She winked at him. “Rough night?”
“Something like that.”
“Daddy went out with Hayes last night,” Birdie added helpfully.
“It’s all becoming clear.” Angie reached over and filled my mug. “Do you know what you want, or do you need a minute?”
“Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries,” Birdie immediately called out.
“All right, sugar, we got waffles coming up. What about you, Sage?”
Sage ducked her head, focusing on the pictures on the menu. “May I please have the scramble and a side of cheese grits?”
“Yes, you most certainly may. And what about you two?”
“I’ll have the same as Sage.” I bumped her shoulder with mine. “Twins.”
She beamed up at me.
Calder closed his menu. “I’ll take the oatmeal and wheat toast. Thanks, Angie.”
I made a tsking sound at Calder.
“What?”
“Oatmeal and wheat toast aren’t going to help your head or your stomach.”
He arched a brow. “And what would you suggest?”
I opened the menu again and scanned, then looked up at Angie. “He’ll have two eggs, over-easy, sausage, cheese grits, a biscuit, and a glass of orange juice.”
She grinned at me. “Now that’s a breakfast.”
I handed her all the menus from the table. “I know how to order. Thanks, Ang.”
“More like you know how to give me heart failure,” Calder grumbled.
“You’ll be thanking me about thirty minutes after that food hits your stomach.”
“Fine, fine.”
Birdie picked up one of the crayons at the table and started scribbling on the paper tablecloth. “Hey, Dad?”
“Yeah, Birds?”
“Are you done thinking about my skateboard yet?”
Calder’s knuckles bleached white as he gripped the handle of his mug. I held my breath and waited. Birdie had wanted this for years. The park near their house had a small, beginner skate park where kids loved to practice. From the moment Birdie could walk, she was toddling over to that area and watching the skaters.
Calder looked up, meeting my gaze, but his words were directed at his daughter. “I’ll get you the skateboard on two conditions.”
Birdie dropped her crayon and her head jerked up. “Anything!”
“One, youalwayswear your safety gear. If I see you one time without a single piece of it, that skateboard is gone forever.”
She nodded furiously, a huge grin on her face.
“Two, you aren’t allowed to ride it unless you have adult supervision.”