"What... is the waitress's name?"
"Rebekah."
"I would've also accepted Chronic Von SweatyHands, but fair enough."
"My turn. How many pies were served since we sat down?"
The man's lips scrunched together in suspicion and he lifted one eyelid just enough to look at the girl sitting across the table from him with her eyes also closed. "You don't know that," he dared, half-asking.
The girl also squished one blue eye open, her nose wrinkled adorably as she tilted her head back to appraise him, "Oh yeah?"
The man smirked and closed his eyes again, threading his fingers together on the table as he leaned forward. "Impress me."
The girl closed her eyes and leaned forward too. Then she began to talk, "Two chocolate pies to the people in the corner, who haven't even touched them yet. An apple to the guy at the counter, who's waiting for someone, a girl, who's probably not going to show. A cherry and lemon meringue and chocolate to the heart-attack survivor by the window, and one more apple to the librarian who left ten minutes ago."
Finishing with a flourish, she set her hands back on the table and opened her eyes.
His eyes were already open, waiting with a crooked grin on his face. "I'm going to kiss you on your gigantic, blond brain," Shawn said, immediately before reaching over to grab each side of the girl's head and firmly planting a kiss on her crown. "Now, let us go! Your mom's going to be mad enough as it... since you left school halfway through math." He stood and strode away dramatically.
"You told the principle that Grandpa was in the hospital for swallowing a fish hook!" the girl said indignantly as she chased after him.
"Excuses, excuses," Shawn said, pushing the door open and walking out onto the sidewalk. "What your mother will think, I have no idea..."
"Da-ad! This isn't fair!"
"Neither are labradoodles, sweetheart," Shawn sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Or licorice-flavored bubblegum. But life goes on. You adopt a wiener dog, name him Pretzel, decide to chew gum and licorice-flavored jelly bellies at the same time, and find the perfect, early Mother's Day gift."
"Mother's Day isn't for two months!"
"I did say 'early' didn't I?"