“What, never?”
“No, I’m always with them.” I glance at my sons. They slurp their mac and cheese off the spoons, and I swear they don’t even chew. Cheese covers their little mouths and smears onto their faces.
Alaina rolls her eyes and whispers, “I’ll take them.”
I wave her off and continue, “Paul, I have to go. I’m sorry.” I hang up abruptly, the pit still in my stomach.
I sit down at the table, ignoring the hole that Alaina is boring into me with her staring. I reach for the pot and spoon some into my bowl, looking at my sons. “Is that good, bubs?”
With a slam of her hands on the table that sends a spoon clattering a few inches, Alaina shouts, “Caroline, call him back!”
“No! It won’t work, and that’s it. Sorry my love life disappoints you.”
“You’redisappointing me, not your love life,” she fires back. “Call that man back right now and tell him you found a babysitter. Quit being weird.”
“I’m not being weird. He was being weird,” I mumble, gulping water so hard that some dribbles down my chin.
“You’re just scared, Caroline. Come on, be brave.”
“I’m not scared,” I say, dragging my spoon through the noodles. “Something felt off about that.”
Alaina snorts. “Yeah, it was you. You were the off thing.”
I shoot her a look. “Wow, whatever happened to women’s intuition?”
“I never saidwomen’sintuition,” she replies, gesturing with her fork. “I saidmyintuition, and I just happen to be a woman. And I was right! He called you! And I’m right again. Look, if you’re really nervous, meet in a public place. But he’ll pick you up here, I’ll see him, and you can even share your location with me.”
I sigh, dropping my shoulders. “Fine.”
Alaina leans forward, squinting at me. “What’s that?”
“I said fine,” I repeat.
“Fine?” Her grin spreads slowly, victorious.
“Yep. I’ll call him back and tell him yes, against my better judgment.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “No offense, but your judgment means nothing to me.”
“Well, I do take offense,” I mutter, standing to grab my phone.
“Yeah, well, take offense while you’re getting railed.”
“Jesus, Alaina, there are kids around!”
“Yeah, maybe you could remember how you got them,” she shoots back. “Besides, they don’t know what it means.”
I purse my lips together, feigning innocence. “How did you ever get to be a preschool teacher?”
“I lied on my resume,” she says with a sneaky smile. “Plus, they’re desperate for teachers in this country.”
“They really are.” I laugh, shaking my head as I scroll through my recent calls. “You exhaust me,” I say at the ringing in my ear.
“Excuse me?” Paul answers, confused.
“Not you!” I exclaim, eyes wide. I whip around toward Alaina and glare.
“How did you ever get a man to call you?” Alaina hisses with a grin.
