The Other Twin

“Okay.” She took his hand, leaving Nathan behind them to push the stroller.

“The bar has pretty good food,” Nathan said.

She turned. “No.”

He sighed. “It was just a thought.”

At the café, Cheryl asked for a table. “We’ll need a booster seat.”

Nathan’s gaze dropped as the waitress seated them. Cheryl frowned. Had he just checked out the woman’s ass?

Once settled at the table, she glanced at the menu. “What do you want?” she asked Josh.

“What do they have?”

She pointed to the kids’ menu selections on the placemat and helped him sound out the words.

“Pancakes,” he said.

“Sure.” At least it came with applesauce.

Nathan hadn’t opened the menu. Cheryl nodded at Isabella, prompting him.

Nathan winced. “What do you want?”

The little girl chewed her lip. Nathan pointed at the pictures on the placemat she was coloring. “Chicken fingers. French toast. Hot dog. Grilled cheese. Pancakes.” He waited until she stabbed a finger at the French toast.

The waitress came over and Nathan gave her a smile. “I think we’re ready to order. The half-pint will have French toast.”

“And to drink?” the waitress asked.

Nathan looked at Cheryl.

She sighed. “Milk. And she’ll have the applesauce.”

“What will you have, ma’am?”

Ma’am? Cheryl wanted to roll her eyes. “Chicken-salad sandwich with the side salad. Milk to drink.”

Josh ordered his pancakes.

“And what will you have?” The server looked at Nathan.

“What beer do you have on tap?”

Cheryl stiffened.

The server laughed. “We don’t serve alcohol.”

“Shucks.” Nathan winked. “I’ll have a burger.”

“Which one?” The server flipped the menu open to the burger choices.

Nathan didn’t even look. “What’s your spiciest burger, darlin’?”

“The jalapeño burger.”

“Then that’s what I want.”

He’d said he could read. Cheryl didn’t believe him.

After the server left, Nathan asked, “What else do we need to pick up?”

She handed him the list.

He looked through it. “We ticked off a lot.”

Could he identify the items they’d bought? She handed him one of Josh’s crayons. “Go ahead and cross them off.”

His eyes narrowed. Looking through the list, he struck a couple of items, folded it and tucked the paper in his shirt pocket.

When their food came, Nathan watched her cut Josh’s pancakes, then he cut Isabella’s French toast. “Is it good?”

Isabella nodded. She picked up a piece with her fingers and dipped it in the syrup he’d poured.

Cheryl wanted to tell the girl to use her fork, but that was Nathan’s responsibility.

They were quiet until Josh said, “We forgot to get paper for my easel.”

“Da—” Nathan stopped and then said, “Shoot. We’ll fix that.”

Josh sighed. “I wanted to draw the bug.”

“The praying mantis?” Nathan asked.

“Yeah. That mantis thing.”

“We still have to go to another shop,” Cheryl warned. “It’ll be bedtime when we get home.”

Nathan leaned over to Josh. “I used to use stuff my dad had from the construction site.”

“That’s ’cause you had a dad. Mine died.” Josh dragged a pancake through his syrup.

Cheryl swallowed, not looking at Nathan. “Josh...” But she didn’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry your dad died.” Nathan squirmed in his chair. “But if we have time, there’s paper in the carriage house that might work for now.”

“Cool.” Josh dug back into his dinner.