a few minutes later, their bowls of chili and cornbread arrived.
“Do you miss living where you were before this?” Mia knew he’d lived in a suburb outside of Boston, but didn’t remember which town it was.
“Do I miss Waltham? No. Not at all. It’s fine if you work in the city, but I’m much happier here. The girls are, too. What about you? Ever have second thoughts about moving back to Manhattan? How did you end up here, anyway?”
“No second thoughts. Ever.” Mia told him the story she’d told Ben, and Sam looked intrigued.
“You used to be an elementary teacher? I don’t know why I’m surprised. You were good with the girls. They really liked you. Becky was very impressed with the big red boat you went on.”
Mia laughed. “They’re great girls. You did a good job with them.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t all me, though. Mary was a stay-at-home mother, and I used to travel a lot more. That’s something else I’ve started to think about with regard to getting back out there and dating. It’s not just me. I’m a package deal with the girls. That rules me out for a lot of women.”
“I don’t know about that. You might be surprised.”
“You really think so? This is all new to me. You wouldn’t mind dating someone that already has kids?”
“To be completely honest, I’ve never thought of it before now. But, no. If I liked someone, I’d understand that it was, as you put it, ‘a package deal.’ But, I might want to have one or two kids at some point, too, so whoever I date would have to be okay with wanting more kids.”
“That’s understandable. I have a feeling the girls might love being older sisters and babysitters, eventually. I haven’t really thought about it either, but I’d be fine with more kids.”
As they finished eating, the trivia host came around to welcome them, and to take their team name and hand out pencils, a scoring sheet and a small notepad for their answers.
“What should our team name be?” Sam asked.
Mia thought for a minute. “What about Janie’s Yoga?”
“I like it. It’s more upbeat than bereavement and it gives Janie a little promo.”
They spent the next two hours playing team trivia, answering questions from different categories. There were twenty teams playing, and from the laughing and teasing that they saw between some teams, it was clear some of them were regulars. Mia had never played trivia here before, but for quite a while she’d been a regular at the Rose and Crown for trivia night. Thinking about it brought a sudden wave of sadness that took her by surprise. The sad moments had been fewer and farther between lately.
“What’s wrong?” Sam noticed that she’d grown suddenly quiet.
“It’s just a little bittersweet, being here, and playing trivia. I haven’t played in over a year. Since Mark died. It was one of our things. We used to go almost every week to the Rose and Crown.”
“I’m so sorry. We could have done something else.”
“Oh no. I’m glad we came. It was just such a big part of our lives that it just made me sad for a minute. It also made me realize how much I missed it. It’s a fun night out and something to do mid-week.”
“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do on a Monday night,” Sam agreed.
They made a good team, and by the end of the night were pleasantly surprised to find themselves in third place before the final question. But Mia knew that the final question often knocked out people who were in first place. It all depends on what the category was and how sure you were of your answer. And sometimes, even when you think you knew it, it turned out you were way off. They blew the final question and ended up with a score in the middle of the pack.
“Seinfeld questions always trip me up,” Mia admitted. “I feel like they should be easy and I’ve seen all the episodes.”
“I know. But there were so many seasons. I do the same thing. It’s easy to mix things up. It was still fun, though. I’m glad we came. Are you?”
“Yes, I’m glad you suggested it.”
It was just about nine when Sam pulled up in front of Mia’s condo. “So, same time next week? Are you up for a repeat?”
Mia grinned. “Absolutely.” It had been a fun night overall, and she’d enjoyed Sam’s company. He was easy to be with and smart.