Alvin's nerves were frayed, nearly as bad as when Sloane had gone missing and that was saying something. Between Sloane and Harry heading back off to South Africa, his discussion with his sister when she'd come home about the news, and now Zinnia's husband's death, his worries were split in too many directions and he didn't quite know what to do with himself.

It was difficult to get a read on anyone, especially Sloane since she refused to stay at the house, but he and Harry had discussed the matter and his brother was determined to keep a closer eye on her when the left again. He just had to hope she would bounce back. It was a low blow to her already crumbling self-esteem, but she'd gotten through tougher things, and she would get through this too.

He had to hold out the same hope for Zinnia too. The whole thing was such a mess and Alvin, stuck on the outside of it all, could only watch and wait. There wasn't much he could do, he knew the Potts family was rallying around her and she would need that, but it left little room for him to also check in without it being noticed or commented upon. The house felt a little stifling these days, so he was sitting on the swing in the garden, enjoying the cool evening air and the silence of the later hour. The glow from the kitchen windows was the only light he had, but he was too busy sifting through his thoughts to pay attention to whether anyone had noticed his absence or not.

The sound of the creaky, old, wrought iron gate opening brought him out of his reverie and he looked up in surprise. As far as he knew, everyone was home, except Sloane and she had made it clear she wasn't coming back around until it was time to leave again. It took a minute for the shadows to give way to who it was and as soon as he realized it was Zinnia, he jumped off the swing. "Zin, are you alright?" The worry overwhelmed everything else as he crossed the garden to her in a few long strides.