Twins for the Teacher. Michele Dunaway

      “It was only a cookie and some apple juice,” Ethan inserted as he bounced up with his backpack in tow. “We didn’t get seconds because Sam didn’t have enough for everyone. I’m hungry. Let’s go to McDonald’s.”

      “I’m sick of McDonald’s. You always have to eat there. I want to go somewhere I like for a change,” Alli protested. “Dad, can I pick? Ethan always picks.”

      “I don’t like where you like,” Ethan argued. “I want some McNuggets.”

      “Well, I don’t. Da-ad,” Alli whined.

      “I was thinking we’d go someplace where you sit down with menus,” Hank tried.

      “That’s just like at the hotel,” Ethan said. “I’m tired of sitting in the restaurant. I want drive-thru.”

      “I don’t,” Hank said.

      “I don’t want to eat where your food comes out through a window unless it’s Arby’s,” Alli said. “I want roast beef.”

      “You two are worse than my brother Lance and I ever were,” Jolie interrupted. Her teacher-voice chastisement had both children staring at her. “Your dad just drove through traffic and there was an accident. Everyone’s hungry and you can’t get home for a while. Sitting down someplace might be good. My family and I always sat at a table. We did not eat in the backseat of a car.”

      “I’m tired of fancy,” Ethan said, and Hank rolled his eyes heavenward.

      “I’m tired of this debate,” Hank said. He glanced at Jolie. “Is there a place you’d suggest? We have at least an hour to kill.”

      “Can you stand Chuck E. Cheese’s?” she asked.

      That caught the kids’ attention. Chuck E. Cheese’s was a child mecca, with games to play and prizes to win.

      “We haven’t been there forever, Dad,” Ethan said.

      “You like the skeeball game,” Alli chimed in. Now that she and her brother were on the same page, they worked together to convince their dad.

      “I guess Chuck E. Cheese’s is fine,” Hank said, although it was obvious he wasn’t excited about the choice.

      Jolie smiled. “Probably not what you’d hoped for, but a good compromise.”

      “It’s noisy. I won’t be able to hear anything if anyone calls. I guess I could text.”

      “That’s the spirit.” Jolie moved behind her desk and shut down her computer. She might as well leave. By the time she got home and got something to eat, it’d be late.

      She heard some whispering as the kids stopped and talked to their dad just inside the doorway. She glanced over, expectant. “What’s wrong?”

      “Ethan and Alli would like you to join us,” Hank told her.

      “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Jolie said. Dinner with Hank seemed far too intimate and might be misinterpreted if anyone saw them.

      “Please?” Ethan and Alli chimed at once.

      “You could show us where it is, if nothing else. I’m not that familiar yet with this part of town,” Hank said.

      Alli tugged on her dad’s suit jacket. “Don’t they have a salad bar, Dad? Just in case you don’t like pizza,” Alli told Jolie, her smile hopeful.

      “Please join us,” Ethan said, trying manners as another tactic to cajole her.

      At that moment Jolie’s stomach rumbled. Eating dinner with a parent and his children pushed the boundaries, but she was hungry. She also wanted to talk to Hank about what Alli had said earlier. Besides, this wasn’t a date or anything—although part of her wished it was. Hopefully spending time with Hank wouldn’t be too torturous. She liked him and life wasn’t playing fair. She had to keep the relationship professional.

      “Only if I pay for my own dinner,” she said.

      “Yay!” the kids chorused as they raced out of the room and down the hall.

      Hank hovered for a moment. “You’re okay with this? You are saving me from sitting there alone, so trust me, I don’t mind.”

      She arched an eyebrow in query. Even to this day, all her grown brothers still had to get tokens of their own. “You don’t play the games?”

      “It’s easier to let Ethan and Alli run and enjoy themselves without me. Usually when we do stuff like this, I bring a book or do work.”

      “In that case, I’d actually like to talk with you. We can hold a follow-up conference in the booth. Ethan’s been much better.”

      “That’s good,” Hank said. “I hear a but coming, though.”

      “It’s not as bad as you think and we’ll talk at the restaurant.” She locked her classroom and they walked down the hall. Ethan and Alli were already outside in the big black Lexus sedan parked next to her tiny Prius.

      She moved the rug out of the school doorway, letting the outside door close and lock. “I’ll follow you,” Hank said.

      They reached their destination several minutes later. After entering and having their hands stamped with invisible ink, the group proceeded to the counter, where they ordered food and tokens for games. Although Jolie protested, Hank put the entire bill, including her unlimited-salad-bar order, on his credit card.