Here is the next chapter. I would just like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing so far.
Chapter Three
They pulled up in the parking lot of the Mexican restaurant a good forty-five minutes after they left the house. Friday night traffic had been a bitch with everyone going out to celebrate the end of another week. Getting out of the car, Alex grabbed a bag with extra clothes for Paige just in case she had a spill. Locking the doors of his car, they walked to the doors of the restaurant and went in. Since it was a Friday, it was a little packed full of families. The hostess walked past and smiled.
"Welcome to Cucos," she said. "A table for three?"
"Yes," Katie said.
"Will you need a booster chair?"
"Yes."
"Okay," she said grabbing two menus, a kids' menu, crayons, and a booster chair. Motioning for them to follow her, she took them to a window booth. "Your waitress will be with you in a moment."
When she left, Katie turned to Paige. "Who do you want to sit next to?" she asked.
"You."
"Okay."
Katie and Alex swapped sides and slid into the booth. They had been talking for a few moments when their waitress came by in a swirl of perfume.
"Hello. My name is Trina and I will be your waitress this evening." She said her lines robotically until Alex caught her attention. Shifting her body a little she said, "What can I get you to drink?"
"What do you want, honey?" he asked Katie in a gooey voice.
"I will have a root beer. Paige, what do you want?"
"Sprite!" she squealed.
"A Sprite for her and he will have a Coke," Katie said with a smile so fake and cold it should have turned her face blue.
Trina got the message and walked away with a scowl.
"Did she not see you sitting across from us?" Katie asked in disgust.
"Obviously she didn't," Alex said smirking.
"Put that ego of yours away," Katie warned.
"Why must you spoil everything?" he asked with a sigh. "What are you getting?"
"Um," she said perusing the menu. "The Cancun seems good. What about you?"
"I think I'll try the sizzling fajitas. What about you, Paige?"
"Chicken."
Alex shook his head. The only thing Paige was concerned with was her picture, which was every color but the right one.
A few moments later, Trina brought their drinks and upon returning from another trip, a basket of chips and salsa. Since they had nothing else to do, they caught up.
"How's your class?" Alex asked referring to her Year 1 class.
Katie's whole face lit up. She truly loved kids and Alex knew that she couldn't wait until she had some of her own.
"Rowdy. They can't wait until the summer. I have nothing else planned for them except the upcoming field trip."
"Is Daniel feeling any better?"
"Yes," she said as she thought of the little boy with the cutest smile she had ever seen. He was one of many that contracted the chicken pox. "Half the school seemed to have caught the chicken pox in the past few weeks."
"I remember when I had the chicken pox. I itched all over and I couldn't scratch. When Jack wasn't looking, I scratched anyway. I couldn't help it."
"I know. Tasha and I got it at the same time. Oatmeal baths and that pink gloop. Ugh," she said as she shuddered.
"What is chicken poxes?" Paige asked.
"It's an itchy rash," Alex said.
"Don't worry, love. You don't have it," Katie said with a glare in Alex's direction.
When their food arrived, Alex helped to cut Paige's chicken nuggets into little bite sized pieces so she wouldn't choke. They continued their conversation all through dinner.
Trina tried to get them to get dessert but Paige was getting ready to fall asleep. When she gave them the check, Katie noticed she wrote her number on another piece of paper.
"Is she for real?"
"Apparently."
Despite her aggravating come-ons, Alex left her a tip when he paid. On their way out, they came across an elderly couple.
"Oh, look how cute, John," the woman said with a smile.
Paige was resting her head on Alex's shoulder about to nod off.
"Such pretty green eyes," she continued. "How old is she?"
"Three," Alex said.
The woman nodded her head before she said, "How long have you been married?"
Alex glanced at Katie who was flabbergasted.
"Mary, let the kids get the little one to bed," her husband said trying to pull her towards the dining room.
"But John, they aren't married," she protested.
"And neither were you when Patty was born."
Mary's face flushed but before she left, she sent them a fierce glare.
"All I'm saying is that it's better for everyone if the parents are able to control their sexual urges and leave the babies where they are."
"If it helps, this is my niece and her parents were married for six months before she was conceived. Good night," Alex said as he grabbed Katie's hand and walked out of the restaurant.
When they were outside, Katie threw back her head and laughed. She laughed so hard, she had to lean against the car until she regained her balance.
"Did you see her face when her husband called her on her bullshit? 'You weren't married either when Patty was born.'"
"The pot calling the kettle black," Alex said as he buckled Paige into her car seat. When he was done, he looked across the top of the car. "You want ice cream?"
888
When they got home a good hour and a half later, Alex carried Paige inside and upstairs to her room. He laid her on the bed while he searched for some PJs.
"Okay princess. Just stay asleep," he said as he undressed and dressed her in her favorite pink princess pajamas. When she was tucked in, he looked back once more before leaving, turning the hall light on as he did so.
He found Katie downstairs in the den watching late night TV. He sat next to her and she placed her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a while until Katie broke it.
"What was Ryan so tickled at today?"
"The same old thing."
Groaning, Katie arched her neck to look at him.
"Does he still believe there's something going on between us?"
"Yup. He and Tanya both.
Katie sighed and stretched.
They watched TV for a while before they both got up simultaneously and went upstairs.
"Night," they said together.
Alex walked into his room and closed the door. Since Katie moved in, he moved into Ian's old room. Jack kept her room and Katie moved into the guest room, leaving his room empty. Now, Paige slept in Jack's old room and his was used for guests.
Taking off his clothes, he folded them and placed them on his desk. He put on a pair of pajama bottoms with footballs on them and got into bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
In the room down the hall, Katie put on one of Alex's old football jerseys and opened her laptop. She clicked on the Internet icon so she could check her email. When the page popped up, she saw that her dad had emailed the pictures of his latest business trip. Her mother was still being a bitch, but she was starting to come around. The last email was from her sister. It turned out that her sister was an editor of a big newspaper in San Diego as well as married with two children. Tiffany was three and Tyler was six. With a smile, she clicked on the message. It read:
Hey, Kat! It's been forever. Chris just got a promotion and he's off on another business trip. The higher ups sent him to Colorado to meet with a contractor. They want to build a resort or something and they thought of him. I can't wait until you come to visit me. I know that we would have tons of fun. Look, I gotta go. It's been nice hearing from you. Tell Alex I said "hi!" Bye.
Katie and her sister had also reconnected. Even with the distance, they were just as close as before and for some reason, her sister had taken a liking to Alex right away, without even meeting him. She knew Alex was a likable guy, but her sister just accepted him right away. But even as she thought about it, she had done the same exact thing six years ago. Finishing her reply, she turned off the computer and went to sleep, knowing that she was going to have an early morning.
Love it or hate it? That is the question. If you love it, thanks (and leave a review); if you hate it, umm... nevermind. (Lady Soverign just popped into my head. Random, huh?) Peace. -RC
