The crowded game room brought a sigh to Eric’s lips.  Screaming kids dashed past him.  One stepped on his toe, and he grimaced.  Grabbing his daughters’ hands, he waded into the fray.  Why, oh why, had he let Cindy and Joanna talk him into this madness?  He hadn’t minded these outings when Claire had been alive.  She’d been the greatest at handling these things.  He found an empty table and helped the girls into a seat.  With a smile, he divided the tokens between them, then said the magic word.  “Go.”  They disappeared in a flash.

            His gaze drifted around the room.  Most of the parents looked as intimidated as he did.  A few, though, appeared to enjoy the games as much as their kids.  I need to do that, he thought.  He slid out of the booth, stood and scanned the throng of faces for Cindy and Joanna.

            Loud cries from behind him caught his attention.  Eric glanced over his shoulder.  Two tables back, a young mother sat with two crying boys.  When he caught his gaze, she mouthed the word “sorry.”  He grinned and shrugged his shoulders.  He walked over to her table.  “Hey, they’re not bothering me.  Besides, there’s so much noise in here, no one can hear anything anyway.”

            She laughed, like a bell tinkling.  He liked the sound—and he liked her looks, curly blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes, and a figure that said look at me.  And he did.  His body roared to life.  There’d been no one in his life since Claire, and no one had interested him.  Until now.  It’d been so long since he had flirted, he wondered if he could remember how. “Your boys don’t look much like you.  With their dark hair and dark eyes, they must look like their father.”

            A shadow flitted across her face.  “Yeah,” she said abruptly, “they do.”  Then she shook her head.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

            “No problem.”

            “It’s just that I was divorced about six months ago, and I’m still coming to terms with it.  Every time I look at the boys I see him.”

            “That’s tough,” Eric said as he stroked his jaw.  “Didn’t mean to bring up such a sore subject.”

            “It’s not your fault, and I’ll get over it.”  She smiled at him.  “Thanks for being understanding.  Your wife’s a lucky woman.”

            Despite the fact that Claire had been gone a year, it still hurt.  “I lost my wife over a year ago.  My girls really miss their mom.”

            “Now it’s my turn to apologize.  I’m so sorry.  I saw your girls earlier.  They’re adorable.”

            “I don’t like girls,” the oldest boy said, hiccupping back a tear.

            Eric laughed.  “You will.  Just wait until you’re older.”

            “No, I won’t.  Mommy, can I go play now?”

            “Me too,” the younger one added.

            “Are you through crying?”

            “Yes, ma’am.”

            “Then you can go play.”

            After the boys left, an awkward silence settled over them.  He wanted to sit and talk more with her, but when she didn’t ask him to join her, he said, “Well, I guess I’d better go find my girls.  It was nice talking to you.”

            “Same here.”

            With a smile, Eric walked away.  Glancing over his shoulder, he caught her watching him.  Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze.  So she’d been a little interested.  Oh, well….  In a few moments, he saw Cindy and Joanna in the ball pit.  Marching over, he knelt beside the pit and tossed the brightly-colored balls at them.  They giggled and buried themselves in the balls.

            After about an hour, Eric decided he’d had enough.  A headache pounded at his temples, and the blonde hadn’t approached him.  Maybe he was too old to attract such a hottie.  He corralled the girls and headed for the door.  As they passed the bathroom, Cindy and Joanna stopped him.  “Daddy, Daddy, we’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

            He glanced at the long line of females waiting to get into the ladies’ room.  “Can’t you wait?  We’ll be home in a few minutes.”

            “No, no,” Joanna yelled and did that familiar dance.

            “No, Daddy,” Cindy added and joined in the dance.

            “But I can’t go in there,” Eric protested.  “I’m a guy.”

            “Quite a quandary,” came a voice from behind him. 

            He pivoted on his heel.  The pretty  mom stood there, her boys by her side.  “I can’t go in the little boys’ room, and you can’t go in the little girls’ room.”

            He grinned. “Maybe we can swap kids for a few minutes.  What do you think?”

            “I think it’s a great idea.”

            Five minutes later, Eric steered her and all four kids out the door.  “Crisis averted.”

            “Thanks for helping out,” she said.

            “Ditto.”  As she walked away, he grabbed her arm.  “Listen, I don’t know about you, but all this drama has made me hungry.  Would you like to get a bite to eat?

            “Well—“

            “Pizza,” yelled Cindy and Joanna.

            “Pizza,” yelled the two boys.

            “Would you like some pizza?” Eric asked. 

            “Sounds good to me.”

           “Pizza it is.”  He reached his hand out, and she shook it.  “My name is Eric.  What’s yours?”