I Get A Kick Out of You

Chapter 3

"Ethan, let's go, you're gonna be late!" Ethan came running downstairs a few minutes later with his backpack and homework in hand. "Here's your lunch," she said, putting it into his backpack. "Where's dad?" He asked. She told him, "He had to leave early for a meeting. He promised he'd be back before dinner."

Once he was ready, they headed out and got to the school. "Look, mom, it's Cillian!" Ethan excitedly said. "Cillian!" Cassie could see Ben walking Cillian up to the school, but then turn once his son's name was being called. Ben pointed them out to Cillian and started walking over.

"Good morning," Ben said to Cassie. She shrugged, then told him, "Almost. Didn't get my coffee before we left." He laughed at that and told her, "Don't worry, neither did I." The school bell rang, so both parents went to their kids and gave them hugs. "I'll be here at three," Cassie told Ethan. "Same goes for me," Ben told Cillian.

They waved to their kids as they went into the school together. Ben dug his hands into his pockets, then asked, "Got any plans for the day?" She thought for a moment, then told him, "No, not really. I finished the final copy of my book last night, so I'm free as a bird!" He looked at her curiously and asked, "You're a writer?"

She nodded as she said, "Indeed I am. I have seven published books and hopefully an eighth by next year." He looked amazed with her and he was. "How about I get you that coffee and you can tell me all about it," he offered. She smiled as she told him, "That sounds great, but I doubt you'd want me to bore you about books."

He scoffed as he told her, "I am a book fanatic! I could be in libraries and book stores all day. I also have a nasty habit of reading any book that gets recommended to me." She gasped as she said, "So do I! My husband gets furious when I bring home new books. Not shoes or clothes...books."

Ben laughed at that. "Come on," she said, "I know this café just around the corner. Do you mind walking?" He smiled softly at her as he said, "No, not at all."

**

The entire café was glaring at them. They were being loud from all the laughing they were doing. They knew they were being stared at, but they didn't care.

"So, you're first book...I'm sorry, please tell me again," Ben laughed. Cassie could barely speak because she was laughing so hard. "It's—it's on the...on the Worst Books of All Time list!" Ben smacked the table and shook with laughter. "Okay," he said, calming himself, "okay, where can I get this book? I have to!"

She vigorously shook her head as she told him, "There is only one copy left out there and it is at home, safe and secure for no one to find." He gave her puppy dog eyes, then asked, "Not even me? Come on, it's not like I'll post it anywhere or write about it." The eyes he was giving her were too cute, even for her. She's seen the eyes from Ethan and her husband, but these were different.

She sighed. "If I let you do this..." He lit up like a thousand suns. She continued, "If I let you do this, you have to promise you will not show a single soul." He put his hand over his heart and said, "I swear on my life, not a single person will see it."

After their compromise, they continued on with conversation. "My wife, Eleanor, is from the states. She studied abroad at the same college as me and I asked her to stay once her term was up. Of course, her visa wouldn't allow her to do that, so we got married. I guess that was a good thing because Cillian came not a year later. What about you and your husband?"

"Joel and I met in high school," she told him. "He was the star quarterback and I was the band geek. Very unorthodox pair, but it worked. We got together our freshman year and he proposed to me on graduation day. We called off the engagement a few months into college because we were separated. I stayed here in Oregon while he went to D.C.. When he came back, he made this huge gesture to get the engagement back on..."