“Remember the rules?”
Maggie nodded.
“Stay with Claire. Listen. Don’t run away. Use inside voice inside.”
“And?”
“No climbing things that say do not climb.”
“Important one.”
Maggie saluted him.
Ethan looked at Claire.
“You have my number.”
“And you have mine.”
“Call for anything.”
“I will.”
He hesitated.
Claire understood.
“This is hard, isn’t it?”
Ethan lowered his voice.
“She’s never gone off with someone I’ve known for less than a week.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
“I trust you enough to try.”
Claire nodded.
“I won’t take that lightly.”
He looked relieved.
“Thank you.”
After he left, Maggie took Claire’s hand.
“Now it’s our mom day.”
The words hit differently than they had in the park.
Claire squeezed her hand.
“Okay.”
They ate lunch at a small café.
Maggie chose grilled cheese and apple slices.
Claire asked what she wanted to do next.
Maggie thought very seriously.
“Can we get hot chocolate?”
“Absolutely.”
“My mommy used to get hot chocolate with me when I was little.”
Claire’s smile softened.
“You remember?”
“A little.”
Maggie stared into her cup of milk.
“She put too many marshmallows in it.”
“There is no such thing.”
“That’s what she said.”
They found a place a few blocks away.
Claire let Maggie choose the table.
Maggie chose one by the window because she liked watching people walk past.
When the hot chocolate arrived, Maggie used her spoon to eat the whipped cream first.
