“I’ve got bacon cooking, and I’m making pancakes.Does that work for you guys?”He leaned against the door jamb.
“Yes!I love bacon.”Oliver tried to pull his pajama top off, but needed Sadie’s assistance.The ding of the microwave sounded, and Jed went to check on it while she finished helping her nephew dress.
As soon as she helped tie his last shoe, he took off in search of Jed.She gathered the clothes he’d taken off and went to put them in the bag she’d left on Jed’s bed.She added her own night clothes to the bag along with her toothbrush.She fished out Oliver’s toothbrush and deposited it and the toothpaste on the sink in the hall bathroom for after he finished breakfast.She carried the bag to the living room and dropped it on the couch.
Entering the kitchen, her nose scrunched up as her stomach rolled.Jed turned about that time, dropping a pancake onto a plate in front of Oliver.His brow dipped, and he asked if she was okay.
“Yes,” she waved his concern away.“There’s a stomach bug going around, and I think I’ve been trying to catch it.My stomach’s been messed up lately.”
He grunted and nodded his head.“You want coffee?”
“Yes.Please.”
“The pot is over here, cups in the cabinet above.I don’t have creamer, but I have milk and sugar.”He placed three slices of bacon on a paper towel, then set them next to her nephew.Oliver immediately popped a piece into his mouth, grinning happily as he chewed.
“Here’s your plate.”He set two pancakes and some bacon in front of a chair next to Oliver.She took the seat and was about to take a drink of coffee when she saw Oliver tip the syrup bottle over his pancakes.Absently, she reached over and pulled it away when he had had enough.If she let him do it, there would be way too much syrup, and he’d end up making a huge mess.She poured a little syrup on her pancakes, then set it down for Jed to use.He turned the stove off and brought his own breakfast to the table, taking a seat across from her.They all ate in silence for a moment, with Sadie mostly pushing her food around her plate.
“Something wrong with your food?”Jed asked.
“No.Not at all.My stomach is just off this morning.”She’d eaten half of it before her stomach started protesting.
“Are you going to eat your bacon, Sadie?”Oliver eyed the uneaten slices on her plate.
“Here.You can have it.”She gave it to him, then got up to clear her plate and finish her coffee.While they ate, she went to her purse and pulled out two twenty-dollar bills.“See this, Oliver?”She waved it at him once she got his attention.“I’m putting it right here for when you go to the Christmas store.One is for you, and the other you give to your teacher for any kid who doesn’t have money with them today.Okay?”She shoved it into the backpack's inner pocket and zipped it up.
“Okay.Thank you, Sadie.”He took a big drink of his milk and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
She smiled and shook her head.He got that from his father.Even in his thirties, Ryan would wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and forgo any napkin or paper towel she set next to him.“When you’re done eating, I left your toothbrush in the hall bathroom for you to brush your teeth.When you’re done with that, bring it back and put it in the bag on the couch.”
“Okay.”
When he got up to do as she asked, she collected his dirty dishes and put them in the dishwasher.She turned around and found herself pinned to the counter.
“That was awfully nice of you to send money for kids who don’t have any.”
She felt her cheeks flush and tried to blow it off.Shrugging a shoulder like it was no big deal, she said, “Not everyone has the extra money to send, and I hate to think about kids not being able to participate.”
He watched her closely for a moment, like he was trying to see inside her head, then dipped his head, lowering his mouth to hers.His hands settled on her waist as he kissed her slow and sweet.Opposite of the way he’d kissed her earlier this morning.His lips were full and soft and felt amazing against her own.His tongue dueled with hers, causing her heart to race and her panties to dampen.God, he was so good at that.
“Are your panties wet?”His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her.
Her eyes squinted, and she fought not to smile.“You are entirely too sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Well?Am I right?”
She growled and slipped to the side, freeing herself from his grip.“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
She walked away to check on Oliver, a huge smile on her face.
“You’re killing me, woman!”
7
Sadie
Jed let Oliver out on his side of the truck when they dropped him off at school.He said something to him that she didn’t hear, and pushed something into his hand.Her nephew smiled huge at him, then ran around the front of the car toward the school.
“What was that about?”she asked as Jed climbed back into his truck.She followed her nephew’s progress until he disappeared inside the building.
