straight across the restaurant toward Sean. He bumped into her at full throttle, knocking her off-balance and sending the tray of spaghetti dinners tilting toward disaster.
“Whoa!” Sean said, rescuing the tray in midair and managing to keep Deanna upright at the same time. He stared down into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Deanna gazed up into blue eyes bright with amusement and felt her knees go weak again. “Having you come to my rescue is getting to be a habit,” she told Sean, then turned to her son and scolded, “Kevin, youknow you’re supposed to watch where you’re going in here.”
“Sorry, Mom!” Kevin said. “I didn’t see you. I was excited to see Sean.”
Deanna could relate to the feeling. A part of her hadn’t expected him to actually show up, not because he was likely to change his mind but because of the unpredictability of his job. “There should be a table for six opening up in a minute,” she told him as she reached for the tray. “Let me serve these dinners, and as soon as it’s clear, I’ll get it ready for you.”
Sean held tight to the tray. “Where do you want this? It weighs a ton.”
“I’m used to it,” she protested.
His stubborn gaze clashed with hers. “Where?”
She shrugged and gestured toward a stand across the room. “Over there, by that table in the corner. Kevin, go on back to your table, before someone else gets tripped up.”
Kevin regarded her with disappointment. “But, Mom…”
“I’ll see you before I go,” Sean promised him. “If your mom says it’s okay, you can come have dessert with me and the guys.”
Kevin’s eyes lit up. “Really? And you’ll tell me all about fighting fires? I want to be a fireman when I grow up, so I need to start learning stuff.”
This wasn’t the first Deanna had heard about her son’s career plans, but she wondered how Sean was going to respond to Kevin’s blatant hero worship. Glancing at him, she realized she needn’t have worried. He grinned and assured Kevin he could ask all the questions he wanted. The last traces of Kevin’s scowl promptly faded. Deanna had to admit, Sean hada definite way with her son. Still balancing the heavy tray on one hand, he ruffled Kevin’s hair with his other hand.
“Do what your mom said,” he urged Kevin. “I need to take this tray where she wants it, before she docks my pay.”
Kevin giggled. “You don’t work here.”
“Not usually,” Sean agreed. “But it’s always good for a man to help out a lady, even when she doesn’t think she needs any help.”
Deanna caught the subtle message about her independent streak. She didn’t say another word as Sean carried the tray across the room. She noted that several fascinated gazes followed his progress. Well aware of how the elderly regulars liked to take an interest in her social life, she knew she’d be hearing about the incident for days to come.
“I can take it from here,” she told him when he’d set the tray down.
Sean glanced at the tray, which held only specials. He winked at the elderly woman closest to him. “I imagine this is yours,” he said, then leaned down to whisper. “She doesn’t think I know what I’m doing, so help me out here okay?”
Mrs. Wiley beamed at him. “Crazy girl,” she said with a tsk for Deanna’s benefit. “I can’t imagine what she’s thinking, turning down the help of a big, strong firefighter. You put that plate right here, young man.”
Deanna stood back while he served all four women, who were giggling at his teasing as if they were thirty years younger. When all the dinners were on the table, he stood back and surveyed the results with evident pride.
“Not such a bad job, if I do say so myself,” he said. “I didn’t spill a drop.”
“Only one problem,” Deanna noted mildly, barely containing a grin. “These dinners were destined for that table over there.”
She gestured toward two couples who were watching the scene from the next table. Three
“Whoa!” Sean said, rescuing the tray in midair and managing to keep Deanna upright at the same time. He stared down into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Deanna gazed up into blue eyes bright with amusement and felt her knees go weak again. “Having you come to my rescue is getting to be a habit,” she told Sean, then turned to her son and scolded, “Kevin, youknow you’re supposed to watch where you’re going in here.”
“Sorry, Mom!” Kevin said. “I didn’t see you. I was excited to see Sean.”
Deanna could relate to the feeling. A part of her hadn’t expected him to actually show up, not because he was likely to change his mind but because of the unpredictability of his job. “There should be a table for six opening up in a minute,” she told him as she reached for the tray. “Let me serve these dinners, and as soon as it’s clear, I’ll get it ready for you.”
Sean held tight to the tray. “Where do you want this? It weighs a ton.”
“I’m used to it,” she protested.
His stubborn gaze clashed with hers. “Where?”
She shrugged and gestured toward a stand across the room. “Over there, by that table in the corner. Kevin, go on back to your table, before someone else gets tripped up.”
Kevin regarded her with disappointment. “But, Mom…”
“I’ll see you before I go,” Sean promised him. “If your mom says it’s okay, you can come have dessert with me and the guys.”
Kevin’s eyes lit up. “Really? And you’ll tell me all about fighting fires? I want to be a fireman when I grow up, so I need to start learning stuff.”
This wasn’t the first Deanna had heard about her son’s career plans, but she wondered how Sean was going to respond to Kevin’s blatant hero worship. Glancing at him, she realized she needn’t have worried. He grinned and assured Kevin he could ask all the questions he wanted. The last traces of Kevin’s scowl promptly faded. Deanna had to admit, Sean hada definite way with her son. Still balancing the heavy tray on one hand, he ruffled Kevin’s hair with his other hand.
“Do what your mom said,” he urged Kevin. “I need to take this tray where she wants it, before she docks my pay.”
Kevin giggled. “You don’t work here.”
“Not usually,” Sean agreed. “But it’s always good for a man to help out a lady, even when she doesn’t think she needs any help.”
Deanna caught the subtle message about her independent streak. She didn’t say another word as Sean carried the tray across the room. She noted that several fascinated gazes followed his progress. Well aware of how the elderly regulars liked to take an interest in her social life, she knew she’d be hearing about the incident for days to come.
“I can take it from here,” she told him when he’d set the tray down.
Sean glanced at the tray, which held only specials. He winked at the elderly woman closest to him. “I imagine this is yours,” he said, then leaned down to whisper. “She doesn’t think I know what I’m doing, so help me out here okay?”
Mrs. Wiley beamed at him. “Crazy girl,” she said with a tsk for Deanna’s benefit. “I can’t imagine what she’s thinking, turning down the help of a big, strong firefighter. You put that plate right here, young man.”
Deanna stood back while he served all four women, who were giggling at his teasing as if they were thirty years younger. When all the dinners were on the table, he stood back and surveyed the results with evident pride.
“Not such a bad job, if I do say so myself,” he said. “I didn’t spill a drop.”
“Only one problem,” Deanna noted mildly, barely containing a grin. “These dinners were destined for that table over there.”
She gestured toward two couples who were watching the scene from the next table. Three
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