Ten minutes later, he wanted to kick himself for rising to Sophie’s bait and agreeing to have dinner with the Breslin clan.
The restaurant was one of those family-type joints with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and huge vinyl booths. It was jam-packed with families. So many families that the noise level was on par with that wave of machine guns the team had encountered in the desert last year.
But he ordered himself to make the best of it. If he could survive a crazy Middle Eastern gunfight, surely he could survive dinner in the restaurant equivalent of hell.
“We usually get a large pepperoni for the three of us,” Miranda said after the waitress came by with their drinks. “But we’ll definitely need to order two today. What do you like on your pizza?”
Seth reached for his plastic cup of Coke. “I usually load up on the veggies.”
“Veggies?” Jason gawked at him. “Gross!”
“See, I told you vegetables are yummy,” Miranda said. “Even Seth agrees with me.”
Suspicion flickered in the little boy’s brown eyes. “You really think they’re yummy?”
Seth nodded and tried not to smile.
Jason didn’t respond after that, but he grew very quiet, as if Seth’s revelation had completely blown his mind. When the waitress returned to take their orders, Jason was the first to speak.
“Two pizzas with veggies,” he announced.
The waitress laughed. “What kind of veggies, little man?”
Perplexed, Jason turned to Miranda, who seemed to be fighting back laughter. “How about green peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes?” she said graciously.
Jason mulled it over, then turned to his sister, who nodded. “’Kay,” the boy told the waitress. “What my mom said.”
After the waitress left, Miranda offered Seth a wry look. “Clearly I need to bring you along more often. I’ve never seen either of them so enthusiastic about vegetables before.”
His chest tightened in discomfort. Christ. Miranda’s son wouldn’t quit staring at him. He felt like a specimen under a microscope, even more so when Sophie also turned that brown-eyed gaze on him. With him and Miranda sitting on one side of the booth, and the twins on the other, there was at least some distance between him and the kidlets. But those stares were burning a hole in him. And the restaurant only seemed to get louder. Childish shrieks and giggles mingled with scolding parents and “stop that!” and shrill wails.
A throb was actually beginning to form in his temples. Which spoke volumes about the noise levels, because he’d grown up in Vegas, the noisiest place on earth.
For the next ten minutes, he did his best to make small talk with both Miranda and the kids. When the waitress finally slid two pizza dishes on the table, Seth was overcome with relief, eagerly shoveling food in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to talk anymore.
Christ. This was not his scene. He wasn’t cut out for all this domestic stuff.
To make matters worse, the quieter and more aloof he became, the more eager Miranda’s son was to engage him. There was no denying that Jason was a cute kid. Smart, funny, sweet. But Seth didn’t want to bond with him. He’d only end up hurting the boy in the end, and that was the last thing he wanted.
So better to keep his distance. Draw a clear line in the sand and pray that Jason didn’t cross it. At least he didn’t have to worry about Sophie. The pigtailed imp had decided ages ago that she didn’t like him, and she seemed content to stick with her original impression of him.
“You okay?”
He lifted his head and found Miranda’s concerned eyes on him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You got really quiet all of a sudden.”
“Just thinking, that’s all.”
“Mom,” Sophie piped up. “Can me and Jase have quarters for the gumball machine?”
Miranda glanced at her children’s empty plates and gave a pleased nod. “Sure, but only one gumball each, okay?” She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet.
After the kids dashed off toward the bright red candy machine across the room, she turned back to Seth. “You didn’t have to come, you know,” she said quietly.
His voice was gruff. “I know.”
“So why did you?”
“Honestly? I have no idea.”
Evidently that wasn’t the answer she’d hoped for, because a wrinkle appeared in her forehead and she seemed to be chewing on the inside of her cheek.
Their waitress approached to collect their plates, sparing Seth from having to elaborate.
“You folks need anything else?” the curly-haired server asked with a smile.
“Just the bill, please,” Miranda replied.
“No problem.” The young woman took a step away, then stopped and looked from Seth to Miranda. “By the way, you have lovely children.” Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial pitch. “Much better behaved than a lot of the other kids that come in here.”
Miranda grinned. “You know, the twins have only ever thrown one tantrum in public.”