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“Carla, thank you for staying, though you didn’t have to.”
“No way was I going to abandon my little buddy.”
“I appreciate you, and I’m sorry for all the trouble.”
“No trouble at all, Marissa. Nice to meet you, Mr. Santana.”
“Care for a sandwich? I bought five. Two roast beef, chicken salad, and turkey club.”
“I’d love a sandwich. I’ll have roast beef. I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner.”
Bruno handed the sandwich to her.
“Thank you.” Carla shot a curious look between him and Marissa before she turned her attention to Theo. “I’ll see you next time, Spiderman.” She gave the little boy a quick kiss on the forehead and left them alone.
“Thank you for coming with me. I thought the situation was way worse.”
“No concussion, I guess?” Bruno said.
“No, thank goodness. They did a scan, and he’s fine, but I swear, this boy…” She shook her head.
“I suppose this is the norm for people with kids. I’ve seen my parents panic plenty of times because of crazy things my siblings and I did. With so many kids in the house, there was never a dull moment. Growing up, there were broken bones, minor concussions, and for some reason on two separate occasions, my sister Audra stuck a toy up her nose.”
That brought laughter to her lips. “I’ve lived through that. Theo stuck an eraser in one nostril while at school. The nurse took care of it, but they called me at work to let me know what happened.” She shook her head again.
Bruno let out a small laugh. “Now that I know he’s fine, I can head back to the restaurant.”
“I can give you a ride?—”
“Not necessary. You should go home with your son. I’ll call a car.”
“No, I insist. You came all this way.”
“Willingly,” Bruno said in a firm voice.
“I appreciate it,” Marissa said quietly.
Bruno walked them to the parking lot where he’d left the vehicle. Theo skipped the entire way. Whatever fears he might have experienced before had disappeared now that his mother was there, and he was feeling better. Clearly an energetic boy, he no doubt kept Marissa busy.
At the car, she turned to him again. “Are you sure you don’t need me to take you back?”
“I’m positive.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys. “You’re going to need these.”
“Right,” she said with a little laugh.
“And these sandwiches are for you. I figured you might be hungry since we didn’t get a chance to finish dinner.”
She took the bag. “You didn’t have to do that. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Marissa and Theo climbed into the car, her son in the back seat. She waved as she pulled out of the parking lot.
Bruno removed his phone and called a car to take him to the restaurant. When he arrived, he packed up the food and then took the long drive home, his mind unsettled, a tightness in his chest the entire way.
At home, the quiet hit him harder than ever. His house was empty. There was no music, no laughter, no sounds of movements in other parts of the house. He was alone.
He disliked that feeling. The emptiness of the house seemed especially noticeable now, and he knew why. He had spent time with Marissa laughing, talking, teasing, learning more about each other. A stark contrast between then and now.
