"Steven Gould - Jumper 02 - Reflex" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gould Stephen Jay)

"You want me to call Child Protective Services?"

"Hell, no. So they get taken away from their mother? How is that going to help? I left them some
money. Enough to get off the street, I hope."

Cox grunted and looked thoughtful. "You can't save them all, Davy."

"I know that!" Davy snapped. "It's just—" A waitress with dirty blond hair escaping her
barrettes, a bare midriff with a pierced navel, and a large patch of thigh showing through a ragged hole
in her jeans stopped at the table. Davy exhaled. "Tea, please. Something herbal." He glanced at the
list. "Lemongrass-chamomile."

Cox pointed at his coffee. "A slice of the apple pie and a refill."

She smiled mechanically and left.

Davy looked down at the tabletop. "You have kids, right?"

Cox nodded. "Two boys. And yes, I was thinking of them when you told me about those two
little girls."

Davy shook his head. "No. That's not the connection I'd made." He sighed heavily. "I had an
argument with Millie tonight. She's ready to have kids."

Cox raised his eyebrows. "Oh? And the argument is what? That you aren't?"

"Not yet."

"I see."

Davy winced. "What do you see?"

Cox blinked, his face mild. "That she's ready and you're not."

A different waitress, a heavily made-up brunette in a tightly knotted tie, snow-white shirt, and
black slacks, brought out the tea and Cox's pie. Her hair was tightly pulled back to a severe bun.
Davy shook his head, bemused at the contrast.

Cox looked annoyed. "Could I get that refill on the coffee?"

"Coming right up, sir."

Davy played with the tea bag, dipping it in and out of the water. He'd had coffee in New York
only a half-hour before and hoped he wasn't in for another sleepless night. He inhaled the odor of the
lemongrass and it cascaded a memory of spicy Thai soups eaten on high stools under a thatched roof
in ChaAm on the coast road to Malaysia. With Millie. He took a gulp. It felt good on his throat, a
surprise, since he hadn't realized his throat hurt. "She's restless, I think. She has friends but it's hard
for her to get really close when she can't be truly open with them."

Cox sighed. "I know that one—at least you guys are open with each other, right? There are