from school, so we waited for him. When he still hadn’t arrived after thirty minutes, I decided to take her home."

Evelyn’s brows rose. "He didn’t come at all?"

"He eventually did, but not until we knocked on his door." Ethan leaned back against the couch. "Apparently, he’d worked himself to exhaustion and fallen asleep as soon as he got home. He missed the alarm he had set to remind him to collect her."

"Oh, dear." Evelyn glanced at Nora, then back at her husband. "That must have been frightening for him when he realized he’d missed her."

"He was certainly relieved to see us." Ethan shook his head with a faint smile. "I just told him to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Evelyn nodded, then drew Nora close once more and kissed the top of her head. "I’m glad you both got back safely."

Ethan watched the two of them for a moment before resting his head against the couch.

It had been a longer afternoon than he’d expected, and for once, he was content to sit still for a while.