It Had to be You

Chapter 8

After reuniting with Claire, Owen had let Mason keep his cellphone to play with it. Unlike the redhead's, this one had some cool games. The kids had spent at least half an hour playing on it, taking turn with Lizzie. The kids and their parents were on a bench already in the petting zoo end of the trip, it hadn't been a surprise for Claire that after losing her kid (and looking around for him) they had ended up missing the bus.

Both adults were now trying to figure out an strategy to head home on their own. The redhead had to go back to work, her boss was expecting her for her presentation later that afternoon and on his end, Owen had to go pick his bike.

"We all take a cab to school so I can fetch my bike—"

"You can't ride both kids on that." Claire shook her head.

"You take them home and I meet you there?" He suggested.

"I have to be back to work in an hour." She couldn't afford to do that long trip.

"You leave to work, I take them home and then go —"

"And who's going to keep an eye on them while you go get your bike?" Claire wondered.

Owen didn't have any more ideas, and just slid his hands over his face, this was worse than that stupid riddle about a fox, a rabbit, and some lettuce. On her end, Claire was frustrated and kept checking the time on her wristwatch. This promotion was something she couldn't afford miss, and she was starting to feel the time they were wasting heavy on her. "What?" She narrowed her eyes, catching Owen staring at her and smiling like a fool to himself.

"You look so beautiful when you are upset." He grinned. The redhead smiling back and rolling her eyes. Claire rubbed the back of her neck and tried to concentrate.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Lizzie pouted, tugging from his shirt. "Mommy, I'm hungry too." Mason added.

The redhead pulled her wallet out and handed Owen a ten bill, "Can you go get them some pizza? Maybe a slice each and  I don't know, you can make that three and we share?" She flirted.

"One with everything?" He kept her hand on his for a second upon taking the money.

Claire nodded, "that's fine, babe." She widen her eyes realizing how she had called him and nibbled on her lower lip trying to keep her cheeks from blushing, "—-um, and maybe they can cut you his in squares?" She mumbled wishing she could hide her face.

"You got it, babe~" He offered a cheeky smile, their eyes flirting before he finally let go of her hand and headed to the small pizza kart a few yards away from them.

The redhead stood behind, taking care of the kids who had gone back to playing with the cellphone. She tried to keep thinking on a way to get the kids out of the zoo, over to the house, and be able to get Owen's bike also. "Mommy..." Mason's voice pulled her out of her intense thinking.

"Hmm?"

"There's an Annababe who keeps calling Owen." The kids kept hanging up on her annoyed she was interrupting their game, however they knew that insisting calling meant it was probably an emergency.

"Annabelle?" She corrected the kid, still not knowing who that was.

"No. Annababe!" Mason insisted and once the phone started going off again, the redhead could read the caller ID for herself.

"Give me that." She took the cellphone away from the kid and without thinking she answered the call, bringing the phone over to her ear.

"Hey sexy~" The female on the other end greeted after the call had been picked up.