“Carrie, this is Bobby. Bobby, Carrie is the nice lady who helped me decide on that delicious Irish stew we had for dinner last night.”
Ignoring both her and his uncle, Bobby crawled across the seat and settled in a corner of the booth, arms folded across his chest, his gaze downcast.
“Sorry,” Sam mouthed.
Carrie debated her strategy, then opted to be direct, acting as if Bobby weren’t so determined to punish Sam and pretend she didn’t exist.
“I saw you climb that jungle gym on the playground just now,” she said, her tone cheerful.
Bobby gave her a surprised look, but remained stubbornly silent.
Carrie was undaunted. “You were really high. You must be very brave. How old are you?”
She saw Sam start to answer for him, and shook her head. He sat back and waited.
“I think I was about your age when my twin sister and I climbed up on the railing on the porch at my grandfather’s house and tried to walk it like a tightrope,” she continued as if he’d responded. “It was pretty scary, but fun, too. At least till our mom caught us.”
Bobby finally met her gaze, a faint interest sparking in his eyes. “Was it very high?”
“Not as high as the jungle gym, but pretty high.”
“I like to climb stuff,” he said. “And I never get scared.”
“That’s great, but it’s important to understand that some things have risks. You don’t want to do anything that might be dangerous. A broken arm or leg wouldn’t be much fun.”
Bobby shrugged. “My friend Pete had a cast on his arm. He said it itched. And there were lots of things he couldn’t do for a long time.”
“Something to remember,” Carrie suggested. “I heard you might want a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. That’s my favorite, too. Sally’s are the best.”
Curiosity finally overcame his bad mood. “Is that the lady who owns this place?”
Carrie nodded. “And here’s another tip. If you’re nice to her, she sometimes has cookies still warm from the oven for her best-behaved customers.”
Bobby’s eyes widened. “Chocolate chip, like we had last night?”
“Even better,” Carrie said, praying Nell would forgive her if she ever heard about that traitorous claim.
“I think you’ve said the magic words,” Sam said. “Bobby and I are both suckers for warm chocolate-chip cookies.”
“I can eat lots and lots of them,” Bobby agreed.
“But only after lunch,” Sam reminded him just as Sally arrived to take their orders for two grilled cheese sandwiches, a burger for Sam and an order of fries for the table.
Clearly more at ease now, Bobby glanced across the table and studied Jackson in his carrier. “Is that your baby?”
“No, Jackson is my nephew. He stays with me sometimes.”
“Like I’m staying with Sam?”
“Not exactly,” Carrie said. “He goes home to his dad at night. His dad’s a doctor here in town and his mom is in school in Baltimore.”
Bobby looked puzzled. “If she’s a mom, isn’t she too old for school?”
Carrie smiled. “This is a special school for people learning to be doctors.”
“Is she gonna give shots?”
“I imagine so.”
He gave an exaggerated shudder. “I don’t like shots.”
“Most people don’t,” Carrie agreed. “But I happen to know that Jackson’s dad gives shots that you barely even notice.”
“Did he give one to you?”
“More than one. I was going on a trip and needed several before I went.”
Bobby shook his head. “I’d have stayed home.”
“And missed out on a big adventure?” Carrie said. “I thought it was worth it.”
“Where did you go?” Sam asked.
“Africa. My grandfather has taken on the task of designing and building medical facilities for several small villages, something that’s increasingly critical with all of the outbreaks of Ebola that have been occurring in that part of the world. I went with him and my grandmother to talk to the people and see what they needed. While he did his thing, we worked with the women in the villages to help with their English and teach them some preventative care for their babies.”
“That’s impressive. Are you involved in his work on a regular basis?”
“Not really. Helping in underserved villages is my sister’s passion. It’s the reason she’s studying to be a doctor. And the trip was my grandfather’s way of trying to motivate me to get on with my life.”
“What do you do now, aside from taking care of your nephew?” Sam asked.