Breakfast is over, and the house is quiet and I’m alone.I know why I’m so happy.It’s not only the pleasure of being appreciated and being able to cook in a dream kitchen.It’s not only my relationship with Finn, the nonstop sex.It’s not only Jasmine, who I’ve grown to love with all my heart.
It’s the family.
I’ve never been part of a family.Not a real family.A safe family.
But now I truly feel like I’m part of something good.
I may be happy, but I’m also a little overwhelmed.I take stock of the mess.Making one breakfast is messy enough, but I’ve made four different kinds of breakfasts this morning to satisfy the different tastes of the demanding crowd.
“The special orders have got to stop, Emma,” I say out loud.“You can make one breakfast.They’ll eat it or they’ll leave and cook for themselves.”
“I agree totally.”
I jump two inches off the floor and clutch my chest.My heart’s going a mile a minute.
“Oh, honey.I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I turn to see Aunt Phyllis coming toward me with her arms outstretched.I take two steps into her embrace, and she hugs me.She’s a good hugger.Firm, but not too tight.Warm.Loving.
“Sorry for the drama,” I say.She smells good.I think she’s wearing Shalimar, an old-fashioned scent that makes me feel safe and comfortable.
She pats my back and drops her hands.“Don’t bother with this mess.It’ll wait for you.I’ve got coffee set up with you at home.You, my dear, need a break.Come with me.”
It’s an invitation I can’t refuse.I don’t want to, either.I’d love an excuse to let the dishes sit for an hour.I wouldn’t mind getting off my feet, too.
“You’ll be the first to try my homemade strawberry jam,” she tells me as we leave the house.“There was a stand on the side of the road with the last strawberries of the season, and I couldn’t resist.I bought fifty pounds.”
“Fifty pounds!”I cry.
It’s a beautiful, sunny day.A hot breeze blows in, and dust devils form and dance across the lane.Two ranch hands exercise a horse in one training ring, and Finn’s filly is prancing around another.
“Not bad, our little ranch, right?”Phyllis says, eyeing me with an appreciative smile.
“I’ve never been on a ranch before except for here and the Travis Ranch for the fair.Are all of them like Yosemite Ranch?”
She laughs.“No.With one thousand square miles, there isn’t enough room in the country for many like this ranch.”
“Do most have such beautiful houses on them?It’s like a fancy neighborhood inside a ranch.I’ve never seen that on TV.”
“That was the boys’ idea.They wanted to come back and live together, but not in the same house.They paid for it with their gizmo and whatsit business.You know about that business, right?”
“Sort of.”
Come to think of it, Finn has never told me much about his business or his past military career.Our conversations are usually about the house and Jasmine, and even the ranch.And his wife.He did confide the most important part of his past to me.
There’s obviously so much more to learn about Finn.So much more to discover.
Will I have that time with him?Will he want to share himself with me?
“Here we are,” Phyllis sings out and opens the front door.
Inside, the smell of fresh bread hits my nostrils.I inhale greedily, and my stomach growls in protest.In spite of all the cooking I did this morning, I’ve completely forgotten to eat, myself.
Phyllis laughs.“That’s what I figured.You took care of everyone except for yourself.”
She gestures to a chair at the kitchen table, and I sit down.A soft moan of pleasure escapes my lips as I finally take the weight off my feet.The kitchen counter is covered with jars of strawberry jam, and Phyllis chooses one of them and puts it on the table in front of me.Then she pours two cups of strong coffee and places a loaf of freshly baked bread on the table.
“This looks wonderful,” I say.
