Read Online Hey Sunshine by Tia Giacalone - Free Book Online Page B

conversation. I knew Chase liked Annabelle, but sometimes his offhand dismissals made me wonder if he would ever be ready for a full-time stepchild.
    “Oh, right,” he laughed easily. “I’ll find out the details and give you a call in a bit, okay? See you later, babe!” The bluetooth disconnected with a click and I stared at my phone, wondering what I’d just gotten Annabelle and myself into.
    * * *
    Later that evening, I parked my car on a quiet side street in Odessa and surveyed myself in the rearview mirror. It was a moderately priced steakhouse and, although I’d never been, I was fairly certain Annabelle and I were dressed appropriately in short sleeves and pretty floral skirts.
    I glanced into the backseat and smiled when I saw how earnestly Annabelle scribbled into her coloring book.
    “Are you ready, baby?” I asked her.
    “Yes, Mama. I’m hungry!” She pushed her crayons aside and looked around.
    “Remember what we talked about, okay? Best behavior tonight and mind your manners.” My fingers fumbled a bit as I unbuckled her seat belt. The unpredictable nature of toddlers, especially in a restaurant with cloth napkins, was enough to make me sweat.
    “Okay.” Annabelle smiled at me, and I shoved my worry away. I was incredibly lucky to have such a bright, darling child, and anyone who didn’t agree could take a hike.
    Armed with this new attitude I felt ready to take on the world, or at least a dinner reservation. I clasped Annabelle’s hand tightly and we made our way into the restaurant.
    We were early, but Chase was already there, waiting for us. He smiled and stood up when we walked into the restaurant lobby, pocketing his phone.
    “Hey, babe!” He kissed me on the cheek and ruffled Annabelle’s curls quickly. “It’s great here, right?”
    I nodded. The restaurant was very nice but not stuffy. Dim lighting and comfortable booths made the atmosphere cozy and warm, and huge Texas landscapes decorated the walls, lending authenticity and charm. We were immediately led to our table, and I busied myself getting Annabelle settled.
    I could feel Chase’s eyes on me as I navigated the booster seat and arranged the crayons within Annabelle’s reach. A waitress appeared to take our drink order and after she left, I turned to him and smiled.
    “How was your day?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “It was okay, you know how it goes–” His sentence was abruptly cut off by his ringing cell phone. “Sorry babe, I gotta take this,” he said, glancing at the screen. “Chase Dempsey,” he said into the phone. “Yes, Mr. Johnson, I got your message.” Chase gestured at his phone and then pointed outside, and I nodded. He got up quickly from the table and I picked up my menu.
    “Where did Chase go, Mama?” Annabelle asked me.
    “He had to take a phone call, baby.”
    “Is he coming back?”
    “Soon,” I told her.
    Five minutes later, I wasn’t sure about the answer I’d given Annabelle. Another ten minutes after that, and I was even less sure but definitely irritated. I glanced at my watch again. At this rate we wouldn’t eat before eight, which was practically Annabelle’s bedtime.
    I was getting ready to ask the waitress if we could just go ahead and order when Chase made his way back to our table.
    “Hey,” he said, sitting down.
    “Is everything okay?” I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice.
    “Oh, sure,” Chase said. “Just business stuff.” He picked up his menu.
    I stared at him in disbelief. He’d been absent for almost twenty minutes and then returned with no apology or explanation, as though leaving us sitting there was no big deal. You can either start an argument with him now, or you can brush it off and feed your hungry child , I thought.
    The waitress approached our table again and I smiled brightly. Too brightly. “Everything looks delicious. Let’s order!”
    Over an hour later, I was struggling to my car under the full weight of a nearly sleeping Annabelle and