“Mom?”—I hear a very sad little voice. People walking by don’t pay attention to the toddler. He wobbles across the glossy floor and reaches out little hands to everyone.
He notices me.
Tiny palms grip my pants leg. The baby’s head tilts back. And our eyes meet.
“Mom?”
Not at all. Not “mom”—I shake my head.
The little one sniffs. His eyes get wet. But he doesn’t start crying. He releases my pants leg, then turns his head again, searching for his mother.
“Let’s go find your mom,” I decide to help the kid.
I’ve never dealt with children before. I don’t know how to behave around them, how to talk to them. But I’ll have to—because I decided to help this lost toddler find his mother. And that brings serious problems. And what a surprise awaits me when I find out WHO his mother is.