Page 88 of This Time Around
“I was trying not to embarrass you in mixed company,” Jack said, glancing at Wade.
Wade pantomimed covering his ears. “I hear nothing, I know nothing.”
Allie laughed and stole a glance at Wade. He still had his ears covered, but he gave her a quick wink. She realized he was sending her a message.
I have your back about the money. I’ll keep my mouth shut for now, but you need to deal with it.
Message received. Allie nodded, then looked at Jack.
A dark cloud passed over his face, and Allie felt a shiver run down her spine.
Allie felt like a poorly attired chauffeur driving to the mall in an eighteen-year-old car with a ten-year-old girl in the backseat. She kept shouting conversational tidbits over her shoulder so Paige wouldn’t feel ignored, but all Allie had managed to do was discover the kid wasn’t terribly interested in the Portland mayoral race or the new windows on the KOIN Center.
By the time they reached the mall, Allie had a hoarse voice, a mild case of anxiety, and a growing sense of unease about how to fill thirty minutes before Paige’s appointment with the professional bra fitter.
“Sorry about getting us here so early,” Allie said as she guided her young charge through the front doors of the mall. “I was expecting the traffic to be worse.”
“It’s okay,” Paige said. “It seemed bad to me. Like when that guy pulled his car out in front of you.”
Allie grimaced. “Right. Can you please not repeat those words I yelled? Especially not to your grandma or your dad or your teacher or?—”
Paige looked up at her blankly, and Allie had the sinking sensation she was the worst person on earth Jack could have trusted with his child for the afternoon. Honestly, she’d just never been around kids. The few times she had, there’d always been a parent or some other adult who seemed to know the ropes. Allie had always assumed her instincts would kick in as soon as she had children of her own. Since that hadn’t happened, she was left feeling wholly unprepared to be in charge of any creature that didn’t walk on four legs and scratch the furniture.
Spotting a familiar tea shop up ahead, Allie felt a flutter of hope. “Would you like to get some tea with me?”
“Tea?” Paige’s tone suggested a mild suspicion she was being offered crack.
Crap. Was tea not allowed? Caffeine or something?
“You could have herbal tea,” Allie decided. “Chamomile or peppermint or maybe lemon verbena.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
The girl gave her a polite smile, and Allie guided her into the little café. The smell of coffee and sugar cookies hung heavy in the air, and Allie felt her frayed nerves start to quiet down. She stepped up to the counter and tried to look confident and adult instead of like someone pretending to be those things.
“What can I get you?” chirped a girl with three rings in her nose and a nametag that declared her name to be Danica.
“Earl Grey, please,” Allie said. “Venti.”
“And you?”
Allie glanced down to see Paige biting her lip. “What’s a venti?” she asked. “I might want one of those.”
“Here.” Allie picked up the laminated menu and scanned the list of teas. “They have a few different herbal teas. Do any of these sound good to you?”
She pointed to the column on the right, and Paige studied the words for a moment. “I’d like the mango one, please.”
“Got it,” Danica agreed, then looked at Allie. “Maybe a short?”
It took Allie a moment to realize she was supposed to make the decision. That a woman walking around with a kid was expected to be adult and authoritative instead of utterly fucking clueless about what size tea was appropriate for a ten-year-old girl. “Oh. Yes, I think that’s good. Thank you.”
“You want room at the top?” the server asked.
“Actually, I prefer a bit of steamed milk blended right into the Earl Grey.”
“I meant on her drink,” Danica said. “For ice. To cool it down so she doesn’t burn her mouth.”
“Right. Of course, yes.”
