Maybe I was pushing too much with Elinora?
ten
Graham
Knock Knock. Hadley sprang to her feet, motoring fast to the door. “Dad, your friend is here!”
“I’m getting it!” I beat her to it, slamming my whole body against the door, and paused to catch my breath. Clearing my throat, I straightened my spine, pushed back my shoulders, and turned the knob, smoothly pulling it open.
Elinora stood wearing a t-shirt and gray capri sweatpants, the kind that cinched below the knee and usually had writing on one leg. Hers had a pink heart and an embroidered gator logo. I sucked back a deep breath. Now wasn’t a good time to tell her I had a weakness for girls in sweatpants. But really, it didn’t matter if she wore a potato sack.She was my weakness.She adjusted a paper sack tucked in her arm. “I brought ice cream for dessert.”
“Ice cream!” Hadley overheard with her super hearing, pushed past me, rising to her toes, trying to see in the bag. “What kind?”
Elinora reached into the bag, retrieving a pint, holding it down low for Hadley to see. “I bought three different ones. You can pick what you want. First, I have chocolate.” She removed the second one. “And I got caramel crunch.” She reached back in, pulling out the last one, “I thought you might have a favorite color. Do you?”
“It’s pink!” Hadley blurted out, reaching for the bag. Her excitement was evident by the fact that she was now jumping in place.
“That’s what I thought.” Elinora presented the last pint, “I got pink sparkle berry.”
“I want that one.” Hadley put her hand on the pink pint, claiming it without waiting for permission, her lips pulling into a mischievous grin.
Before she could snatch it, I grabbed it and held it above her head. “Not until after dinner.”
Hadley’s smile deflated. “Aw, come on, Dad.” Her whole body slumped.
“Yeah, Dad.” Elinora elbowed me, an amused smile pinned on her lips. “Lighten up.”
“Remind me to never let you babysit.” I returned Elinora’s smile but still put all the pints on lockdown in the freezer. “Now, go wash up.” I pointed down the hall to the bathroom, and Hadley obediently disappeared. She was a slow handwasher, mostly because she loved to make huge soap castles in the sink. It was a total waste of soap and drove me nuts, but today, I was grateful for the habit. It meant I’d have a few minutes alone with Elinora.
Elinora moved a few steps into the room, glancing around the kitchen. “Can I help with something?”
“Everything is done, except for the pico de gallo. I’m making it fresh, but I always have to make two bowls. I like it spicy withextra jalapenos and lots of cilantro. Hadley’s is without green things and therefore has no flavor.”
“Wow.” Elinora let out a light chuckle while her gaze traced my kitchen. “I didn’t know you were so domestic.”
“It’s just pico.” I returned to my spot behind the island and resumed chopping cilantro.
“Nah.” She turned in a half-circle, scanning the apartment. “Everything. Your place is nice.”
I couldn’t admit that Hadley and I had turbo-cleaned for a good hour before she arrived. “Were you expecting a dirty bachelor pad?”
“Actually, I was.” Her words trickled out with laughter. I wasn’t offended because I was too busy trying not to stare at her. The sight of her standing in my kitchen was having this crazy effect on me, making my heart pound harder.
“We have our days when things get out of hand, but I try hard to make our home comfortable.”
She nodded, approving. “I’m impressed.”
“So.” I looked up from my pile of cilantro. “Do you like spicy with green things, or no flavor without green things?”
She waved her hand to the side as if she was physically weighing the decision. “I’ll do something in the middle. How about you mix them together for me?”
“I can do that.” I took out a third bowl, totally not affected by how her choice seemed to fit right in.
The perfect middle.
Not that it mattered.
Would it matter?
