Page 21 of Second Chance Baby

“I got a few.”

“Only a few? Man, I’m sorry. We’ll get another order. Just hang on.” I motioned to Polly, and she hurried back. “Ready for meals?”

“No, not yet. Actually, can we get another platter of these fries, maybe with an extra serving of ranch dressing?”

Carrington finished her milkshake with a loud slurping noise. My glass was mostly empty too.

As was Bridget’s, for that matter.

“Want another one?” I asked her.

“Oh, I shouldn’t?—”

“You look amazing.” My gaze lingered for an extra moment on my jacket currently emphasizing her gorgeous breasts. That the fit was a little snug only made her look hotter to my mind.

I’d be just fine if she never took off my jacket again. Maybe I’d have to buy a whole new selection of them for her to wear in different colors.

“To hell with it.” I smiled at Polly. “Make that another round of milkshakes too.”

Polly’s eyes widened. “No way. Those are huge.”

“Yeah, and delicious. Thank you.”

She rushed away, shaking her head.

“Jeez, doesn’t anyone ever get milkshake refills around here?”

“No, Dad. Those things are gigantic. And you ordered the monster size to begin with.”

“Oh, I did? Huh.” I shrugged. “We’ll just drink as much as we want. You don’t need to finish if it’s too much. But I’ll probably finish mine.”

“What kind of workout did you do today?”

“Workout?”

“You only go for milkshakes when you’ve burned off extra calories with a weight training session or an extra long run,” Carrington said matter-of-factly.

She did have a point there. But I had burned off extra calories today, just not with any sort of workout I could discuss with my almost eleven-year-old kid.

Bridget and I exchanged a quick glance before she went back to scooping up the remaining bacon bits on her plate with her fork.

We’d just leave that conversational gambit alone for now, thanks.

Polly returned with the new round of milkshakes and the refill on our fries, heaped high on the platter with not one but two extra cups of ranch on the side. She’d also been liberal with the bacon bits, which Bridget dumped on her plate.

I rubbed my hands. “This looks amazing, Pol. Thanks so much.”

“No problem. Eat up. Growing boy and all.”

Was I imagining her eyes twinkling? Maybe I was. But even so, I grinned and dug in once both Carrington and her mom had loaded their own plates. I tried to be mindful of how much I took, but in no time, the platter was empty again and we were slurping our milkshakes before falling back in the booth with similar groans.

“No more,” Care Bear said, her head lolling to the side as she finally pushed away her nearly empty milkshake glass. “How are we gonna shop now when we’re so full?”

She did have a point. I hadn’t planned this lunch the best considering we still had stores to plow through and many Halloween decorations to acquire.

“I have an idea,” Bridget offered, leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes. “What do you say we have a spooky movie night together? Do you like scary movies? I mean, like the classic ones. LikeScream?”

“Which one? There’s like half a dozen now. Maybe more.”

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