“I’ll be right in, sweetie. Do me a favour and turn the oven on, Please? I have a big cookie order to bake tonight.”
“Sure thing, Mom.” The boy shuts the truck door and proceeds quickly up the narrow path.
“Cookie order?” I ask, watching Sam open the front door with his key.
“Yeah.” She laughs. “A baker not only in name. I makecustom cookie orders from time to time. Mostly birthday parties, a few baby showers. That kind of thing.”
“So you have two jobs?”
“Three, actually. I also teach an aquafitness class twice a week at a local community pool.”
Three jobs.
I’m a single mom with a mountain of debt and a horrible credit score.
I think of my own mother, trying to keep my sister and I fed and clothed on the minuscule “allowance” my father provided her. It’s not that he didn’t have the money, he just didn’t want it wasted on us. Or maybe he thought if he kept her on a short enough leash, she’d be less likely to run away.
“I know you said that Sam’s father isn’t involved…” I can feel her tensing beside me but I keep going. “But he does pay child support, right?”
Elliot doesn’t answer.
“Because even if you have full custody, you’re entitled to it. You shouldn’t have to rely on help from your neighbours or anyone else. Your son is still his obligation.”
I know the second the words are out that it was the wrong thing to say. The full lips I’ve had a hard time looking away from press in a thin line. Her bright eyes narrow, all their usual warmth gone cold.
It’s like her vibrant light that I’d admired minutes ago has been extinguished and it’s all my doing.
“I’m not trying to be an asshole,” I start.
“That’s amazing. You’re a natural.”
I deserved that. “I just think?—”
“You know, Coach, I’ve had just about enough of your thoughts and preconceived notions for one day. Let me tell you some things that I know. I know it’s okay to ask for help. I do it all the time. I’m also quick to offer help. Because that’s what people are designed for. We are not islands.We’re communities. Helping people is human nature. It’s not weakness, it’s strength.” She undoes her seat belt and grabs her purse. “I also know my son is not an obligation. He’s not a burden or a chore. And anyone who thinks of him that way doesn’t get to be in his life, my ex-husband included.”
I watch her climb out of my truck, feeling worse by the moment. I can’t think of a single thing to say that won’t make this worse.
She’s about to slam her door when she stops herself. Those big green eyes see too much as they stare at me. “Thank you for helping me when I needed it. I really do appreciate it. I think it’s a shame that you’re not strong enough to ask for help with your injury. It seems silly to choose to suffer alone.”
She closes the door gently and walks toward her home without a backward glance.
CHAPTER FIVE
ELLIOT
Too many dicks,not enough frosting.
I started rage baking the moment I got inside. After all, these penis-shaped cookies weren’t going to make themselves.
There’s something deeply therapeutic about baking when I’m mad. Slamming the cupboards shut. Yanking open drawers. Tossing measuring cups onto the counter with more force than necessary. I grip the whisk like it’s a weapon. Flour flies through the air and dusts my skin, but I don’t care. This is not your mother’s bakefest, this is war.
I don’t just cream the butter—Iobliterateit. Sugar gets poured in like I’m salting a wound. And when I mix it all together, really giving my bicep a workout, I lean into it like I’m wringing the life out of stubborn men and their bullshit opinions.
By the time the dick cookies are in the oven, my pulse has slowed. By the time they’re cooling on wire racks on the kitchen counter, I’m no longer wishing I’d actually hit Arthur Stetson with my car on that first day.
I make an extra batch of frosting to decorate the phallic treats first thing tomorrow morning and do the dishes in oursmall kitchen. I sigh when I realize that the sink is dripping again. I grab my phone and set a reminder to ask Jess if I can borrow her tool kit. Anything to not have to call our landlord. The last time I asked Glen for something to be fixed, he mentioned a potential rent increase and I have been avoiding bothering him for anything since.
I follow the thumping sounds of bass-filled explosions up the stairs to Sam’s bedroom. Video games are a fairly new interest for him. He never had much interest in them before, but tried them at a friend’s birthday party a few months ago and was hooked. Otters defenceman Ben Michaels, was only too eager to share another common past time with him. He gave Sam his old console because I wouldn’t let him buy him a new one.
