Chapter 10

            It was Thursday afternoon, and Regina was concerned about her interaction with Scott. He had avoided her like the plague on Wednesday. When she went out to speak to him this morning, he wouldn’t look at her as they talked.

            There had to be a way to get him to lighten up and get back to the easy manner they once had. She found Scott easy to talk to. It was like he didn’t judge her, and there was always understanding in his eyes. She still hadn’t told Mika or the rest of her friends that she was getting a divorce. They were good friends, but they were still women. It had been Regina’s experience that women were two-faced no matter how long they were friends with someone. She really wasn’t ready to be gossiped about behind her back.

            There was a tapping on her patio door.

            She thought it was strange because if the guys had to come in to use the bathroom, they would just come in. Regina slid the patio door open to Clay Jenkins beaming up at her.

            “Hi, Ms. Regina,” the boy chirped with a big grin.

            “Hi,” she said in a high-pitched tone. She looked up at Scott who was standing behind Clay.

            “I thought I’d take you up on Clay hanging out with you for a few hours.”

            “Great! Come in,” she said. She really did like kids. None of her friends in Florida or her female acquaintances in Livingston had children, so she didn’t get to spend very much time with them.

            “Thanks,” Clay said as he walked into her kitchen.

            “All right, Clay, you keep Ms. Regina company while I finish up out here with the guys.”

            “You’re not coming in?” she asked. She hoped the disappointment didn’t show on her face.

            “I can’t right now, but I’ll be in at five to collect your visitor.”

            “See ya, Dad,” Clay said as he pulled a chair out from the kitchen table.

            He chuckled. “I guess that’s my cue,” he said with a smirk. He turned and walked away from the threshold.

            Regina slid the door closed. She turned to look at Clay. He was a handsome little boy. He had the same smirk and thick, dark hair as his father, and he had a cute little nose. “So, are you hungry?”

            “No ma’am.”

            She smiled. “You don’t have to call me ma’am.”

            “Oh, yes I do. My dad said that you always treat women with respect and to call the ones older than you ma’am.”

            He was such an adorable little thing. “All right. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your father. So, what do you like to do when you’re not in school?” she asked as she sat at the table with him.

            “I like to play video games and swim.”

            They spent the next hour and a half talking. Regina didn’t know a nine-year-old boy would have so much to say. She didn’t mind. She found him charming and interesting.

            “Um, Ms. Regina?”

            “Yes.”

            “Whatever you got in the pot on your counter sure does smell good. Do you mind if I ask what it is?”

            “Not at all. It’s chicken and dumplings,” she answered. Regina had gotten a taste for it for dinner, so she threw the ingredients into the crockpot so it would be ready for her to dig into that evening. “Do you like chicken and dumplings?”

            “I don’t know. I’ve never had it before.”

            Regina got an idea that could break the ice between her and Scott. “Would you like to eat dinner with me this evening?”

            Clay’s eyes lit up. “Would I? You bet, but . . . I don’t think my dad will go for it. He would be afraid we’re imposing.”

            “Hmm. Perhaps I can talk him into it.”

            “Do you have dessert too?”

            “How does strawberry cake with white cream-cheese frosting sound?” she asked with a smile.

            “Oh boy!” he said with excitement. “We have to talk Dad into having dinner here!”

            “Yes we do,” she said with a smirk.

            By five o’clock, Regina was sitting on her living room couch with Clay snuggled up next to her. He seemed to like her a lot. They were watching The Lion King. He had seen it before. It was his favorite movie.

            “Hey! Where are you guys?” Scott yelled out.

            “We’re in the living room,” Regina answered.

            Clay snuggled his head against Regina’s upper arm as Scott walked in.

            He smiled at them. “Who has who eating out of their hand?”

            “No one,” she replied. “We’re just enjoying The Lion King.”

            “Yeah,” Clay chimed.

            “That’s great, but we’re finished for the day. It’s time to go home, son.”

            “Actually, I was hoping you two could stay for dinner. Chicken and dumplings,” she said sweetly.

            “That’s nice of you, but I smell worse than a horse in a barn,” Scott said. “I seriously doubt you want me smelling up your dining room as you’re trying to eat.”

            “Dinner won’t be ready for another hour. You can run home and change, and young Clay can stay here and finish watching the movie with me.”

            “Yeah, Dad. We won’t start eating without you.”

            Scott hemmed and hawed for a moment.

            Regina and Clay brought their faces side by side. They pressed their cheeks together and said “Please” in high-pitched voices.

            Scott laughed.

“I finished my homework before we came over, Dad,” Clay added.

Scott grinned, flashing his teeth. “Oh, all right. I can’t say no to both of you. I’ll run home and change.”

“Yay!” Clay cheered and wrapped his arms around Regina’s neck, giving her a hug.