A Heart of Gold

Chapter 15

The late afternoon sun warms me through the giant windows in the cafeteria, and I search the parking lot for his car.

Just Sebastian is left. He helps me wipe down the tables and pick up the chairs.

Another glance to the clock has me worried.

"Where is he?" Sebastian whines.

"Don't worry, buddy. He'll be here."

As if on cue, I feel a warm hand on my elbow. I turn with a smile, greeted by soft blue eyes and an earnest apology.

"'M so sorry I'm late, Lynn."

"Hey, there you are. Everything ok?" I ask, my eyes distracted by his messy blond curls that spiral on top of his head when he runs his hand through them. He shakes his head and wrinkles his nose.

"Yeah, I'm just not too good at this single parent thing."

"It's not easy, Jake. I can only imagine. Don't worry, though, he's been very busy while he was waiting." I give Sebastian a wink and untwist the straps of his back pack that he threw on in a hurry.

"Thanks. You're always so understanding."

I give him a warm smile and his face softens in return. "No worries." I can see the tension evaporate from his shoulders and his body relax.

Our heads turn to follow the commotion coming from the doorway. Harry bounds into the cafeteria waving a piece of paper over his head. He heads my way but Sebastian runs past me to intercept him. He leaps up to high-five Harry's outstretched hand with a loud smack. Harry grimaces in pain and mouths, "Yeoww, mate!" shaking his hand out at the wrist while Sebastian giggles and flexes his biceps.

He triumphantly yells, "Got it!" to me from half way across the cafeteria.

I nod and hold up one finger, signaling for him to wait until I'm finished with Jake. I turn away from him but out of the corner of my eye I see Harry with his bicep curled up to his shoulder and Sebastian hanging off of it, swinging like a monkey back and forth. Their antics are silly and Harry's dimple is deep in his cheek and both of these make my heart melt and ooze down and coat the inside of my chest.

"So, I'll start next week? What do I need to know?" he asks.

"Well," I start, but Sebastian is back and pulling at Jake's arm.

"Daaaad, let's go home. Pleeeeease?"

"Alright, little man, okay." With playful exasperation, he rolls his eyes at me. "Gotta go," he says. "But can we talk later this week? Maybe over a cup of coffee?" He's walking out the door backwards as Sebastian pushes him.

"Sure, sounds great, Jake. See you boys later!" I wave. I turn around only to be nose to nose with Harry.

"Geez, you scared me!"

"Sooo, what's with Jake?" and he sticks the 'k,' giving me the same shivers as he did the first time he enunciated that way.

"Oh, he's really sweet. His wife just left him and he's struggling, I think, with being alone. Can you imagine living with Sebastian?" I laugh. "Anyway, he wants to start volunteering here, too, just to spend more time with him, you know, since he has to share custody."

"Mmhmm." He sits on the bench of the table, leaning his back up against the table top and slowly stretching his long legs out in front of him.

"What? What does that mean?"

"Never heard a parent call you 'Lynn' before." He crosses his feet at the ankles and looks at me smugly, head tilted.

"Yeah, I know." I sit opposite him and tap my toes against his. "But I've known him for a while, I had Sebastian's older brother, too. They've all been through a lot."