“Have you been to Luca’s Pizzeria?” he asked Andrea.
“Only a couple of times.”
“We went there for my birthday,” Charlie said from behind them. “Mom made a cake and Luca brought it out to us after dessert.”
“And all the staff sung Charlie ‘Happy Birthday’,” Andrea said with a smile. “It was a great night.”
“What did you like most about the pizzas, Andy?” Andy was the most serious of the two boys. David could understand his caution. For the last two years, he’d looked after his mom and brother. To suddenly have a stranger take them out for dinner was a big deal, especially when Andy didn’t know much about him.
“I like the pizzas because they have lots of cheese on them.”
“It’s like eating worms,” Charlie said from beside his brother.
David looked in the rearview mirror in time to see Andy frown. It would take more than one night to convince Andy he would never do anything to hurt his mom or him. The worrying part was that Andrea and her sons may never trust him enough to let him into their lives.
By the time they walked into the pizzeria, David was feeling even less confident about tonight. Andy’s calm acceptance had turned into silence. Charlie was following what his brother was doing, and Andrea filled the heavy silence with stories about the café.
Thankfully, a tall, dark-haired man wearing a red apron met them at the door of the pizzeria. “Welcome to Luca’s. Have you reserved a table?”
David nodded. John had told him to book a table, and he was glad he had. The small restaurant was already full. “I’m David O’Dowd. I booked a table for four at six o’clock.”
The server checked his reservation list and then led them across the room. After they were seated, he took their drink orders and left them to choose something off the menu.
“This all sounds delicious,” Andrea said to David. “What do you think you’ll have?”
“The margherita pizza. You can’t beat fresh tomatoes and basil.”
Charlie leaned closer to his brother. “That’s what you like, too.”
Andy pulled the menu closer. “Only sometimes. I’ll have a small pepperoni pizza, please.”
After searching his brother’s face, Charlie nodded. “I’ll have that, too.”
Andrea closed her menu and looked at her boys. “Mr. O’Dowd invited us here to enjoy each other’s company.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” Charlie asked. “Nora said boys take girls to Luca’s on dates.” His earnest face scrunched into a frown. “Except they don’t normally take other people.”
“Mr. O’Dowd isn’t mom’s boyfriend,” Andy said. “He’s helping her pay for things for the café, that’s all.”
David wanted it to be more than that, but he hadn’t spoken to Andrea. And he wouldn’t do that at the dinner table.
“Mr. O’Dowd is my friend, as well as my business partner.” Andrea focused on her oldest son. “You don’t need to worry about David,” she reassured him. “He’s a good person.”
David cleared his throat. Maybe it was time for some straight talking. Andy and Charlie had been through a lot with their father. It was only natural they’d worry about their mom spending time with another man. “I like your mom. She works hard and looks after lots of people. I’d never do anything to hurt her or you.”
“How do we know you won’t hurt her?”
“Andy!” Andrea’s shocked voice made her son sink into his chair.
“It’s okay,” David said quickly. “I’ve never hit anyone and I rarely raise my voice. If I get angry or stressed, I go for a run. It helps me feel better.”
“Andy used to hide under my bed with me when dad yelled.” Charlie’s big, blue eyes were clouded with memories no one should have to remember. “He told me stories, but I still heard dad. It was scary.”
David looked at both boys. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s better now,” Andy murmured.
Andrea touched her son’s arm. “Tell David about the book you and Charlie are writing.”
