Must Love Flowers(61)

“I have…” She didn’t get to complete the sentence. A familiar face caught her attention, and she saw Nick walking toward her, as if this had been the plan all along. He was dressed in his swimsuit and had a beach towel draped around his neck.

“Nick?” Her mouth had gone completely dry. She wanted to ask him what he was doing at Wild Waves, but she couldn’t seem to form the question.

“Hey,” he said, as if she’d been expecting him all along. Both Caleb and Victoria stared up at him as if he was an action figure from their favorite television series. Maggie had to admit, with his bronze muscles and washboard abs, he caught the eye of more than these two children.

Maggie’s mouth sagged open until she finally found her wits. “Caleb and Victoria, this is my friend, Nick.”

“Hi, Nick,” Victoria said.

Caleb continued to stare at him as if viewing a Greek god.

“How did you know I was here?” Maggie asked the obvious. It was shocking that he’d found her in the huge park with literally hundreds of guests.

“Mom,” he said, as if that explained everything. Then, noticing that she’d opened the lunch basket, he asked, “What’s on the menu?”

“Looks like peanut butter and jelly,” Caleb answered, and didn’t bother to hide his disappointment.

Nick shook his head. “You can’t eat peanut butter at Wild Waves, it’s against the rules. I guess Ms. Herbert didn’t know that. When you’re here it’s hot dogs and cheeseburgers and cotton candy and ice cream.”

Maggie gently elbowed him in his side. “I can’t afford that,” she said out of the corner of her mouth.

Nick ignored her. “Come on, kids, let’s get lunch. I’m going to need help carrying it all.”

He didn’t need to ask twice, as he quickly acquired two eager volunteers.

“Nick?” Maggie whispered again.

“You better put in your order, Ms. Herbert,” Nick said.

Maggie blinked against the sun a couple times, unable to answer. It would take time to absorb the fact that Nick had given up his chance to sail on Lake Washington to spend his free afternoon with her and two children.

“Cheeseburger it is,” Nick decided for her. Taking Victoria’s hand, and with Caleb walking at his side, Nick headed in the direction of the food vendors.

While he was away, Maggie got out the drinks, spread the beach towels out along the bench of the picnic table, and prepared for their return. It seemed to take a long time before Caleb came racing back, his face a huge smile.

“Nick got us ice cream and cotton candy.”

“We had to eat the ice cream first because it was melting,” Victoria added, as she joined Caleb. She carried the drink container, being careful to keep a good hold on the carton.

Nick had the burgers, hot dogs, fries, chips, huge pickles, cookies, and cotton candy. From what Maggie could see, he’d bought out the store.

Caleb and Victoria climbed onto the picnic table bench, and Maggie opened up their hamburgers and sliced them in half, wondering if their small stomachs would be able to hold all this food.

Caleb’s mouth was full as he scarfed down a hot dog. “This is the best day of my life,” he said, before he swallowed.

Maggie didn’t want to ruin it by reminding him of his manners.

“My life, too,” Victoria agreed. “I’ve never been on a water slide before, and had both cotton candy and ice cream in the same day.”

After lunch the children wanted to take a few rides. Maggie was afraid with full stomachs it might be too much, but they insisted they were fine.

“I’ll keep a close eye on them,” Nick promised.

After the Ferris wheel and several other rides geared toward their size and age, they wanted to go back into the water. By five o’clock, both children were dragging, their energy spent.

When Maggie suggested it was time to leave, they both protested. “Not yet.”

“Please, can we stay a bit longer?”

“I want to go down the water slide again,” Victoria pleaded, her eyes huge as she stared hopefully up at Maggie.

She couldn’t refuse them. “Then rest for a few minutes first.”

As she suspected, they were both asleep within seconds. Maggie sat at their side, her arms wrapped around her bent knees.

Nick stretched out next to her, leaning back on his elbows and crossing his ankles.

“You checked up on me with Joan, didn’t you?” she asked, knowing full well he must have. While she shouldn’t be pleased, he’d been wonderful with the two children. One afternoon and they viewed Nick as their hero. She had to admit the purchased food was a lot more appetizing than the lunch she’d packed. Besides his generosity in buying all the treats, Nick had been patient with the kids, laughing and teasing with them. He carried Victoria around on his shoulders and took her into the deeper part of the water, swimming with her on his back and then doing the same with Caleb. He even went down the big water slide, holding on to Caleb as the two flew into the water, landing several feet away from the end of the slide.

“Are you upset with me?” Nick asked Maggie.

She threw a question back at him. “Should I be?”

He hesitated before answering. “Probably. All I heard when we spoke was that you had plans with someone named Caleb. It knocked me off-balance. I wasn’t expecting Caleb to be a second-grader.”