Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
“So ... did your turkey get basted last night?” my sister asks.
I cringe, but can’t help smiling at the same time. “No, Blair. We just talked.”
“You said it’s just a sex thing, though.”
I shrug. “I just wanted some time with him.”
“I get it. Yesterday was a lot.” She walks over to the fridge and takes out a package of bacon. “The cinnamon rolls are thawed and the oven is preheated.”
“I thought you’d sleep in today.”
She scoffs. “I wish. I got up to pee and my to-do list was activated in my brain.”
“Do you have to study today?”
“Nope. Family day, remember? The boys are excited about ice skating. But I do need to do some laundry and cleaning before the fun starts.”
I busy myself getting cinnamon rolls arranged in a pan, nervous about Noel being in Coop’s room. How long does it take a kid his age to get attached to someone? And is Noel just playing with him to be nice?
I wipe my hands on a towel. “I should go save him.”
“Don’t,” Blair says from the stove. “He’s a big boy; he can take care of himself.”
I guess she’s right. It still feels weird, having someone from work, my unserious relationship, and my family all mashing up unexpectedly.
Once the cinnamon rolls are in the oven, I help Blair crack eggs into a bowl, then whisk them while she tends to the bacon.
“Doing okay?” she asks me.
“Of course. Put the splatter screen on that.”
“Well, you-know-who didn’t try to break in overnight. That’s a plus.”
My shoulders sink at the thought. It could still happen. “I should’ve bought her a bus ticket to somewhere far away.”
“We could help her get a passport, take her on a trip to Mexico, then take her passport and leave her there.”
I scoff. “I can’t even spend five minutes with her. I’d be opening the airplane door and parachuting out.”
I whisk the eggs together, Blair taking the bowl from me when I’m done. “Go get the boys. Eli, too. I’ll cook the eggs. The bacon and cinnamon rolls are almost done.”
When I reach the top of the stairs, I stop to see if I can hear what’s going on in Coop’s room.
“Oh, your car needs gas,” Coop says. “Park right there ... This is how you do it.”
My heart. He’s making the whooshing noise we always do when we’re playing cars to signify gas going into the car.
“Do you need new tires?” Eli asks.
“Yes, I do,” Noel says. “How can I get new tires?”
“You drive it into here. I can put your car in the air.”
“Nice. And then we can get back to racing?”
I walk over to the door to Coop’s room, looking in. All three of them are on the floor, Cooper lying on his stomach and Noel and Eli sitting.
“Time for breakfast, boys,” I say, my heart racing when Noel’s eyes meet mine.
“Leave your car right there,” Eli tells Noel. “I’ll put new tires on.”
The boys pop up from the floor and leave the room, Noel taking a little longer to get up.
“Want some breakfast?” I ask. “We have coffee.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I make the best cinnamon rolls ever.”
I lead the way back downstairs, Noel following.
“I wanted that one!” Eli cries. “Mom!”
“I’ll tear it in half and you can share it.”
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s all the same bacon. None of it is special.”
“Or maybe all of it is,” Noel says, a smile in his voice. “It’s not every day someone makes me a nice breakfast like this. Thanks for cooking breakfast, Blair and Jules.”
That ends the argument.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Eli says.
“Noel, you can sit by me,” Coop says.
Eli wants to sit on his other side, and both boys fight for Noel’s attention while they’re all eating. Noel drinks two cups of coffee in fifteen minutes, likely as tired as I am from our hours of talking.
But it was nice. Really nice. When I said I was done talking about my mother, he dropped it. We talked about everything and nothing.
“That was delicious, thank you.” Noel brings his dishes over to the sink. “I’m sorry I have to go.”
“No.” Coop looks crestfallen.
“When are you coming back?” Eli asks.
“He’ll be back sometime,” I say, keeping things vague. I turn to Noel. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Once we’re there, he gives my hand a quick squeeze and mouths, “Sorry”.
“It’s okay,” I say softly. “Thanks for playing with them.”
“It was fun.”
A second of awkward silence passes before I say, “I’ll see you Monday.”
He nods and turns, and I close the door. With a deep breath, I go back to the kitchen, doing my best to play it cool despite the very unexpected turn things took.
“I have the best idea.”
Talia’s bursting with excitement when she walks into my office Monday morning, carrying a tray with two hot drinks from a local coffee shop.