Her car was parked right in front of the Brown Bag Cafe, and as he passed, he spotted the kittens in their carrier case. They were snuggled together, sleeping. The windows in the car had been rolled down. Early May was still cool enough there wasn’t a worry about the animals getting too hot.
As he strode in, Bandit gave a tiny yip only to be shushed by the beautiful brunette seated in the pet-allowed section on the right. Tammi and Kelly loved animals and hated to deny anyone service because they had one. Like many of the Bar Harbor businesses, dogs were welcome provided the owners kept them on a leash and under control. This small dining section, however, had a decorated gate around it just in case.
“No Jordan or Angie yet?” he asked as he sat across from Chelsea and reached down to pet the dog, whose nose nudged at his hand.
Glancing at her watch, Chelsea shook her head, biting her lip.
“No need to be nervous. Jordan isn’t the easiest kid to get out of the house. Getting shoes on her feet can take hours. Angie’s a bit of a pushover when it comes to my—our daughter.” Crap, better not slip up again.
The bell over the door jingled, and their whirlwind little girl pranced her way in, Angie a few steps behind.
“Sorry, we’re late. She has a dozen pair of shoes. You’d think it would be easy to find a matching set.”
“You’d think,” he replied. “Yet we never can.” He shot a look at Chelsea that said, “See?”
Jordan pushed through the gate and hugged the dog, who was thrilled with the attention and licked the child’s hand. Theo couldn’t miss how her mother’s face fell.
“Peanut, how about you say hello to your mom first,” he instructed.
The cherubic little face looked up. “Hi, Mama.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “She’s a fickle thing. It’s good to see you again, Chelsea. How are you getting along?”
He and Angie had talked a bit about the situation and how he was feeling. But since he still wasn’t sure what would happen or what he wanted to happen, he’d kept some of his thoughts to himself.
“I’m better than last time you saw me.”
Which didn’t answer the question. Last time Angie had seen Chelsea, she’d just seen her daughter for the first time.
“Are you joining us for lunch?” Chelsea invited, pointing to the seat next to him. Of course, she’d want Jordan next to her.
“Thanks,” Angie said. “But if I’ve got some time to myself, I’m using it. Appreciate your jumping in to stay with Jordan this afternoon.” Her head tilted. “And tomorrow?”
Both women looked at him. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “If you’re available, that’d be great.”
Rubbing her hands together, Angie grinned, then bent down to kiss Jordan on the cheek. “See you later, squirt. Your mom has you the rest of the weekend.”
“Bye, Auntie Angie. See my new dog? Well, my Mama’s dog, but he’s kind of mine too, right, Mama?”
That got a smile on Chelsea’s face. Thank God. Finally.
“Yes, sweetheart. You helped me pick him out and everything.”
Angie nodded patiently while Jordan gushed about the dog, then managed to slip out.
“Are we ready to eat?” Theo interrupted Jordan who was still going on about the dog. “I’ve only got an hour, and I think I’ve used up too much of it.”
“I want a turkey sandwich, Daddy. I’ll stay here with Bandit, okay?”
Chelsea looked at him curiously.
“Do you know what you want, Chelsea? If not, Jordan’s fine here for a couple minutes.”
The counter was only a few feet away, so Chelsea nodded and followed him over. After scanning the menu, which was mostly sandwiches and a few different kinds of soups, she nodded and started to pull out her wallet.
“Don’t bother. I’ve got it. And no arguing. You’ve got to keep Jordan and the animals busy all afternoon. It’s the least I can do.”
They both ordered, and Kelly smiled at them. “It’ll be only a few minutes. I’ll give you a yell when it’s ready.”
