“Ah, got it. Anything to drink?”
Britt shook her head. Water was fine. As he walked away, shelooked at her mother, noticing she wasn’t smiling as much. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” She quickly arranged her silverware, not looking up. “I’ve never understood why you and your... why you like pineapple on pizza.”
“I don’t know. I’ve just always liked it.”
Mom went to pick up her cloth napkin and it slipped through her fingers and dropped on the floor. She reached down to get it at the same time a man passed by, bumping into her.
“Oh,” he said, stopping as she sat up. “I’m sorry.” Then he paused. “Mrs. Branch?”
Her brow furrowed slightly.
“Arthur Pickett.” He held out his hand. “You had my youngest son in algebra class.”
“Ah, right.” Mom shook it and smiled. “I remember now. That’s been, what, fifteen years ago?”
“Fourteen.”
Britt watched the exchange. He was handsome for an old man, with almost totally gray hair and deep wrinkles at the corners of his blue eyes as he smiled. His white dress shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, and she liked the casual look.
“I can’t believe you remembered me,” Mom said. “That was so long ago.”
Arthur tapped his temple with his finger. “I’ve been blessed with a steel trap.” He turned to Britt. “Hello.”
“This is my daughter, Brittany.” Mom gestured to her. “We’re just out shopping and decided to break for lunch.”
“It’s a great day for it,” he said. “But just wait, the real heat is coming.” He grinned, giving Britt the impression that he knew exactly how to work a room. “Lovely to meet you, Brittany. And good to see you again, Mrs. Branch. If you’ll excuse me.”
After he was gone, Mom looked at Britt. “That was a surprise,” she said, leaning forward. “Don’t tell anyone, but I can’t remember his son’s first name.”
“You’ve had a lot of students over the years.”
“The names run together, that’s for sure. But I do remember him.” She frowned. “Handsome kid, popular with the girls. Liked sports but rarely paid attention in class. He was suspended for smoking pot in the boy’s bathroom right before Christmas and didn’t return. Later I found out he transferred to another school.” Her frown deepened. “Oh, this is bugging me. I hate when I can’t remember a student’s name. Hudson? Hayden? It will come to me later.”
Britt relaxed her grip on the tablecloth. It didn’t matter if she remembered or not since they wouldn’t run into Mr. Pickett in the future. Considering how many people lived in the Dallas metro area, it was a miracle they had today.
“Is there anywhere else you want to go?” Mom asked.
“I might stop by K&Bs later,” she said. After Hunter had mentioned it, she realized she hadn’t been there in a couple of weeks. She was overdue for a visit.
“We can go together.”
“That’s okay.” Britt laid her napkin neatly on her lap. “You know I like to browse around. I don’t want you to get bored.”
Mom nodded. “I wish I could get as enthusiastic about colored pencils as you do, but alas, I can’t. Just like I can’t get you to understand the bliss of a perfect equation.”
Britt chuckled, relaxing a little more. Being with Mom always made things easier. Over the years her mother had been willing to do whatever was necessary to help Britt’s anxiety. She always had her back.
Soon their drinks and food arrived, and they dove in. Therewere so many people going back and forth from the restroom that neither of them saw Mr. Pickett return, and when they finished and paid for their meal, he was nowhere to be seen.
“Do you mind if we stop at that new shoe store at Willow Bend?” Mom asked as they headed to the car. “I can’t remember the name of that either.” She frowned and unlocked the door. “Guess I still have school-year brain drain.”
Britt got in the car and pulled out her phone while her mom cranked up the AC. A few swipes and she found the shop. “Barker’s Shoes,” she said, clicking on the address.
“Wonder if that’s a pun?” Mom put the car in drive. “You know. When your feet hurt, they bark?”
Britt blinked at her.
