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“Or ever. If I take my kids out it’s to a fast-food place with a playground.”
“I like fast food,” Zack said.
Laurel laughed. “All right, but you’ve been warned.”
“Would you rather I pick up pizza and bring it over?” Zack asked.
“That sounds good. Why don’t we do that? We like pepperoni.”
“Perfect. I do too. What time?”
“My kids eat early,” she warned. “How about five thirty?”
“See you then.”
By the time Zack arrived with the pizzas Laurel had the kids bathed and in their jammies. After telling Laurel and the kids hello, Zack carried the pizza boxes and the bottle of wine he’d brought into the kitchen.
“I hope you like the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” Laurel told him as she got out the plates and cups.
Zack stopped pouring the wine long enough to say, “Come again?”
“The cartoon. I promised the kids they could watch one after dinner if they’re good.”
“I’m sure it will be great.” He handed her a wineglass, picked up his and toasted. “To Mickey.”
She laughed and sipped her wine. Dinner went off much better than she’d feared. Zack talked to the kids, drawing them out about what they did at school and daycare, what TV shows they liked, what kind of sports they liked and other things. Laurel inserted an occasional comment, but mostly she watched the three of them. The kids chattered to Zack a mile a minute, and it was clear they both liked him, but Katrina obviously adored him. That wasn’t surprising, though, since she adored her uncles and grandfather too. In fact, her little girl just plain liked men.
After the kids finished eating she turned on their show and went back into the kitchen with Zack. “That will keep them busy for a little bit and then it’s bedtime.” She sat at the table and took a sip of wine.
“Don’t you want to watch it with them?” Zack asked her.
She shuddered. “Not unless I have to. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse isn’t too bad but I’ve had to ban some of the cartoons.”
“Because they’re inappropriate?”
“No, because some of the voices are incredibly annoying.”
Zack laughed.
“You think I’m kidding, but it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. If I have to listen for long I start ticking.” She demonstrated, jerking her head toward her shoulder while blinking.
Zack laughed harder. “Do you tic often?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Certain things make me tic. Squeaky, high cartoon voices, a room that looks like a hurricane hit literally ten minutes after I cleaned it up. Twenty loads of wash when I did wash the day before. Things like that.”
Zack refilled their wineglasses.
“Tell me more about the airport,” Laurel said. “How long do you think the new terminal will take to complete?”
“I’m not sure. It’s coming along but you know how construction projects go. Harlan thinks several more months. The design is great. Really innovative. Dana DeLong knows her stuff.”
“I know Harlan really likes her. I heard she designed the Wildcat Tower.”
“Yes, that’s one reason we wanted her for the airport terminal.” He took a sip of wine. “How are you doing with the extra work? Is it too much?”
“No, not at all. And it’s different from Kelly Boots, which is nice for a change.”
“You’ve been with them a long time, haven’t you?”
