Free A Trade For Good by Bria Daly

"You wouldn't move
far would you?"
    "No, it would still be in the same
school district, it would just be a little bigger to handle the new
baby..." Deb added quickly with a huge grin.
    "A baby! Deb, you didn't tell me! Oh
my God!” Sera had gotten up and stretched over the table to hug
them both. "This is so exciting! When were you going to tell
me?"
    Deb and Chad looked at each other with
a love that was obvious to anyone in view. "At dessert." Deb
laughed. “I hoped you'd approve.”
    "The more the merrier. I always wanted
at least a dozen, but then after Emma was born, I decided a third
of that was fine..." they all laughed at that comment, knowing Emma
made even the most hearty doubt their desire to parent, "not to
mention I lost the sperm donor,” she said and then turned a deeper
shade of pink looking quickly away from Jeff, “but honestly, I'm
really jealous, I always loved having kids, and although four isn't
shabby," she added with a grin, “it's kind of sad knowing that I
won't have any more."
    "Who says you can't?" This time it was
Jeff who asked the question.
    "Let's just say things aren't looking
good right now." Sera told them sadly. "But enough of that. I may
just win the lottery one of these days and adopt a school in Africa
and have all the kids I want."
    "Or," Deb answered slowly, "you may
find someone decent who will love you and your kids and realize how
lucky he is." And with a note of mischief, "Maybe someone
established, someone who owns his own business and can create his
own hours to spend the time you deserve with you."
    "Maybe... although I
believe that in order to get married, you're supposed to not be married already."
She offered smiling at her family and Jeff. "Anyway, this is about
you guys. No, actually it's not about you guys, it's about me. I'm
gonna be an Aunt again!" she clapped merrily.
    They were laughing when Jeff's food
came in and at the same time, Deb's cell phone rang. It was the
baby sitter, and she said she thought Eric, Deb and Chad's four
year old, had swallowed a shoe from one of his sister's Barbie’s.
What followed were questions to the baby sitter, and Jessie, the
sister who was now short a Barbie shoe, getting on the phone and
complaining about her brother always getting into her stuff. The
fact that he might choke on something was irrelevant.
    Chad told Deb Eric would poop it out
in a few days... he was ready for dessert, but as tempting as that
sounded, despite the fact that he mentioned dessert right after
mentioning Eric's bowel movements, Deb was not so concerned about
choking at this point, as she was of Jessie killing her brother, or
Eric needing some help to more easily 'poop' it out.
    In any event, Deb apologized and said
she was ready to go just as Sera grabbed her purse to leave with
her family.
    "You don't have to go Sera," Deb said
pointedly eyeing Jeff as she said it, "Jeff just got his food, and
you don't want him to eat alone do you?"
    "That's all right, I don't mind, but I
also don't mind driving you home." Jeff told Sera with what seemed
like genuine interest. "Unless, of course it's time for you to be
back with the kids..."
    "She can stay," Deb threw in, "I'll
just send the baby-sitter off unless we need to go to the Emergency
room. Unfortunately, they know us well there, but I think he's
fine, I just want to check for myself, and make sure his sister
doesn’t kill him. Sera stay here, if I need you, I'll
call."
    Chad and Deb waved a quick good-bye
and didn't give Sera a chance to leave with them. Sera looked at
Jeff who was still sitting next to her on the restaurant booth, and
asked him, "Would you like me to move to the other
side?"
    "No," he smiled, "this is quite cozy
actually."
    Sera wondered if Jeff was flirting
with her now. He knew she was still married and wondered why he
would bother. He seemed too decent to try anything just to get in
her bed.
    "Tell me about your kids." He suddenly
asked.
    Obviously, he was not trying to get
her into