Page 20 of The Summer Arrangement
As soon as we cross, Milli shouts, “Daddy! Look, there’s Daddy!”
Chills run down my spine, as my eyes follow the direction she’s pointing. Sure enough, the man sitting at an outside table at the next restaurant is indeed Cameron.
Reaching for her hand so she won’t run ahead, I notice he’s alone. Hopefully, we’re not interrupting anything important. He mentioned something about meetings today.
Milli’s energy is palpable, and I swear it ricochets through me just as much. Tugging on my hand, she can barely containher excitement. As if I’m not getting the message, she shouts, “Daddy! Daddy! Let’s go see Daddy!”
Her shouting gets his attention, and he darts his eyes around to find her. The moment Cameron spots Milli, his eyes widen, matching her energy. Standing quickly, he closes the distance between us and scoops her into his arms. “Hey, Mills. Fancy meeting you here!”
Pointing at her stroller, she squeals, “Look, Daddy. I got a new book!”
“A new book? I don’t think we have any of those at our house. What are books?”
Her brows adorably pull together, and her lips purse. “Daddy! We have lots of them!”
“But do you think wereallyneed one more?”
Rolling her eyes as if it’s the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard, she says, “Uh… yeah. This one is about a frog princess who’s strong and brave and saves the day! We heard the bestest story! You missed it!”
“I did, did I? You’ll have to tell me all about it,” Cameron asks as he looks toward me. “Have you eaten?”
“She had a snack earlier, but we’re on our way home for lunch.”
“I just sat down. Care to join me?”
“Grilled cheese?” Milli asks hopeful, looking between us.
“I’m not sure it’s on the menu, but we’ll find something. I think I saw some chicken nuggets. I know you like those if grilled cheese isn’t an option.”
To me, Cameron asks, “Are you okay with lunch?”
Knowing his time with his daughter is limited, I offer, “Are you sure you don’t want it to just be the two of you?”
“And what are you going to do? Sit in the corner andwatchus eat? I don’t think so. There’s plenty of room, and I’ve only just ordered.”
“I’ll never pass up a meal from Hop’s.” I grin widely and follow him to his table.
Once I’m seated, I state, “Fun fact… did you knowthisis where Jax Cartwright got his start?”
A low chortle escapes as Cameron’s head shakes. “Nope. I knew Sloane found him locally but had no idea where.”
“Yep, my oldest sister Lanie worked here that summer… so Sloane pulled some strings with Joe, the owner, to get him some stage time before the competition.”
Before he can say anything further, I lean in and pretend to cover one side of my mouth conspiratorially, “Don’t let Joe know you know anything about Jax… or Ruby Frax for that matter. I’m not sure if he’s working, but we’ll never hear the end of it. He’s pretty proud he “Found” Jax …” Yes, I use air quotes to punctuate my point before adding, “You and I both know… Jax’s road to his musical success was all Sloane’s doing.”
With his voice full of wonder, Cameron states, “Could our worlds get any smaller? I swear it’s a wonder our paths never crossed before they did.”
“No kidding.” I laugh.
Before I can add anything further, the waitress comes. She offers Milli some crayons and a kid’s menu to draw on. When Milli finds she can indeed get a grilled cheese sandwich, she squeals with delight, “I llloooovvve grilled cheese! Thank you.”
Once the waitress finishes with our orders, she dashes off to her next customer.
Needing to fill the silence before things get awkward, I say the first thing on my mind. “Milli’s got eyes like a hawk. I’m not sure I would’ve seen you had she not pointed you out.”
“She notices everything. Trust me. Not much gets past her. I think it’s all those times we play I spy in the car.”
“We played that and the alphabet game when we rode with Nana… She loved road trips.”
