Page 41 of Bear Creek Father's Day
“Hi Carlo. We’d like to eat-in if that’s all right.”
“No problem. I’ll send Maria out to take care of you.”
They chose a corner table and had barely sat down before a plump, middle-aged woman with raven-colored hair approached with a wide smile.
“Welcome, Orrin. I haven’t seen you in a while. Who is your friend and these adorable little ones?”
“Maria, this is Zachary Hall, the new doctor in town, and this is Rayn and Kip.”
She smiled at Zak and then fussed over the children for a moment.
“Such a lovely family you make! What can I get for you?”
Zak blushed and Orrin decided it would make things worse if he tried to correct her. Besides, she was right.
“We’ll take two large meat-lovers, extra napkins, and a pitcher of water, please.”
“Lovely. Give me fifteen minutes.”
Maria then supplied coloring sheets and crayons for the little ones and returned to the kitchen. While the artists got busy, Zak asked Orrin a hushed question.
“How do they stay in business with Bella Vita in town?”
Orrin had wondered the same thing and consulted DeeDee Tillman.
“The Bella Vita building was an old family restaurant that used to be owned by Dash Hawthorn. When he sold it to Loren, a clause was included stating that pizza could only be sold as an eat-in menu item and not for takeout. Otherwise, the Panettas would have gone out of business. If they ever close, Loren is released from the restriction.”
Zak shook his head.
“The people in this town look after one other, don’t they? It’s refreshing, because nobody cares about the little guy in the city.”
Orrin agreed.
“Exactly. I’d bet good money that DeeDee suggested the idea to Dash in the first place, but we don’t need cutthroat businesses in Bear Creek. This community is intentionally different for a reason.”
When Zak paused to admire Kip’s artistic endeavor, he discovered that the cute puppy on the page was brightblue, of all things.
“Uh, why blue, Kip?”
Kip went into a long explanation of a cartoon and book character who, it turned out, was also blue. That’s when Zak realized how little he knew about what kids were watching or even what interested them at this age. With no nieces or nephews to keep him up to date, he’d have to lean on Orrin to help him catch up. He didnotwant to be the clueless dad who didn’t understand what his own children and their friends were talking about.
Zak’s ruminations came to a screeching halt when he realized what he’d been thinking. No, he wasn’tofficiallyanyone’s father, but Orrin and the kids already treated him as such. Even Maria thought they were a family. And would it be so terrible? Not really, except that such a momentous change was not only life-altering, but had seemingly come out of nowhere. Zak was still getting used to having a boyfriend, let alone mating with Orrin and becoming a dad, too. But was the timing important when everything just clicked?
Orrin reached for Zak’s hand, threaded their fingers together, and gave it a squeeze. The man’s scent had betrayed his thoughts, and Orrin quietly encouraged him.
“Any man smart enough to become a doctor should have no trouble figuring out the little stuff. You’ll catch on, and I’ll be right there to help you. For what it’s worth, you’re doing great already,papa.”
Zak’s brows shot up and Orrin kissed him instead of belaboring the point. Carlo and Maria arrived with their meal in the middle of the smooch, grinning at the intimate scene. Kip and Raynboth giggled as the men parted and began passing out the food. Zak and Rayn ate and chatted about the fun morning, while Orrin and Kip fed their beasts with a singular focus. Between them, they swiftly dispatched the first pizza and made quick work of the second, too. Orrin had wisely requested extra napkins, as the stack they’d started with was all but gone now.
Zak happily paid the bill as Orrin helped the children get their coats on and met him at the door with the coloring pages. Zak was about to ask what they were going to do with them when Orrin provided the answer.
“These go on the refrigerator door at home, of course. You’re gonna need some magnets!”
Zak sniggered as they got into the car and headed for home. Too bad there wasn’t a dad manual to explain all this stuff.
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Soon after, Bear Creek Preserve
