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his hand and there was no way a woman was sitting at his table and paying for her own meal. His late mother had taught him better than that. He laid some cash on the table and stood. “We’ll walk you to your car and make sure you get in all right.”
    Ben giggled. “I’ll wheel you to your car, Principal Chandler.”
    She hesitated, still focused on the bill. “Are you sure about picking up the check?”
    “Unless you think that fiancé of yours will mind your student treating you to dinner,” Micah joked, but something flashed behind her eyes. Sadness?
    She stood and they exited the restaurant together, stepping out into the cool night. She headed toward a black Mazda in the parking lot.
    “This is me,” she said.
    “We’ll wait until you get inside.” Micah looked down at Ben. “Are you taking notes? This is how you treat a lady.”
And you don’t ever go after another man’s woman.
    Ben’s grin made his gut twist a little. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his son. Telling him about Jessica’s deployment would definitely hurt, but it needed to be done before bed tonight. The sooner, the better.
    He looked over at Kat, who was now shaking her purse frantically. She crouched down and began dumping it out on the pavement beside the car. “Something wrong?” he asked, stepping forward and leaving Ben parked on the curb.
    She blew out a breath. “I can’t find my keys. They’ve got to be in here somewhere.” She shook the bag again. “No jingle. I’ll just walk inside and see if I left them in there.” She stuffed the strewn contents back in her bag and stood up.
    “We’ll wait,” Micah said, watching as she headed back toward the entrance to Kirk’s Pizza House. His gaze ran down her backside as she walked away. He liked this view more than the starry sky that was occupying Ben’s attention right now. A few minutes later, she reappeared and shook her head.
    “Looks like you’ll be riding home with us then.”
    Her eyes widened. “Home with you?”
    “No.” He chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I mean, yes, if you wanted to, but I definitely don’t think your fiancé would approve of you coming back to my place.” He said it on purpose this time, waiting to see the sadness flicker in her eyes again. What was that? And where was this guy of hers? Why was she eating alone? “I meant that we’d take you to your home, and then we’d go to our own.”
    “Right.” She hugged her purse close to her body, laughing nervously. “I’m so sorry. I’m ruining your father-son night.”
    “You’re not. Trust me.” He unlocked his Jeep and opened the door for her. Then he went through the ritual of picking up Ben and placing him in the backseat, folding up his wheelchair and placing it in the trunk. Five minutes later, he was seated in the driver’s seat and pulling onto the main road with Kat seated beside him.
    “I sometimes ride in the front with Dad, but a man always gives up his seat for a lady,” Ben announced proudly.
    “That’s right, buddy.” He turned to Kat. “Where to?”
    “Three-eleven Sage Ridge Drive.”
    Micah stiffened at the address. He and Ben had only lived in Seaside for a few months, but they knew that road well. He glanced in the rearview mirror, surprised that Ben wasn’t piping up about the fact that Nicole, the last woman he’d gone out with, lived on that road, too. Ben was too busy staring at Kat, though.
    His son’s questions started again.
    “Do you know what an Osprey is?” Ben asked.
    She fidgeted with the ring on her finger as she glanced over her shoulder. “A bird,” she said, offering Ben a playful wink. “But it’s also a helicopter.”
    Micah knew his son. Although he’d be impressed she knew that much, the vague helicopter answer wouldn’t suffice. And seeing that Micah had been flying an Osprey for the last seven years, Ben knew more about Ospreys than the typical eight-year-old.
    “It’s a tilt-rotor aircraft