running at the back of her mind since Mick had returned from taking the kids to school.
With a smile, she glanced up at the couple. "What are you two planning to have?"
Patty flipped a couple of laminated pages. "Eric, you're going to go for the eggplant parmigiana sandwich, right? Or maybe you feel like the patty melt?"
His eyes bugged out behind his glasses. "They have patty melts? You are the goddess of menu minders," he told his wife with sincere appreciation. "I didn't even see a patty melt or an eggplant parmigiana sandwich and I've been staring at this thing as long as you have."
Patty looked a little smug as she shot a glance at Kayla. "I always find exactly what he wants."
"It's a division-of-labor thing," Eric told Kayla. "She's on the lookout for my perfect lunch, I make sure she keeps her cell phone charged."
"Seems fair," she said. But it seemed more than that, it seemed sweet, and she enjoyed the thought of the couple looking out for each other in even those small ways.
"You and Mick probably have unspoken agreements like that, too," Eric said. "You make the coffee every morning, he regularly checks the oil in your car."
"It's not exactly the same," his wife pointed out. "Kayla's not Mick's wife, but his kids' nanny."
"Meaning Patty will check your oil and make the coffee every morning if you agree to go with us to Europe."
"Hey!" his wife frowned. "I thought you forbade me to arm twist. Kayla already said she was ninety-nine percent sure she was staying with the Hansons."
Ninety-nine percent? Kayla thought. Was it really wise of her to dismiss the offer so quickly? After that unpleasant scene with Jane that morning and then Mick's unsettling comments before they'd made love, she just wasn't so sure anymore.
Their orders were taken; their meals arrived. Kayla asked questions about their planned stay in Europe and listened intently, but studied the pair's interaction with equal care. They moved in a rhythm that she liked, that she recognized. She and Mick were similar in some ways, easily moving about the kitchen or packing the car for a trip, aware of each other's moves and depending upon each other's expertise.
Mick was a whiz at getting everything in the trunk. Kayla was the one to make sure everyone had a sweatshirt in case the day turned cold.
But Patty and Eric had more. Where she and Mick avoided physical contact, the other couple were easy with each other in that way, too. She brushed a crumb off his shirt. He fed her a seasoned French fry that came with his patty melt. What would it be like to have that with someone?
When Eric turned to the dessert menu, she excused herself for the ladies' room. She was surprised that Patty didn't go with her - it was customary, in her experience, to make the trip with the other female in the party - but then she figured that the couple would take the few minutes to discuss her.
They'd outlined the duties of the nanny they were looking for. The possibilities for solo and family travel had been presented. A salary even mentioned. She imagined Patty turning to Eric now and asking, "Is there a chance that she'll leave Mick and Jane and Lee?"
Was there a chance? Kayla pondered the question for herself as she headed back toward the table. Before she'd come up with a solid answer, her cell phone buzzed in her purse. She pulled it free and looked at the screen. Her mother.
"Mom?" she asked. Her mother's calls were rare and even rarer was it to hear from her midday. She was a busy executive's assistant from eight-to-five who then went home to a bustling house filled with her husband and three active high schoolers. "Is something wrong?"
Karen Collins sounded relieved. "You took my call."
"Ye-es?" Kayla frowned. "And you're surprised because...?"
"I forgot your birthday." She hesitated. "Tell me your father didn't forget, too."
"I had a nice celebration luncheon with my girlfriends," Kayla said, skipping over the direct answer. "And then Mick and the kids surprised me with cake and balloons and really great presents."
Her mother groaned. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me? Mitzi had a debate tournament that weekend and Doug Junior was doing something or other for Scouts. Not to mention that Annie had that 4-H - "
"I get the busy family thing, Mom, no problem," she said, ignoring a pang of sadness.
"It's a problem! Yes, I realize