Jesse tilted her head.
I took a slow breath to stop the rambling. “We’re meeting about a school project.” I exhaled.
Jesse nodded and pointed toward the tables. “Pick any table you like.”
I turned to scan the dining room, and my shoulders dropped. There were about twenty empty tables. I chewed my lip and looked around the room.
Do I pick one by the front window? Or maybe closest to the door? My eyes flicked over the room, looking for some proof of where I should sit.
What if it isn’t where Adam and Danny wanted to sit, or randomly too close to someone else?
Why didn’t Jesse just tell me which one?
The teenagers chuckled, and a salt packet flew in my direction.
I took a fortifying breath, and I went in and sat at the closet table in a booth, plopping onto the bench to put me facing the door.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I walk into a room of people and be rational? First I stumble over my words and then panic about a table.
It’s just a table. It doesn’t matter.
I flexed my fingers, relaxing the tension that had built in my knuckles as I spun my ring.
The door opened, and Adam and Danny walked in. Danny saw me, waved, and skipped in my direction. Adam leaned over and grabbed Danny’s shoulder to talk with him. I didn’t want to intrude, so I studied the grain of the table.
“Hi, Ms. Faith.” Danny plopped into the booth across from me. Danny saw my spinning ring, and his eyebrows pulled down. It was obvious he was picking up on my nervous energy, so I pulled my hand under the table.
Adam’s phone against his ear, his eyes met mine, and he pointed to the phone and raised his right shoulder. I smiled and nodded.
“Dad said I get to have pie, and I love pie.” Danny was still looking at where my hands had been.
“Me too. Do you have a favorite type?”
“I like the red ones. I like that your ring spins. Can I see it?”
I pulled my hand up from under the table to show him my ring and the inner circle that spun. He reached over and rolled it back and forth.
“That’s cool.”
“Thanks, I sometimes get nervous, and when I spin it, it reminds me to take slower breaths.”
“And it has pandas. I like pandas.” I sensed no judgment or shame. This was why kids were the best. They accept and love so easily. Danny looked up at his dad and scooted farther into the booth as Adam put his phone into his front jeans pocket.
Adam slid in next to Danny. “Sorry about that, I had a parent who wanted to talk about a new play they made.” He rolled his eyes. “All right, what does everyone want? Ms. Faith, you too.”
“Oh, I can get my own.” I raised my hands between us.
“Nope.” Adam shook his head. “This is apology pie. I have to buy it.”
Danny glanced up at his dad, his eyes curious. “Did you say something not nice?”
My breath caught in my throat. He openly suggested a flaw in public. My mother would have berated me for hours for a stunt like that. Adam faced Danny, and I reminded myself to breathe.
“Yep. Remember, Daddy is trying his best, but he makes mistakes too.”
Danny nodded, his blond hair jumping with the movement.
“Well, Daddy accidentally wasn’t very nice to Ms. Faith.”
