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For the next few minutes, she took orders and cleared plates from
other tables, delivered a couple of meals, and finally returned with
the basket of hush puppies.
“Be careful,” she said. “They’re still hot.”
“That’s when they’re the best,” Josh said, reaching into the basket.
Kristen reached for one as well.
“We went butterfly hunting today,” she said.
“You did?”
“Yep. But we didn’t hurt them. We let them go.”
“That sounds like fun. Did you have a good time?”
“It was awesome!” Josh said. “I caught, like, a hundred of them!
And then we went swimming.”
“What a great day,” Katie said sincerely. “No wonder your dad is
tired.”
“I’m not tired,” both Josh and Kristen said, almost simultaneously.
“Maybe not,” Alex said, “but you’re both still going to bed early.
Because your poor old dad needs to go to sleep.”
Katie shook her head. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said.
“You’re not poor.”
It took him a moment to realize she was teasing, and he laughed.
It was loud enough for the people at the next table to notice,
though he didn’t seem to care.
“I come in here to relax and enjoy my dinner, and I end up getting
picked on by the waitress.”
“It’s a tough life.”