“Fabulous.” I lie, but I know that my face betrays me, and shelooks at her plate, like suddenly it’s covered in dogshit.
“Is it really that bad?”
“No. It’s fine.”
“You know, you were right earlier.”
“How’s that?”
“When you said you were bad at lying.”
As I tryto chew the dry cracker, I’m taking my time, letting the saliva doits job, so I don’t choke. She’s watching me, amused. Her smirk ismaking me want to laugh, but I’m trying like hell not to make herquestion whether or not to eat. Her stomach must be completelyempty. Finally, I swallow, and give her a thumbs up, but failmiserably at getting the message across.
“You suck. I’m ordering a pizza.” She says.
“No, don’t. You’re only going to throw it all up again. Eatthe crackers. Seriously. They’re not that bad. Just…a little dry isall.”
Her facebrightens. “I’ll put butter on them and pop them in themicrowave.”
“That’ll work.”
I helpher redo the crackers and get them ready, and then she hands me oneagain, letting me do a taste test. They taste markedly better. I’mnodding as I’m eating. “These are fantastic. Honest to goodness.” Isay sincerely, and then I try to grab another one, for goodmeasure.
“Forget it. You’re not getting another one.”
“I could have died.”
Shelooks at me. My face is as straight as I can muster. Then her lipssquish into a smile that she tries to fight, but we both break intoa chuckle. “I guess I’m officially your taste-tester, huh. Likewhat the royal people had back in the day, when they were afraidthat people would try to poison them.”
“That would be a great job.”
I followher to the couch, where she eats happily, even sharing one morewith me. When she’s finished, I pull her legs into my lap, and giveher feet a rub. “You keep this up and I’ll ask you to add that toyour list of things to do each day.”
“Not a problem.”
“Puuullllease.” Her tone is joking. “I suppose I could saveyou all the worry if I just drive on over to your mama’s houseevery day and eat there.”
“She’d love that. The more the merrier. We always have someoneover with us for dinner.” I lick my lips. “Only trouble is you’dhave to tell her.”
“Tell her wha…oh.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle.
“Shit, I almost forgot about the kid.” She looks at me. “Yourmama’s going to hate me, isn’t she.”
“Mama don’t hate anyone and that’s the truth. She may likesome less, but she tells them so.”
“Yeah, but if I…oh, yeah…you said something a little bit crazyearlier.”
“The bit about adopting the little tyke myself?”
“Yeah. You said that and I threw up if I remembercorrectly.”
“That’s pretty much what happened, yeah. But, Ellie, I’d doit. Raising a baby doesn’t scare me at all. Not even a little bit.He or she would have the best dang life ever, being raised in myhouse, with my family. Y’all wouldn’t have to worry about a thing,or you could be as involved as y’all wanted to.”
Her jawmuscles are working as she considers this. “And what about when youmeet someone and get married. And then I’m still coming around. Howwould that work?”
“Well, we’d have to figure things out as we went along, but atleast the kid would have a chance to be in a family that loves it,and with its natural father, instead of in foster care. Ellie, I’mnot trying to put any pressure on you, but I think you ought toreally think about this.”
