Page 98 of The Moment We Know

“No,” David answered immediately.

“Can I please have one, now?”

David gave Jacob a look that said his initial lack of manners wasn’t the reason he wasn’t getting the treat, nor would his pandering get him one now. “No.”

“But I’m hungry.”

“Then I’ll make you some lunch.” Jacob’s face fell, to which David responded with, “Maybe after you eat, you can have one. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Somewhat impressed with David’s parental abilities, Paige followed the two of them into the kitchen, where the smell of roasting turkey filled the air and one of the counters was stacked with cans of green beans, yams, cream of mushroom soup, boxes of stuffing mix, a small bag of russet potatoes, and other miscellaneous ingredients needed for side dishes.

Jacob immediately ran over to the table and climbed onto his booster seat, to await his food like a princeling, and after a brief hesitation, Paige took the chair across from him while David quickly made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and sliced up an apple.

Once Jacob began eating, David asked Paige if she wanted anything to eat or drink, both of which she declined.

Then, instead of joining them at the table, he went back to the island to start peeling potatoes, while keeping his eyes on them, wanting to see how they would interact with one another. At first, Jacob was reserved (not unlike how he was with Ashley) but he slowly began to engage, probably due to Paige’s sincere interest in him, which warmed David’s heart. He’d been a little worried she’d have a hard time with Jacob, but she appeared to be mostly at ease and natural with him as they talked about his favorite TV show.

“Do you like Scooby the best?” she asked, with a nod to his shirt, which boasted a large Scooby head with the caption, ‘RUH-ROH!’ underneath it.

“And Shaggy,” he answered, then lobbed her question back at her. “Who do you like the best?”

Paige tilted her head. “I have to go with Velma.” When he sort of made a face, like he thought it was a stinky choice, she pretended to be offended. “What’s wrong with Velma? She’s spunky—”

“What’s that?”

“It means she’s tough and daring. Sassy, too.”

“Oh.”

“Plus, she’s really smart. She’s the one who always solves the mysteries, so without her, the rest of the gang would just be driving around in the Mystery Machine, not solving mysteries. Right?”

He mulled that over for a moment, then lifted a shoulder. “I guess.”

She went on to ask about some of his other interests, and they ended up discussing his love for art. David discreetly watched as Jacob smiled shyly when Paige complimented his work, both on the chalkboard wall and the pictures on the fridge.

“I can barely draw a stick figure,” she admitted, making David chuckle because that wasn’t an exaggeration, which earned him a quick side-eye, followed with a rebuke. “Um, I don’t see any of your drawings on display, so be quiet over there.”

“No, but I can draw stick figures,” he countered with another chuckle, noting that Jacob was tracking the banter with both surprise and uncertainty. It occurred to David that light-hearted conversation had been in short supply with Ashley, especially at the table when she was usually focused on her phone, leaving dinner dialogue to the ‘boys’. It also made David wonder how quiet and awkward meals were now during Jacob’s visits with her, without David to fill in the gaps. “And I take photographs—really good ones—so there.”

“Taking pictures is not the same thing as drawing pictures,” Paige argued back, then turned to Jacob once again. “So, anyway, as you can imagine, the front of my fridge is bare. Well, except for a few magnets.”

When Jacob was finished with his sandwich and got the go-ahead from David, Paige gave Jacob a Rice Krispies treat and watched as he bit into it, his face immediately lighting up. Raising an eyebrow, she said, “Good, right?” before biting into one of her own.

After enthusiastically nodding his approval, Jacob demolished the treat in record time, and was licking his sticky fingertips when there was a knock at the door.

“Grandma’s here!” Jacob called out.

“Indoor voice,” David said, setting down his peeler and the potato he was working on.

“Grandma’s here,” Jacob repeated, this time with slightly less volume.

After exchanging a smile with Paige, David wiped his hands on a towel before going to answer the door. Jacob immediately began climbing out of his booster seat and was already halfway across the kitchen when Valerie appeared, just in time for Jacob to launch himself at her.

“How’s my boy?” Valerie asked, after impact.

“Good.”

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