Page 24 of Jane Deyre

Mentally, I add another thing to my shopping list: a car seat. And I know just where to get it.

One-stop shopping.

CHAPTER 13

Ward

Ican’t believe I’m eating at McDonald’s. I’ve never eaten at one in my entire life. My mother poo-pooed them. Her idea of fast food was going to a five-star restaurant and having my meal delivered quickly before she had to pay the bill and I had a tantrum. I wasn’t an easy child. I think it’s because I never knew my father. And still don’t. McDonald’s, like my father, has never been in my life. Plus, where I normally reside, the nearest McDonald’s is fifty miles away. I’ve never traveled there.

Jane orders for the three of us; I pay for it. A cheeseburger and fries and a black coffee for me. The same for her except a Coke instead of a coffee. And for Adele, a six-piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal with a strawberry shake.

I have to admit I’m enjoying the cheeseburger. It’s better than I thought it would be, and I was starving. Unlike Céline who lived on booze, caviar, and French cigarettes, Jane consumes her burger heartily, taking intermittent sips of her Coke, while my daughter gobbles down her chicken bits. I’m pleased she’s eating. She’s barely eaten a thing since she arrived in LA.

“Look, Papa! Look, Jane! There’s a toy inside my Happy Meal!”

“Open it up,” says Jane.

My gaze stays on my daughter as she tears it open. Her eyes light up.

“Look, it’s the Smurfette!”

“It’s a promotional tie-in with the upcoming movie.”

“What does that mean?”

A smile forms on the lips of her nanny. “Something that’s meant to be.”

My ravenous daughter downs all of her McNuggets. Finishes the fries and guzzles the shake. She eyes the play area. There are a couple of slides and a bin full of colorful balls.

“Papa, Jane, can I go play?”

I look to Jane.

She nods.

“Yes,” I tell my daughter after another sip of my coffee. “Be careful.”

At those benign two words, Jane flinches.

Gleefully, Adele skips away.

Leaving me alone with her new nanny.

Beneath the table, a fire swells between my thighs.

I wish I could order a McBourbon.

CHAPTER 14

Jane

Sipping my Coke, I keep a watchful eye on Adele.

“Looks like your daughter is having a lot of fun,” I tell her father.

His back to her, he peers over his shoulder and then returns his gaze to me.

“Yeah. This is the happiest I’ve seen her all week.”