She cried out, “Doggy, doggy,” over his shoulders.
As they went inside, he said, “Does she talk about anything else?”
“She does but not very often,” Daniela said. “She’s not behind or anything, but a first child is often a little bit slower to do some things than kids with older siblings in the home.”
“She can be as slow as she wants to be,” he said. “I’m not bothered.”
And honestly he didn’t appear to be, and that was very reassuring too. She smiled as they sat down at a table, specifically chosen where they could look out and see Shambhala still in the truck.
“You’ve taken on quite a few encumbrances all of a sudden,” she pointed out.
He looked at her in surprise, then glanced down at his daughter and back over at the dog. He gave a wide shoulder shrug. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m actually enjoying it.”
“Sure, but it’s not something that you just enjoy and then stop.”
He looked at her gently. “I’m not planning on running away.”
“I get that.” She felt awkward, but she didn’t quite know what else to say, so she focused on the menu instead. “Everything sounds delicious.”
He smiled. “Get whatever you want.”
She looked at him, not sure if he was treating her or if she was paying. If she was paying, the budget definitely came into play.
When the waitress came back, he ordered a burger and fries, then looked at Daniela. “What will Sari eat?”
Daniela ordered chicken fingers and fries and then a salad for herself. “Sari and I can share,” she said.
He chuckled at that. “Meaning, you get to clean up her leftovers?”
She shrugged. “I’m not too sure too many mothers out there don’t,” she confessed.
“You can have food just for yourself too, you know?”
“I’m happy this way.” From his frown she wasn’t sure he believed her, but he didn’t make an issue of it. When the food arrived, the salad was way better than she had expected. And she did share it with Sari because Sari loved salads. She wasn’t a big eater anyway, so, by the time she’d had several bites of salad, a couple chicken fingers and fries, she was more than done and wanted to go back to the doggy. When Daniela was done with her salad, she put down her fork.
“What are your plans for this afternoon? Do you have a babysitter?” Weston asked suddenly.
She frowned at him and looked down at Sari. “Why?”
“I’d like to take you out for dinner,” he said. “A real date.”
Immediately heat flushed through her. She smiled and knew her cheeks were turning pink. “Well, that would be very nice,” she said, “but I’m not too sure if it’s a good idea.”
“It might not be, or maybe it is,” he said, “but we’ll never know if we don’t try. Do you have a babysitter?”
“My sister sometimes will take Sari.”
“Will you call her and see if that’s an option?”
“She’s never looked after her in the evening before,” Daniela said, chewing on her bottom lip.
“We could take Sari over there and then pick her up after dinner,” he said, “or your sister could come to the house.”
Daniela pulled out her phone and sent her sister a text. When the response came back. neither a yes nor no but a why, she sighed, and said, “She wants to know why.”
“Of course she does,” he said. “So tell her.”
She looked at him for a moment.
Weston said, “Unless you’re ashamed of me.”
“Of course I’m not,” she said, frowning. She texted back that Weston had invited her out on a date.
Her phone rang, and she rolled her eyes at Weston. “This is why you don’t tell my sister these things. She always wants more details.” She answered the phone. “Hello, sis.”
“Is that a good idea?” her sister demanded. Daniela reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, then said, “That’s one of the reasons we would like to go out on a date. So we can figure out if it’s a good idea,” she said gently.
A humming sound came on the other end of the phone. “What time?”
She looked at Weston. “What time?”
“Seven?” he said. “I’ll make reservations at a local restaurant, if that’s okay with you.”
“That sounds lovely,” she said to Weston, but to her sister she added, “So seven to nine?”
At that, Davida said, “Fine, I’ll come over and be there at quarter to seven.”
“Good enough,” she said. “And thanks, sis.”
“I just want to see this guy again,” Davida said. “I’m not sure about him.” Then she hung up.
With a heavy sigh Daniela faced Weston. “She’s agreed to seven to nine.”
“Perfect,” he said. “Do you have a favorite restaurant?”
She thought about it, then shook her head. “I didn’t go out much with Charlie.”
“Good,” he said. “We’ll find someplace new.”
She chuckled. “Is it that easy?”
“It’s definitely that easy,” he said with a smile.
She shrugged and said, “Well then, you pick a place, and I’ll be happy to go.”
“Is there any food in particular that you don’t like?”
“No, I don’t think so,” she said. “I eat seafood and basically everything really.”
“Good to know,” he said.
She smiled at him. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” he said, then looked at his watch. “I’ll pay the bill, and then I’ll leave you two to head off and do whatever you do on a girls’ afternoon.”
As he stood, pulling money from his wallet, he checked the bill, then leaned over and kissed Sari on the cheek, making her giggle. Then he leaned over and kissed Daniela on the cheek as well. “I’ll be home well in advance of our date tonight.” And, with that, he was gone.
She stared after him, bemused as he headed to the vehicle. He was greeted excitedly by Shambhala and then drove away. She looked back at Sari to see her staring at her wide-eyed, her fingers on her cheek where she’d been kissed.
Daniela leaned forward and whispered, “I
