“Hey, Lukas, you getting the usual?” the girl behind the counter asks, giving him a big toothy grin.
“Yup,” he replies then turns to me. “The vanilla and brown sugar latte is killer,” he hints.
“Okay then, I need that. And I’ll have the turkey and cranberry croissant.”
Lukas pays, refusing my attempt to pay for my own, then leads us over to a secluded table in the corner where we wait for our food to arrive.
“This place is so cute and cozy,” I say, looking around. “I want to just curl up and read.”
He nods. “I love it here. I come here almost every night after I close up . . . mornings, too, for my coffee. Sometimes, local musicians play acoustic here at night, so I’ll walk down here, grab a coffee, and listen to some tunes and unwind before I head home for the night.”
“I have a feeling I’ll be back on the weekends to get breakfast.”
“Cool. Maybe I’ll catch you here sometime.”
My cell phone rings, and I pull it out of my bag, knowing it’s one of the kids.
“I have to take this real quick.” Lukas nods while I bring the phone to my ear. “Hi, Honey,” I say happily.
“Hi, Mommy.”
“How’s your night? Are you and Daddy having fun?”
“Yeah, we watched cartoons, and Charlene made me macaroni and cheese.”
“That’s great. It’s your favorite.” I hate Charlene.
“Yours is better, Mommy. Can I come home now?”
My heart cracks. “No, sweetie. Remember, we talked about you having a sleepover at Daddy’s new house this weekend? He’ll bring you home on Sunday.”
Lukas frowns and leans back in his chair, stretching his long legs under the table.
Tommy sighs into the phone. “Okay . . . what are you doing, Mommy?”
“I’m having dinner with a friend right now, sweetheart. You have fun with Daddy and Charlene, all right? You can call me any time you want to talk to me, and I’ll see you really soon.” I almost choke saying Daddy and Charlene to my own son.
“Okay, Mommy. I miss you.” Ah, my sweet little boy.