Now I know where Bella gets it from,she thought with an internal smile.
There weren’t many things that could tempt Ash to stray from his usual calm and serious manner, but the prospect of eating ice cream in the morning was definitely one of them.
“IsupposeI can allow it just this once,” she said, the slightest hint of amusement slipping through her stern façade, and she was rewarded by the sight of one of Ash’s rare smiles spreading across his face. “Since you were so helpful yesterday.”
His smile broadened further. “Thanks, Mom.”
He got to work setting the table, and, not for the first time, Diana wondered what it was she had done to deserve such a good kid. Even if hewasgetting both the maple syrup and thepeanut butter out. She shuddered to think about the concoction that Ash was going to unleash upon the world, but as long as he enjoyed the end result, that was all she cared about.
She set up a series of frying pans and got to work chopping bananas while the main pan started heating up, her years of ingrained mom knowledge allowing her to keep track of all the moving parts and time everything perfectly.
Or maybe it was just the fact that she was so happy today that was keeping everything running so smoothly. Surprised, she noticed that she was even humming a jaunty tune – something that sheneverusually did.
Last night had involved some definite tossing and turning while she thought back on the time she’d spent with Calvin, in quite a bit more detail than she would be willing to admit to anyone else. He was definitely an impressive specimen of a man, that was for sure.
But more than anything else, it was his kind and friendly nature that she kept coming back to in the end. He wasn’t just a hot guy that she might have a fling with. He was someone that – well, after a few dates, some more getting-to-know-you time – she could see herself wanting in her life for the long run, and his hotness was just a nice side bonus.
It should have been terrifying, going from being fiercely independent to suddenly wanting nothing more than to get to know someone better.
But it wasn’t. Exhilarating? Yes. Nerve-wracking? Sure. But she wasn’t scared at the idea of letting someone new into her life. Not when that person was Calvin. Not when he felt like someone who could be part of her entire family, not just a partner to her.
It was almost like we had a connection from the first moment we met,Diana thought, her face heating up at the idea of thinking something so corny – but it was true.
She’d never had such instant…chemistrywith someone before, not even Ash’s dad – but then, they had always been more friends who had just fallen into a relationship, rather than someone she’d had an instant romantic connection with.
Romance had never been something she’d reallybelievedin. It was fine for songs and movies, but real life was more prosaic than that. You did what you had to do to get through the day.
Of course, Diana liked her life – she adored Ash and Bella, and she loved her job. Her house, on the rare occasions she had time to clean it, was perfectly nice. But her life wasn’t exciting, that was for sure. And she definitely had never expected anyone like Calvin to come walking into it.
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,she told herself sternly as she cooked, even as her heart fluttered at the memory of Calvin’s smile.No point in losing your head just yet.Let’s see how our date goes first…oh my God, I can’t believe I’m going on a date!!
Resisting the urge to do a little twirl, Diana tasted the first pancake – she thought she could get away with having at least a little bit in order to get her through to ten o’clock – before tossing the rest of it to Bella, who leaped up and caught it mid-air, before dropping it to the floor with aplopand messily gobbling it up.
Satisfied – not that Bella was a particularly discerning critic – Diana got on with making the first proper pancake and getting the bacon started.
The fan over the stove shuddered in protest at being made to get to work so early in the morning, and she pushed open the kitchen window a little to let out the inevitable bacon smoke, smiling at the birds that were hopping about on the branches of the chokecherry tree outside, the tree’s tiny scarlet fruits catching the morning sun. Was it just her imagination, or was everything a little brighter than usual today?
The brilliant green leaves of the tree quivered in a sudden breeze, and warm air poured in through the open window.
Diana frowned slightly. How was it so hot outside when it was still so nice inside?
Ithadbeen surprisingly warm when she went out last night to remove the bags of lemon peels from her car before they started to ferment, but she’d put the difference in temperature down to the fact that the A/C had at least been on for a while earlier in the day. The rest of the night inside the house had been so pleasant that she’d been sure that an unexpected cool change had come through.
But it seemed like that wasn’t the case – it was definitely getting warm outside again, even though it was still lovely and cool inside.
Her mouth twisted in a wry smile.Maybe I should just stop running the air conditioning entirely, if it’s going to be nicer in here when I leave it off!
The angry sizzle of neglected bacon snapped her back to reality quick smart, and it was only swift reflexes that allowed her to come to its rescuejustin time.
Despite all this, she realized that she was still humming away happily, not even sure what the tune was.
The bacon and pancakes were done – she put them onto two separate trays and then into the warmer while she got to work on the caramelized bananas. Brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon – all into the pan with the butter and the frying bananas. Diana stirred slowly, relishing the thick, heady scent of sweetness as it wafted up to her nose.
Maybe Ash won’t mind if I steal a few tiny bites,Diana thought, as she plated up the pancakes, the bacon and the bananas before heading over to the freezer to grab the ice cream. This was going to be an absolute disaster of a breakfast, but Diana thought Ash deserved it.
“Here we are – just as Sir ordered,” she announced as she arrived in the doorway of the dining room with the serving tray. “If Sir has any complaints, Sir can direct them to the trash can.”
Ash laughed – and it did Diana’s heart good to hear it. She and Ash’s father might have realized they weren’t right for each other, but Diana would never regret deciding to become a mother. But Ash was so serious sometimes that she worried about him. She wasn’t about to force him to become some smiling, outgoing, gregarious kid – that just wasn’t who he was – but still, the precious times when hedidsmile and laugh were like a soothing balm to her soul.
