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“Just some kid.”
“Let’s get his hat back. What a little shit.”
“Not worth it, Kase. Not every battle is worth fighting. But some are.” I give him a side-glance and tap Liam’s nose. “Hey, kiddo. Ready to head back now? Hatless and all?”
“Bababababa, blubbbbb.”
“I agree. It is starting to feel cold again. Will we ever get out of winter, buddy? Come on, let’s go.” The incident with the boy frazzled me, reminded me that sometimes, we have to roll with the punches, deal with what we’re given.
Right now, I’m trying to handle the situation with me and Kase as best as I can.
“We can’t do dinner,” Kase says. My heart, already deflated on the edge of hopelessness, completely falls flat. “My father-in-law wants to see me tonight. Celebratory happy hour,” he says in a stately fashion. “Business associates from the company will be there. In fact, we gotta hurry.”
“We?” I say hopefully. Could it be he needs a date or at the very least needs me there to watch Liam, since Mr. Roper might wish to also see his grandson?
Immediately, my brain mentally searches the clothes in my closet. There’s a chocolate dress that would look really great for an event like that. If I’m invited?
Kase shakes his head with a scoff, like it’s a silly idea. “No, hon. Not you. Just me. It’d be awkward to have the nanny there, don’t you think?” He gives a little laugh, like I’m some retarded fool, then pushes ahead of me and Liam on a mission to get back as quickly as possible.
I’m left behind. We—me and Liam.
I know I shouldn’t read into it, but I feel like shit all over again. Like the hired help, the loser at the bottom of the totem pole. The little woman who must stay behind and care for the baby while big man does big things at big business party. Grunt. Brushing it off my mind, I tell myself he didn’t mean it. He grew up poor, for Christ’s sake. But part of me wonders…or did he?