“You okay?” I asked.
“Fine, Eric.”
April brought Elliot’s juice first.
“Two hands, buddy,” I said.
“I know,” he said, already reaching too fast.
The glass tipped before I could catch it. Orange juice soaked his sweater and splashed Rachel’s dress.
“Oh my gosh, Elliot!” she snapped, pushing back from the table. “How can you be so clumsy?!”
Elliot froze. His bottom lip started to shake.
“It’s juice, Rach,” I said, grabbing napkins. “Not a felony.”
Rachel looked at me. “Eric, look around. This isn’t exactly the place for a scene.”
“And our son is five years old.”
April hurried over with towels. “Hey, no harm done. Happens all the time.”
Elliot whispered, “Sorry.”
April smiled at him. “I’ve seen grown men do worse with soup.”
He almost laughed.
Rachel’s jaw tightened. “Not usually before appetizers.”
I lifted Elliot from his chair. “Come on, buddy. Bathroom rescue mission.”
“Am I in trouble?” he asked as we walked away.
“For juice? No.”
I glanced back at Rachel. She was dabbing her dress and looking everywhere except at us.
“Mom gets tired,” I said. “That’s different.”
I believed that when I said it.
In the restroom, I wiped Elliot’s sweater.
“Will people look at me?”
“Probably.”
His eyes widened.
“Because that dinosaur looks like he survived a breakfast accident,” I said.
He giggled. “Can I still have spaghetti?”
“Absolutely. Spaghetti respects survivors.”
I rinsed my hands, then looked in the mirror. Forty-five looked tired, but steady.
“Ready?” I asked.
Elliot nodded and slipped his hand into mine.
We stepped back into the dining room. A young waiter passed close enough that I had to pull Elliot gently aside.
“Careful, bud.”
Elliot stopped walking.
“What?”
He pointed at the waiter. “That’s the man from Mommy’s phone.”
The waiter stopped too.
I forced a laugh. “Sorry. He thinks he knows everyone.”
But the waiter wasn’t looking at Elliot.
He was looking at Rachel.
And Rachel had gone pale.
I crouched beside my son. “What do you mean?”
Elliot leaned close, proud and serious. “Mom looks at him after you go to bed. She thinks I’m asleep, but I’m not. Sometimes she calls him.”
Rachel stood so fast her chair scraped the floor.
“Eric, can we not do this here?”
I looked at her, then at him.
“Please.” Her voice dropped. “Let’s go outside.”
I turned back to the waiter. “What’s your name?”
His throat moved. “Chad.”
“Chad,” I said, keeping my voice low because my son was beside me, “this may sound strange, but my boy recognized you. Do you know my wife?”
Rachel whispered, “Chad, don’t.”
That answered more than she meant it to.
Chad looked younger once the truth hit him. He just looked ashamed.
“I know her as Rae,” he said.
“Her name is Rachel.”
“I know that now.”
My fingers curled around the back of a chair.
“How do you know her?” I asked.
Chad looked at Rachel, and anger broke through his embarrassment. “We met online. She told me she was divorced.”
A couple at the next table stopped talking.
April froze near the hostess stand with a plate in her hands.
Rachel closed her eyes. “It was complicated.”
“No,” Chad said. “You said he left.”
I stared at her.
Chad swallowed and looked at Elliot. “She said your son stayed with you most weekends.”
“My son,” I said. “Is standing right here.”
“I didn’t know.” Chad’s voice cracked. “Sir, I swear I didn’t know. She said your marriage was over. She said you barely came home. We only met twice…”
For one horrible moment, I almost laughed.
Rachel reached for my sleeve. I stepped back.
“Eric, I can explain.”
“You have explained plenty,” I said. “Just not to me.”
The manager appeared beside Chad. “Is there a problem?”
Chad set the tray down carefully. “I need a minute.”
Rachel’s face burned red as more people looked over, like they’d heard enough to understand.
I turned to April. “Could you box up my son’s food? And maybe bring him a scoop of ice cream to go?”
April nodded at once. “Of course.”
Rachel stared at me. “You’re sending him away?”
“I’m protecting him.”
“From what?”
I looked at her. “From us. From you and your lies.”
April held out her hand to Elliot. “Want to help me pick sprinkles?”
“Go ahead, buddy.”
