“Oh.” I blink. “Thanks for the table.”
“Sure.” He surprises me when he reaches for the tray and gestures to the table with a tick of his chin. “Have a seat and get the little one settled.”
It’s not really an order, so I don’t get uptight about it. “Okay. I appreciate it.”
I help Ainsley slide off her coat and scoot her up to the table’s lip, but frown as I see she needs a booster seat to be able to eat without making a big mess. “Shoot,” I mumble as I straighten. “I need a booster.”
Torque sets the tray down on the table and winks at me. “I’ll grab one.”
Before I can answer, he’s walking away toward the stroller parking, which also has rows of highchairs and a stack of booster seats. They’re almost gone. I only see one left.
Torque strides toward it and glares at a guy as he reaches for it. I almost snicker as I see the guy back up several steps and grab a highchair instead, rushing back to his table and away from the biker.
I shrug off my coat and slide it over the back of my chair as Torque reaches us.
“Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” I take the booster from him and adjust it underneath Ainsley’s bottom as I push the chair in. She’s the perfect height now—no further issues.
“You hungry, baby girl?” I ask as I open her nuggets, fruit, and mac-n-cheese—all her favorites. Luckily for me, there’s no mess since she doesn’t like sauce with her nuggies.
A girl after my heart.
I slip into my seat and notice the biker is watching us. “You’re very kind. Thanks for helping my niece and me.”
He smiles. “No problem, darlin’. What’s your name?”
Ainsley answers for me around a mouthful of chicken nugget. “An-hee, No-ha.”
Torque blinks. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
I barely did. “Ains, don’t talk with your mouth full. Chew and swallow first.”
She nods, picking up her juice to take a sip. “Okay, Auntie Noah.”
“Noah?” Torque asks to clarify.
“Well, it’s Noelle, but my little nugget here likes to call me Noah.”
She giggles. “That’s your name.”
My smile warms as I watch her take another bite. “You’re right.”
Torque’s head tilts as he stares, and it’s a little unnerving.
I clear my throat. “You’ve been a big help today. Thanks again.”
Why is he still sticking around? I can’t fathom a single reason why this biker wants to hang around Ainsley and me while we eat lunch. It’s not exciting.
“Just gettin’ a good look at you, babe. Storing it up here for later.” He taps his temple.
Okay. That’s a bit. . . odd. Creepy? A little.
“Why later?” Ainsley asks, beating me to it.
“Because you have a sweet, pretty aunt,” he explains.
My niece pops a piece of fruit in her mouth. “I know.”
