Wrong Place, Right Time(59)

By some miracle, a family gets up from a table just as I’m looking around for a spot to claim, and I snag it, happy to dust off the salt and the fries and the various bits of lettuce that have fallen from their lunch. I sit down and the sun hits me in the face. Normally this would be immediate cause for complaint from me, but today, not so much. I close my eyes and soak up the beautiful warmth and the energy. Yes, it’s going to make me sweat, but I don’t care. Right now, my life is exactly how I want it, and that feeling doesn’t come to me very often. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts and not question where it’s coming from.





CHAPTER TWENTY

I probably shouldn’t make a big deal about having a McDonald’s baby burger and tiny order of fries delivered to me at a dirty plastic table out on a playground made for oversize hamsters, but when Dev arrives with that tray along with his dimpled smile, I can’t help but feel like I just won the lottery.

Everyone stares at him as he walks by, even the children. It’s like a superstar has entered our midst. People are whispering, and I can almost guess what they’re saying; they’re wondering which NBA team he plays for.

I pretend like I don’t notice how amazing he is. And I pretend not to feel proud that this man is here with me. I don’t really have the right; we’re just coworkers and maybe friends. But being friends is pretty awesome when it’s with a guy like Dev, so I allow myself to be happy.

“Here you go.” He puts the tray down in the middle of our small table. “A little protein, some carbs, and a tiny bit of sugar to keep you sweet.” He hands me a miniature shake and grins.

Taking it from him, I try to will my silly blush to go away. “I don’t normally allow myself to have those things. It’s like eating dessert in the middle of the day.”

He sits down, somehow managing to fold himself nearly in half so he can fit onto the tiny chair. It looks really uncomfortable, but he’s not complaining. “I try to avoid sweets for the most part, but when it’s a special occasion I let myself indulge.” He holds up a second shake and wiggles it at me. Between his two big fingers, it looks to be about the size of a thimble. I doubt the contents will even spike his blood sugar a single notch.

“You must not get out very often, if McDonald’s is your special occasion.” I giggle because I think I’m pretty funny, but when he answers, my laughter stops.

“I’m not just at McDonald’s.” He takes a sip of his mini-shake. “I’m at McDonald’s with a very pretty lady and her cute son.” Dev turns toward the playground, so he doesn’t see my face turning red, thank goodness. “Where is the little bugger, anyway?”

I search the clear areas of the giant plastic tubes and see a shock of my son’s hair going past one of them. “He’s up there. It looks like he’s either chasing someone or being chased.”

Dev distributes the food on the table, leaving a small Happy Meal box for Sammy in front of the empty seat between us. “So what’s the rule around here?” he asks, when he’s done. “Does he get to eat after he plays, or does he have to come eat before?”

I’m charmed that he’s thought to ask for my house rules. “Normally, I get him to eat two bites of each item and then he can go play for ten minutes, but then he has to come back for another two bites, and so on.”

Dev nods. “Very reasonable. You’re a very fair mom.”

“Thank you.” I’m not sure I can eat the food he’s put in front of me. It isn’t because I’m not hungry; it’s that he’s suddenly making me feel . . . strange. I want to run around the block a few times to work off my nervous energy. This emotion reminds me of how I felt in high school or college, whenever I had a crush on someone. Whenever I was . . . falling in love. Oh boy.

“You want me to go get him?” Dev asks.

“No, that’s fine, I’ll do it.” I stand and walk over to the oversized gerbil run, calling out to my son at my arrival. “Sammy?”

He doesn’t answer, which isn’t surprising. He knows what I’m there for, and he’ll do anything to avoid having to eat when he’d rather play.

“Watch this,” Dev says from behind me. He walks over to a part of the tubes where kids can look down into a hole covered in a net. Walking under it while bent in half, he slowly stands once he’s directly below it. His head is soon covered in the net and then it’s up inside the tunnel.

I don’t know how many kids are in there exactly, but by the sounds of the delighted squeals, there are at least five.