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“Mommy, he said we could go to the diner...” Bobby pulled on my shirt, pleading to go. Even though he had been acting up lately, I still had a hard time saying no to my baby boy. I knew he was acting out for a reason. Maybe some diner food would do him some good.
“Okay, we can go,” I smiled down at my son before turning to Aiden. “We'll follow behind you.”Chapter Eight - AidenI was about to have lunch with Reagan and her kid. For some reason, I was nervous as all hell. It was literally just a lunch. I was going to take them to the local diner. But there I was, freaking out in my car while Reagan followed closely behind me.
“It's not a big deal. Calm down, Harris.”
We got to the diner, and the three of us walked in together. Bobby ran over to a red, vinyl booth with a wooden table before one of the waitresses could seat us. He looked back with an excited smile. The kid practically glowed.
“This is his favorite place to eat out. We have a regular booth,” Reagan explained and then immediately went to join her son. Looked like I picked the restaurant well.
When I got over to the booth, Reagan had already slid in next to Bobby. It was an obvious hint that I was meant to sit on the other side. I took my seat.
“So, what's good here?” I asked, holding up the menu.
I used to come here with Reagan sometimes when we were younger. I wasn't so conceited to think that she came here with Bobby because of our connection to the place. Plus, it had changed quite a lot since we were last here together. It was basically a brand-new restaurant. Only the name was really the same.
“I always get the chocolate chip pancakes. They stack them up and cover them in syrup!” Bobby pantomimed by raising his hands up high and then bringing them down with a bang. “I always ask for extra chocolate chips, and they give me this little bowl,” he made a little circle with his hand, “and fill it with the chocolate chips. It’s the yummiest.”
He was clearly enjoying himself. If the boy wanted chocolate chip pancakes, I was more than prepared to get him his pancakes. There was something about his enthusiasm that warmed my heart.
“Should we ask for a super tall stack? We can put yours on top of mine.”
Bobby’s eyes went beyond wide with excitement, and he practically hopped in his seat. “Yes!” His mother looked scared at the prospect, but the plan was already in motion, and there was no way I was going to take away the joy in that little dude’s eyes. “Can we Momma? Can we?” He was bouncing tall at this point. It was like a sugar rush without the sugar.
Reagan sighed and let her shoulders drop. “Yes, you guys can get whatever you want. My friend is treating us, so it’s really up to him.” She deflected to me, but my mind was already made up.
“Let’s do it, then.”
I called over the waitress and put in two orders for chocolate chip pancakes with the caveat that we wanted them double stacked. She seemed to catch my drift. Reagan ordered the soup of the day, and we waited for our meals. Booby quickly got distracted by the crayons on the table and started drawing a picture.
Reagan seemed to have calmed down. I had calmed down, as well. We were both probably just overthinking this whole thing.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
“Good,” she shrugged then glanced down at Bobby’s doodle. She had a proud motherly smile on her face. A sure sign of contentment.
“Really? You seemed a little anxious earlier.”
“Was it that obvious?” She leaned forward and whispered. “I guess it’s been a lot dealing with Bobby’s outbursts.”
“What does he do?”
“Oh, he sometimes gets ahead of himself. He’ll challenge the teachers or pick a fight with one of the students. I know he’s trying to be good, but I don’t know, something’s been going on. I’ve tried to get him to talk, but it’s been an uphill battle so far.”
“He’s got a bit of an attitude?”
She sighed. “That’s one way to put it. This is the second school he’s gotten rude to the teachers. I had him transferred to that one because the counselor is supposed to be one of the best in the state. They’ve been working with Bobby, but it is a slow-going process, given that they have to help all the other students. Also, to be totally honest, sometimes the things Bobby says are true. He’s a smart boy and often says interesting things, but he can be a little snarky. If only he packaged it a little differently.”
“He sounds like someone I know.”
