Sherry answered for her, talking a mile a minute, “Emily wanted a turtle. But I got a baby brother. And he’s cute and laughs a lot when he’s not crying. But then he drinks milk from mom’s booby, and that’s okay because that’s how he eats. Emily thinks a brother might be better than a turtle. I’m not sure about that. But now she has Frank. And he isn’t a brother or a turtle. But he’s neat and licks a lot. So can you give Ms. Maggie a baby or not?”
“I, ah, huh?”
Maggie took a long drink and turned to him with a huge question on her face. “That’s a terrific question, Sherry. You don’t plant babies in Aid 45, do you, Reggie?”
Emily looked intrigued. “Do you?”
Reggie paused, not sure how to answer, and both annoyed and amused Maggie was letting him handle a baby discussion in her own home. “I thought the stork brought babies.”
“Hmm. I don’t know.” Emily frowned. “Frogs have babies called tadpoles, but tadpoles come from eggs. And the stork doesn’t bring them. So who brings frog babies?”
Totally random question. He latched on to it and didn’t let go.
After the girls continued to plague him for answers on all sorts of baby reptiles, baby mammals, and baby birds, they asked to be excused and left the table after clearing their plates.
Reggie returned to his cold casserole, only to have Maggie take his plate away. “Hey, I was still eating.” And it was surprisingly great food. The macaroni and cheese had been homemade, and the smokiness and salt of the hot dogs made the meal delicious.
“It’s cold, answer man.” Maggie chuckled. “That was mean of me, but you’re so good at answering questions from little girls. Doug told me you did great at the library. I wanted to see for myself.” She hefted the plate with one hand. “Let me warm you up some more.” She scooped him more food, heated it in the microwave, and returned a minute later. “There. Eat.”
He hoped he wasn’t making a pig of himself, but he was hungry. “This is delicious, you know. I had no idea six-year-olds had it so good.”
She winked. “I’m not bad with simple foods. I like comfort over cuisine.”
“Me too.” He liked that she took the seat across from him so he could see her. Dinner with her at his side had been tough. He’d been distracted by her all night, annoyed he couldn’t see her yet glad he hadn’t appeared besotted with her in front of her keen-eyed daughter. “You know, this has been a terrific dinner. The conversation was stimulating, the meal delightful, and the drinks not too shabby either.”
Maggie laughed. “You were so good with the girls. Do you have any? Are you an uncle?”
The hurt returned, as it normally did, at thoughts of Rachel. As if he’d been masking it with dinner and laughter, hiding his pain behind a veil of normalcy. And damn, but he didn’t like feeling that way. Weak. Vulnerable.
After a moment, Maggie said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. But you were so great at discussing frog babies. You’re a natural.”
He gave her a smile, hoping it didn’t seem as sickly as it felt.
Conversation turned to foods they liked and disliked, and gradually his discomfort over the past faded.
But long after he’d cleared his plate, he felt the need to explain. “So, um, about having kids… My ex-girlfriend had a daughter.Hasa daughter. I was in her life for two years. Then they left.” He stood to clear his place and put the dish in the sink.
Before he could clean it, she stopped him. “I’m sorry, Reggie.”
He shrugged. “It was a while ago. I’m over it.”
She nodded, watching him.
Now, feeling embarrassed and not sure why, he tried to focus on the dishes.
“No dishwashing for you. You’re a guest. One who makes a killer cocktail.”
Relieved she’d ignored his emotional weirdness, he smiled. “Don’t say I didn’t try to help clean up.”
“You can talk to me while I put them in the dishwasher.”
He watched her for a few seconds as she tried not to struggle to get everything in the dishwasher using her left hand. “Just stop. I can’t handle this.”
He gently urged her aside and filled the dishwasher in no time. There wasn’t that much to do, after all. But he saw her smirking as she leaned against the counter next to him. “Was I just set up?”
“What? Who? By me?”
He frowned to hide the smile curling his lips. “You don’t fool me.”
