“Another delicious meal, thank you.” Blaise put his spoon onto the plate, a floral design around the edge. It amused him that Claire brought out the best china whenever he ate with them. The apple pie and fresh cream had been nothing like he’d eaten before. He was glad he’d taken out a gym membership here at Wilkton, otherwise with all this great home-cooked food, he’d be packing on the pounds.
“I’ll help you clean the dishes.” Blaise stood from the chair at the kitchen table where he, Dusty, and her mom had been eating their very late dinner.
“You will not.” Claire waved her finger at him. “You two should go into the living room. I’ll clean up.”
“Mom, I can help. It won’t take long.”
Claire opened her mouth as if to say no.
Blaise interjected. “Good idea. If we all help, then it will be a lot quicker. You’ve had a big day, too.” He took his plate to the sink and began running the water to start washing the dishes.
“Did you Mom? What did you get up to?” Dusty collected her mom’s plate.
“Just the usual.”
“Trip into town went well?” Blaise couldn’t help trying to find out what she’d gotten up to in town. He was getting to know Claire, and she was normally so open with what she was up to. Though, at this time of the year, maybe it was the Christmas gift shopping she was doing. Another reminder that he hadn’t gotten anything for Dusty yet. It was hard to come up with an idea of what to get her when he wasn’t sure what their future together was going to be.
“It did, thanks,” Claire answered. She put the cream away in the fridge and packed the leftover apple pie for later.
“Coffee with the girls?” asked Blaise as he began to scrub the plates.
“Not today, I will tomorrow.”
Dusty pulled the tea towel off the oven handle and stood waiting to dry the dishes. She flicked the tea towel and said, “Come on, you’re way too slow.”
“I don’t want to break your mom’s good china.”
Dusty rolled her eyes. “No, you don’t.”
Blaise put the first plate in the rack, he was building into a rhythm. “Just you wait, you’ll be struggling to keep up.”
“This isn’t a race,” interjected Claire with a laugh.
Blaise grinned. “I’m not competing.”
He could see this as being the future with Dusty. A family. He glanced at her as she concentrated drying the plates and staking them on the kitchen table for her mom to put away.
“Like hell you aren’t.” Dusty flicked the towel onto his backside.
“Ow.” He jumped. “That’s not fair, you’re distracting me.”
Dusty laughed, so he grabbed a handful of bubbles and blew them on her face.
“Hey, you’re playing dirty.” She wiped her face with the tea towel.
“I learned from the best.” He stacked the last bowl on the rack, then started on the cutlery.
Dusty winked at him.
Heat flowed through him, pushing away the hurt at the lack of response to his question earlier about moving in. Sure, it hadn’t been the best timing to ask, but he couldn’t help it. He had to know. He still wanted to know. For now, though, he was content with at least getting some time with Dusty. It was good seeing her laugh—it was almost melting the tired lines away from under her eyes.
“Done.” Blaise pulled the plug in the sink, then grabbed the tea towel from Dusty to wipe his hands.
“Hey.” Dusty tried unsuccessfully to get it off him, her hands grabbing wildly at him.
Blaise kept turning, keeping her chasing him. “Oh, you want the tea towel back?” He stepped back, then gave it a sharp flick, snapping it on her hip.
“Ow.”
