As he approached, she looked for traces of his father. She hadn’t seen Jeremy in over seventeen years and his image wasn’t as clear as it had been, but she knew there were parts of him in her son’s square jaw and broad shoulders.

He passed her the kid’s burger and salad she’d ordered, then opened the first of his two Quarter Pounders with cheese.

She waited until he’d finished half of the first burger before saying, “I heard from your dad.”

Cooper looked at her, then raised and lowered one shoulder. Not an unexpected response.

The first time Jeremy had contacted her, she’d debated for days before telling her son. He’d been so excited and had waited for nearly a month to find out if his dad would call back and want to see him. But Jeremy hadn’t and Coop had slowly gotten over his disappointment. Over time they’d both learned that Jeremy checked in every few years, but never made any attempt to take things further. Until now.

“He lives in LA,” she said, poking at her salad. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry. “He’s married, again, with a couple of little kids.”

Cooper finished the first burger. “Big deal. This is his what? Third marriage? Mom, why are you telling me this?”

She met his dark gaze. “He said he wants to get to know you. He regrets what he’s missed and would like to have some kind of relationship with you.”

Cooper’s eyes widened. “He said that?”

“Uh-huh.”

“But he never wanted to before. Why now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s grown up enough to realize what he missed. Maybe having more kids has shown him being a dad is a great gig.” She made herself smile. “He’s your dad, Coop. You should think about getting to know him.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“Of course,” she lied. “I’ll admit that I’ve loved having you all to myself, but I always knew you wanted to have a relationship with him. Why don’t you get in touch and see if you can set up a meeting? There would be time for lunch after the UCLA tour. You could meet him and then join the rest of us on the beach.”

Cooper looked both hopeful and worried. “You’re sure?”

“I am.” She picked up her burger, as if she were comfortable enough to eat. “He’s a movie producer. That could be fun to talk about.”

“He’s in the movie business?” Coop sounded excited.

“He is.” She pulled Jeremy’s phone number out of her back pocket. “Text him and see what he says. We’re going to be hanging out by the pier in Santa Monica. Have him pick a place and we’ll drop you off there, then you can meet up with us.”

He gave her a wide grin. “This is the best, Mom. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She pointed at his lunch. “Finish eating before you text him. If you don’t, you’ll be starving later, and I’m pretty sure Coach Kinne meant what he said about not stopping.”