Page 70 of From Maybe to Baby

We make it. Barely. I take him into the ladies’ room because I don’t know what else to do, and wonder when bathroom emergencies became part of my professional duties, when my phone buzzes.

Mom:

How's date night?

Designer dress might be ruined

Yours?

Woman next to us

Ah, the joys of family dining

This is why I don't do families

And yet...

"All done." Lukas emerges from the stall triumphant and heads for the sink, where he gets water all over his shirt. "That was a close one. Like when Dad almost missed the goal?—"

"Inside voice, like your dad says."

"Sorry." He grabs my hand as we head back. "You're getting good at mom voice."

I nearly trip over my heels.

When we return, the punch situation has escalated. The woman is demanding compensation for her dress. The manager has appeared. Jace is full-on crying now. Jonas looks like he's calculating the fastest escape route.

"Time to leave?" I ask.

"Yeah. Now."

"I know a place."

Five minutes later, we're at the beachside burger shack that’s more the speed of our little group. No tablecloths. No designer clothes. No judgmental stares.

"This is WAY better than fancy," Lukas announces with a mouthful of fries.

"The best." Jace agrees, punch incident forgotten as she drowns her plate in ketchup before Jonas wrestles it away from her.

He’s still wearing his dress shirt but with sleeves rolled up now, looking somehow better than he did all polished.

"Sorry about the fancy dinner," he says.

"This is fine. Better for everyone."

And it is. Somehow, sitting at a picnic table eating burgers while the kids turn french fries into hockey sticks is kind of fun.

"Can we get shave ice after?" Jace asks hopefully.

"After that punch performance?" Jonas raises an eyebrow. "More sugar might be dangerous."

"Please?" Both kids deploy maximum pleading power. "We'll be careful."

I watch Jonas, who's watching me back.

"Very careful," he agrees. "Professional level careful."

Later, after shave ice that definitely gets everywhere despite promises of careful consumption, we walk back along the beach. The kids run ahead, searching for shells.

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