Chapter 53 It Takes Two to Tango
Aware of the glances from the neighbors, Jessica quickly picked up the pace, making her way out of the community. As she prepared to cross at the pedestrian crosswalk, she paused for the walk signal. That's when Danielle looked up at Gabriel and then at her Mommy, who was busy replying to messages on Skype, and blurted out, "Mommy, Spencer's so handsome. Are you sure you don't want to marry him?"
Jessica jerked her gaze away from her cell phone, glaring at her daughter. "Danielle, I've warned you more than once not to talk nonsense."
Danielle pouted and tightened her grip on Gabriel's hand, seeking his support. In a murmur, she added, "If you don't want Spencer, I'll take him. Wait for me to grow up, Spencer l—I'll marry you!"
If it hadn't been for the fact that they were on a busy street, Jessica would have been sorely tempted to smack some sense into Danielle's head.
"One more word, and I'm really going to spank you," Jessica warned, putting her cell phone back into her pocket, her expression suddenly stern.
Danielle quickly grabbed Gabriel's hand with one hand and clung to his leg with the other as if pleading for protection.
Frustrated, Jessica muttered behind Gabriel after they crossed the street and found themselves in a quieter area, "You're just the kind of trouble caused by a handsome face, stirring up arguments between my daughter and me, aren't you?"
Gabriel, holding Danielle's little hand, responded calmly to her, remarking, "It takes two to tango."
Jessica was perplexed.
It wasn't until they were nearly at the supermarket that she grasped what he meant.
Was that his roundabout way of complimenting her looks?
Jessica promptly and pragmatically let go of her irritation.
Jessica ambled through the fruit and vegetable section, filling her cart with fresh produce, fish, and meat. Having a fondness for cooking when time allowed, she always found herself buying an array of ingredients and seasonings on her supermarket visits.
Having nearly completed her shopping, she turned toward the chilled section for milk.
The petite woman stood in front of the refrigerator, carefully checking the expiration dates on the milk cartons. Gabriel stood behind her, one hand on the shopping cart and the other holding Danielle, to prevent the little girl from wandering off and getting lost in the supermarket.
Suddenly, a group of rowdy students, who seemed to have come from out of nowhere, were horsing around near them. They looked like high school kids, each with a heavy backpack weighing them down. They were all boys, and their playful ruckus escalated quickly, turning into a chase throughout the store aisles.
Seeing the group of stout boys running toward them, Gabriel instinctively pulled Danielle aside to prevent her from being knocked over.
Jessica was still focused on selecting milk when one of the bigger boys, in the midst of running, was shoved. He lost his balance and stumbled toward Jessica, his back facing down, the heavy backpack looking poised to collide with her.
Gabriel, with quick reflexes, stepped forward, but it was too late to push her out of the way completely. He managed to make Danielle to the side, and he heaved Jessica backward, but as he did, he was struck by the weight of the backpack filled with who knows how many books, along with the big boy's weight, crashing onto his chest.
Jessica, suddenly pulled by a great force, looked up in shock at the scene unfolding: "Spencer!"
