At my statement, his eyes widen, and I swear his face darkens with colour.
Garth grins at his embarrassment. “Damn, Haldor, looks like you have made another conquest.”
Haldor grunts.
“Up,” the little girl says as she lifts her hands to him. I see him glance over his shoulder at the mom, then back down at the little girl.
“Go to your mom,” he whispers.
The little girl grins. “Up, up,” she says again.
“Come on, Brother, pick the poor kid up and take her to her mom,” Colborn says as he leans back, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at the mom and winks.
“Don’t flirt with the mom, you lug.” Anastasia says.
“You take her,” Haldor says in desperation. Is it possible that he has never picked a child up before?
“Haldor, just place your arms under her arms and pick her up.”
He looks at me as if I’ve just grown a double head. “That’s a bad idea,” he grunts just as the girl decides that she has had enough of waiting and is now trying to climb up onto his lap by herself.
“Don’t be an ass; pick the kid up,” Dane says with a grin, knowing how uncomfortable Haldor is feeling.
“Fu. . .” he starts to say before snapping his mouth closed and looks down at the girl. “Okay, but stop moving.” At his statement, I burst out laughing. Telling a kid to stop moving is like telling the sun to stop rising. He places his big hands under her tiny arms, circling her whole upper body as he picks her up off the floor, holding her out so he can look at her smiling face.
“What now?” he asks, looking to us for guidance.
The little girl starts kicking her legs in merriment as she laughs. “Pitty,” she squeals, which has Haldor looking horrified. He stands, still holding the poor child away from his body as he makes his way towards her mother. As soon as he reaches the woman, he is placing the happy little girl in her arms. “Pitty,” the little girl calls as he turns, making his way back to us.
“Hey, Pretty, have you decided what you want?” Garth teases, which has Haldor showing him the finger, making all of us laugh.
“You’re a real heartbreaker, look at the poor kid,” Anastasia says, “She’s crying… she wants her pretty.”
I see Haldor’s face fall as he glances back to see the little girl looking at him with big sad eyes.
“Fuck,” he scowls as he stands. “I’m going out to look for Dag’s woman.”
“No, don’t go,” I say, feeling bad that he’s feeling uncomfortable and wants to leave. “She will quiet. Kids are like that. They cry when they can’t get what they want.”
He shrugs, making his way out the door, anyway.
“He is really uncomfortable around kids, isn’t he?” I remark, watching him leave.
“It’s not as if any of us have much to do with children,” Colborn says just as the waiter comes over to our table.
“What can I get you?” Well he’s not very friendly, now is he? The man’s whole demeanour is unfriendly, which makes me uncomfortable.
Anastasia orders and then Dane orders for me and him, the rest of the men make their orders, asking for extra cups, which I’m guessing is for the others that are going to join us later, or maybe to take with them. I’m about to say something when I see Esmeralda on the other side of the road getting into a taxi.
“Look, it's her,” I say just as she closes the door behind her. Everyone turns to look out the window.
“Her who?” Ulrich asks.
“It was Esmeralda, she just got into that taxi.” One minute the men are sitting, the next Colborn, Garth and Eirik are off their chairs and hurrying out the door. Dane and Ulrich sit back looking out of the window at the other men that are starting up their Harleys.
“Dag,” I glance to see Dane on his phone. “Colborn, Garth, and Eirik are after a taxi, which we saw your woman get into.”
I hear Dag say something before the call is disconnected. “Do you think they will get to her?” I ask.