Page 55 of Loving Lizzy

“For her or you?” Leo interjected.

“Both. No, all three of us. Emma lost her favorite lunch box at school. It’s the one I made her with the picture of Rollo on it so she can take him to school with her.”

Taco and Shadow awed at the same time. “Next thing you know, he’ll be recording Martha Stewart.”

Chase sent them the finger. “Shut up. Wait till you have kids. Then Kassie forgot she signed up for room mom for the month and sat up until oh four hundred making crafts for the kids, and gluten free, peanut free and sugar free treats. She cried the entire time saying what kind of mother forgets and we needed to rethink the IVF thing,” he sighed.

The guys all leaned in, “Did you talk her out of it?” asked Taco.

“I said the worst thing you can tell a woman,” he admitted.

“You told her she was fat?” Taco glared at him.

Shadow popped him upside the back of the head.

Chase shook his head. “Thanks, Shadow. No. I asked her to calm down.”

The men around the table let out a collective grunt.

“What happened then?” Leo inquired.

“She informed me if I didn’t plan to help, cart my happy ass to bed. I already stuffed a thousand goodie bags with stickers, treats and a craft. Then I asked what else she needed to complete it and what the other parents in Em’s class brought. She started crying, insisting she missed something for each kid. It turned out she forgot to add name tags to each bag because there are a thousand different ways to spell a kid’s name and if you get it wrong the kid doesn’t feel special. I asked her what happened to the rule we say in our house.”

“Which one?” Shadow sipped his beer.

“You get what you get, and you don’t mind a bit,” Chase answered. “If they all have the same thing, why do they need a name tag? Apparently, it’s the thought and it sent my wife into another crying jag.”

Taco rubbed his hand over his face, “Oh man, I don’t know if I want kids after listening to you guys.”

“If Kassie’s office door is closed, don’t go in. I’m begging you,” Chase pleaded. The group chuckled yet Michael saw the feelings in each of the team’s faces over the woman who they cared for deeply.

Saint leaned forward as he cut up his steak. “Mama’s staying a few weeks and then making her last trip back home. She left Theo the house, against my wishes. She worries he’ll be out on the streets and refuses to sell.”

Michael frowned, “Your brother acts like the polar opposite of you. He tried taking Kassie for money and insinuated he knew all about her.”

Saint shook his head and turned to Chase. “Remind me to apologize to Miss Kassie. I wish mama saw him for what he turned into.”

“From what I heard, PITA and Michael handled him. Maybe next time she’ll do you a favor and shoot him in the ass,” Leo quipped, making the team laugh.

Shadow held his fork in one hand and a knife in the other. “I’m flying home in two weeks. My parents stay on my ass about visiting after my fun funeral with Michael, Kassie, and their entourage. Sure, let’s pretend my brother didn’t sleep with my ex.”

“You need to take some hot chick with you and make them eat their words,” Taco suggested.

“I don’t think I have time to find a woman and ask her to meet my parents.” Shadow sat back in his chair.

“You can pay someone,” he suggested.

“Dude, I’m not paying for a woman, there’s a name for that. That’s called prostitution. I’m not trying to impress any of them.”

Taco took a swig of his beer. “I still haven’t found the taco lady and her truck. I spread out my search within a ten-mile radius of Seattle. She’s disappeared.” Saint and Shadow’s napkins flew in Taco’s direction as the entire team groaned.

“Man, you need to find a new taco stand to stalk. Maybe it’s not her hiding, I think she’s running from you,” Shadow laughed.

“Why do you stay focused on this woman? Surely her tacos aren’t that good,” Saint winked as he drew a swig of beer.

“You got it all wrong. The new guy she’s working with, I can’t put my finger on it, there’s something about him. Maybe she got mixed up in something. You don’t voluntarily leave a prime location for a food truck,” Taco insisted. “Hey Matt, dude, can you see if we can find a traffic cam with her truck on some stored footage? Then we can use the plates to track her down.”

“First of all, my name’s Matthew, not Matt. Second, have you heard of a word called stalking? It’s illegal, you know.”

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