Chapter 1 - The Worst First Impression
John Walker had expected the woman from the blind date profile to look like the photograph he had seen before agreeing to meet her. Instead, 23 minutes after the agreed time, a different version of her rushed through the restaurant doors: one sneaker untied, hair slipping loose from a messy bun, a large diaper bag hanging from one shoulder, and a sleeping child draped across the other.
For a moment, John wondered whether she had mistaken him for someone else. The hostess looked nearly as confused as he felt. Then the woman spotted him at the table near the window and stopped. Mortification crossed her face.
“Oh, no,” she muttered.
She hurried toward him. “I’m so sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I know I’m late.”
John glanced at the sleeping boy on her shoulder. That part, by then, was difficult to ignore.
Color rose in her cheeks. “Right. Of course, the child.”
The boy stayed asleep, one small hand wrapped around a plastic green dinosaur. John stood automatically.
“Uh, hi,” he said.
For a few seconds, neither of them seemed to know what to do. The situation was so absurd that John almost laughed. Instead, he pulled out a chair.
“Would you like to sit down?”
“Yes, please,” she said. “Before I pass out from embarrassment.”
That made him smile.
She lowered herself carefully into the chair while keeping the child asleep against her shoulder. The dinosaur nearly slipped from his hand, and she caught it. The diaper bag slid to the floor. A juice box rolled across the restaurant. A waiter stopped it with his foot.
“Thank you,” Olivia said weakly.
The waiter gave her a sympathetic nod. John sat down again, and for a few moments neither of them spoke. Finally, Olivia exhaled.
“The babysitter canceled 40 minutes ago,” she said. “I tried calling everyone.” She laughed nervously. “Apparently, all my emergency contacts had emergencies of their own.”
“You could have canceled,” John said.
“I already canceled twice.” She looked down. “I figured if I canceled again, you’d assume I wasn’t interested.”
John studied her. Most people he dated worked hard to appear impressive. Olivia looked as though she had barely survived the day, and somehow that felt more honest than anything he had encountered in years.
“So you brought him?”
She nodded. “He fell asleep in the car.”
“What’s his name?”
“Noah.”
As if hearing his name, Noah shifted slightly but remained asleep. John looked at the dinosaur in his hand.
“Does the dinosaur have a name too?”
Olivia groaned. “Unfortunately.”
“What is it?”
“Sir Chomp-a-Lot.”
John laughed, a real laugh, the first one of the evening. “That’s a fantastic name.”
“Noah named him when he was 3.”
“How old is he now?”
“4.”
“Still a strong naming strategy.”
Olivia smiled despite herself, and some of the tension eased.
When the waiter came to take their orders, Olivia immediately chose the cheapest item on the menu. John noticed, but he did not comment. Instead, he ordered pasta and a pizza to share.
“That’s too much food,” Olivia said.
“Then we’ll have leftovers.”
She looked as though she wanted to argue, but she did not seem to have the energy.
When the food arrived, Noah remained asleep for 10 peaceful minutes. During that time, John and Olivia managed something close to a normal conversation. She taught preschool. He ran a software company. She loved children’s books. He loved hiking and old science fiction movies. She was funny in a dry, self-deprecating way that kept catching him off guard.
Then Noah woke up.
His eyes landed on John. He stared. John stared back. Neither spoke.
Finally, Noah pointed. “Who’s that?”
Olivia nearly choked on her water. “This is John.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s his name.”
“No,” Noah said. “Why is he here?”
John covered his mouth to hide a laugh. “That’s actually a fair question.”
Olivia looked ready to crawl under the table. “We’re having dinner.”
Noah considered this. Then he looked directly at John.
“Are you rich?”
John inhaled water at exactly the wrong moment and started coughing hard. Olivia’s eyes widened.
“Oh my God.” She turned toward Noah. “Noah.”
“What?”
“You can’t ask people that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s rude.”
Noah looked unconvinced. He turned back to John. “You look expensive.”
For 3 full seconds, there was silence. Then John laughed so hard he nearly knocked over his glass. Olivia buried her face in her hands.
“I am so, so sorry.”
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“Please don’t be,” John said, still laughing. “That might be the most honest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Noah seemed pleased. He reached for a slice of pizza, then another, then half of John’s fries, and then several bites of John’s pasta.
