Alice was in her office typing as always, her eyes flitting between the several flat screen monitors set up on the wrap around desk. She looked tired her shoulders drooping slight her pony tail that had been fresh this morning looking lips hanging down her back. She'd been working like crazy the last few months trying to make a nest egg just in case she needed to take time off from work when Jaimie left or if something happened with him and he needed help at school. In any event it meant she spent most of her day within her office the only sound the sound of rapid typing and the occasional muttered curse as she tried to finish several projects at once.<br/><br/>She was finally coming to an end the coding work having been redone three times now and just needed to be tested and she could do that later. She rubbed her closed eyes that hurt from looking at the screens for so long. Slowly she stood up stretching her cramped back and sighing softly. A glance at the clock told her the kids had been home for a while and she hadn't even noticed. Guilt jabbed at her, what was the use of all the preparation for them if she never actually saw them?<br/><br/>She knew part of it was she was avoiding Jaimie. He'd grown to be such a fine young man so caring and helpful, so much, too much like the husband she greatly missed. But it was no excuse they were her kids and she couldn't hide from them forever. Besides he'd be leaving soon much to her dismay, she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before she was alone with just her daughter for company.<br/><br/>She yawned softly as she went across the hallway to her room. She could just hear the two of them down stairs together as they always seemed to be. Alice ignored the twinge of jealousy aimed at Becky as she closed the door and went to changed. There were musicians in the park tonight  putting on a free concert she'd seen flyers while on her morning run and figured it might be a nice outing for them all before going out to dinner. It was a small gesture to make up for haw absent she'd been of late.