Page 45 of Just a Distraction

“Callum’s going to need to eat some dinner soon, so I’d better go.” She stands and gathers her purse and diaper bag.

Callum scampers up, too. When I stand, he takes a couple of steps backward and rushes at me, tackling me. I bend to pick him up in my arms and fall back on the couch again, holding him as we crash. He laughs. “Nice tackle!” I say.

“I’m so sorry.” Rose frowns as she reaches for him. “Callum, it’s not nice to do that to a person without warning.” She picks him up from my lap and sets him on the floor next to her.

“No, no. It was fun. I’m the youngest, so I was always the one trying to get my older brothers to play with me. I welcome any and all tackling.”

“Don’t say that!” Rose teases, laughing at Callum’s laughter. Callum takes a few steps back, his adorable, chubby hands going in the air behind him as he winds up, ready to tackle me again.

“We’ve got a linebacker on our hands, Rose. The kid’s a natural.”

“He does love the rough and tumble stuff.”

“Me, too, Callum. Me, too.” I pat his back before he wriggles down from my lap.

“It’s all well and good until he gets hangry and then watch out. The poor kid goes from zero to sixty fast.”

“He’s one year old. Of course he does.”

She eyes me carefully. “You sure you only have one niece? How are you so good with kids?”

“Actually, I have two nieces and a nephew, but we haven’t met Benson’s son and daughter yet. He wants to ease them into the family slowly. His former wife has requested that.”

“How about you? How’s your hangry threshold?”

“Contrary to what my family probably thinks, I handle my hanger pretty well.”

“Because . . .” she twists her body back and forth. “I was going to say, maybe we could grab a bite to eat at the corner eatery together? They’ve just started serving dinner. Which, I’m sure you already know. But I’ll buy. Consider it a sort of thank you for playing with Callum.”

“You don’t owe me for hanging out with Callum. I’m probably having just as much fun as he is, if not more.”

She gestures towards the eatery. “Alright then. Let’s go.”

Chapter 18

Rose

I shouldn’t have done it. I don’t want to be a flirt. I shouldn’t tell him one minute, in no uncertain terms, that I cannot date him, and the next, invite him to get some food. I don’t want to be that type of person.

But he agreed to hang out on occasion as friends. And it would have been rude to go to the eatery without inviting him since he lives right here. How awkward is that?I’m going to go over there, about a hundred feet away and order something to eat, but you can’t follow me!

That would have been silly.

Besides, watching him with Callum is just about the most adorable thing. My son has taken a shine to Mr. Milo Tate.

Saying his full name reminds me.

“You haven’t told me your actual middle name yet, so I’m going to have to keep calling you whatever strikes my fancy, like Milo Konstantinople Tate. And I’m spelling that with a K, obviously.” I shove a fry in my mouth. I knew Callum was likely getting hungry, but I hadn’t thought I’d suddenly feel ravenous when we selected a seat in the corner of the eatery.

I place peas from my salad on a little plate on Callum’s highchair tray and then unwrap a small package of crackers for him, which he immediately begins crushing into his mouth.

“Close, but it’s not Konstantinople.”

“What about Kerfuffle?”

“Wow, you just whipped that out of your head, huh? How many K words can you come up with?”

I tilt my head back in a laugh and then fuss with Callum’s hair. He’s already smashed a green pea into it. But it’s easier to worry about that instead of making eye contact with Milo. Because when I do, I feel giddy. And I can’t feel giddy.

---