We’re on our second princess movie, one with a lot of singing, when Jake comes in the front door. And like the forehead kiss earlier, seeing him walk into the living room from the entryway saying hello feels like the most normal thing in the world. As if we do this every day. As if the little girl on the couch next to me and the man joining us are a small family of three.
Maybe I should take the festival’s singles’ events a little more seriously. I can use all the practice dating and socializing I can get for when I head home. As much as I think I’m actually fallingfor Jake, the distance would crush a relationship before it got off the ground. I’ve seen it happen to friends. At least out of all of this I know one thing for sure.
I’m ready for a real relationship.
Chapter 6
Jake
It’s beena long day and a lot more sitting in a car than I’d like. I wish it was just snowy, not icy. Then I’d be able to ride my bike around. I love getting to chat with people on the route. But when everyone else is also huddled inside, the days get lonely and monotonous.
I walk in the front door, thankfully remembering I had a spare key in my gym bag in my car, and am greeted by the sounds of giggling and very off-key singing. I walk into the living room and am greeted by two smiling faces.
Is this what it’s like to have a happy family to come home to each day?
“You’re just in time to watch the ending,” she pats the empty spot next to her as Char continues to sing along.
“Did everything go okay?” I ask as she sways her shoulders along to the music.
“Oh, it was a lot of fun Jake!” she beams at me and I feel my pulse quicken. “We had pizza for lunch, so no waffles. Good call on that. Nothing was spilled and Charlotte has promised me that she’s going to ask you about trying hockey when she’s better at skating.”
“Hockey? She’s four.” I’m so confused, “What all did you gals talk about?”
“This and that. She had a lot of questions about Canada,” she bops her head along to what I hope is the finale of the movie.
“I’m glad it wasn’t bad. Would you like me to drive you home?”
She bites her bottom lip, as if she’s trying to weigh her options.
“Can Mallory stay for dinner daddy?” Charlotte jumps up on my lap and hugs me.
“I’m sure she’s busy Char,” I look to Mallory.
“I’m supposed to go get cocktails with others.”
“Please,” Charlotte stretches the word out into double digit syllables. Quite impressive on her part because Mallory’s face completely changes from confused to relaxed. Her smile widens.
“If it’s okay with you,” she looks at me and I can’t say anything. I’m tongue tied so I just nod a yes as Charlotte tugs my shirt.
“Can you make pasta?”
“Pizza and pasta in one day?” Mallory leans over to boop Charlotte’s nose. “I like the way you think.” Charlotte erupts into giggles.
“I’ll get started on dinner then. Charlotte, why don’t you tidy up your room and wash your hands? You can help me if you like.”
“What about me?” Mallory stands too.
“You’re the guest,” I head to the kitchen as Mallory follows me. “But if you’d like to tell me some of those kitchen horror stories while I cook, I wouldn’t say no,” she lightly hits my arm as we enter the kitchen area. She sits on one of the barstools and props her elbows up.
“One story, otherwise you’ll be weary of me sitting here in your kitchen. Once I caught the toaster oven on fire because Iforgot that plastic melts. But that was way back in childhood. Haven’t caught anything on fire since. Just a handful of ruined cookware or very burnt, unrecognizable dishes.”
“Oh wow,” I say as I pull out a pot and the penne pasta box. “Do you enjoy cooking?”
“I know the basics, but it’s the last thing I want to do after a long day at work you know?” I nod in agreement.
I get to work boiling water and pull out a jar of red pasta sauce. I set it on the counter and grab a new pan. I add olive oil and go to work dicing an onion and a few cloves of garlic. I get those in the pan to sauté. After they’re simmering away, I add in the pasta sauce and stir a bit. Mallory asks me about each step and I talk to her about my choices. I squeeze in a dollop of tomato paste and tell her it’s a flavor booster. And the onions and garlic make it seem more homemade than store bought. She comes to stand next to me by the stove. I watch her close her eyes and take a deep inhale.
“It smells amazing Jake.”
