“Look at you, making out with Hattie’s grandson during your first week at Yukon Cider. I absolutely love this side of you.” She put up her hands and said, “Grrrrrr” as if she were a tiger growling.
Sophia swatted her sister’s hand away. “I don’t know if it was the wisest move, but you know what? Kissing Caleb was the most exciting thing that’s happened to me since Lily was born. It made me feel alive, and I can’t feel sorry about that. Not by a long shot.”
Patience was right. She needed to live a little while she still could. Reaching out to Caleb about dinner would be a great start.
When Sophia texted Caleb to ask if he was interested in having dinner with her on Sunday night, his response was immediate. Her only stipulation was that it would have to be dinner at her house due to Lily. As the son of a single mother himself, Caleb understood that Lily’s needs came first, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
Caleb arrived at Sophia’s place carrying a huge amount of takeout he had picked up in town. Not knowing what her favorite food was had been a bit challenging, but he’d decided to go with Italian and Mexican. The scent of the food had taunted him during the drive over, serving as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten since noontime. Because his hands were so full, he was forced to lean on the doorbell with his elbow.
“I come bearing food. Lots and lots of food,” Calebannounced as Sophia greeted him at her front door. He paused for a moment to drink in the sight of her. Even in jeans and a cardigan she looked incredible.
“Whoa. Let me take some of that so you don’t drop it,” Sophia said, reaching for one of the bags. She ushered him inside, then gracefully kicked the door closed with her foot.
Once they were in the kitchen, Caleb placed the food down on the counter and let out a sound of relief. Maybe he had gone a bit overboard with the food, he realized as soon as he saw how much space the bags took up on the counter.
Sophia placed her bag down and turned to him. “You do realize it’s just the two of us, right? Lily is having a love affair with chicken nuggets. That’s pretty much all she eats.”
“She ate ribs at dinner, didn’t she?” he asked, remembering how the little girl scarfed down a hearty portion.
“That’s an exception, especially since Auntie P made them.”
“Well, then, I hope you’re as hungry as I am,” Caleb told her.
“I’m a bit peckish.” Sophia peeked in the bags. “What do we have here?”
“Mexican from Fiesta and Italian from Amore’s. Consider yourself lucky. I almost ordered wings from Northern Exposure,” he confessed, chuckling.
She shook her head. “You should definitely bring the leftovers back to Hattie’s place. I can’t imagine we’ll eat all of this.” Sophia took out plates and glasses from the cupboard. “Lily,” she called out as she began taking the food from the bags.
“Tacos. Empanadas. Rice and beans. Meatballs. Garlic knots. Chicken parmigiana. And for dessert, churros.” Caleb rattled off the items as if he were a chef who’d made the meals.
Just then Lily ran into the kitchen and headed straight for Caleb. She let out a cry of delight as she wrapped her arms around his legs. “Caleb!”
“Princess Lily,” he said, bending down to lift her up in the air.
“I missed you,” Lily said, placing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.
“I missed you too,” he said, smiling. What was it about kids that made grown adults feel like they could vault over tall buildings? How could her bio dad not want to spend every waking hour with this little gem? He tried not to judge people he had never met, but Sophia’s ex was a total punk in his opinion.
“Lily, we’re about to eat. Do you want to try some of the food Caleb brought over?” Sophia asked.
“Mmm. I don’t know,” Lily answered with a shrug. “Did you bring chicken nuggets?”
She was looking straight at Caleb, waiting for an answer.
“No, I’m sorry, but I would have if I had known you loved them so much,” Caleb said. Rookie mistake. He’d forgotten kids loved chicken nuggets. That’s what happened when there weren’t any littles in his family tree.
“But I did bring some chicken parm, which is yummy chicken with red sauce and mozzarella cheese.” He rubbed his stomach and made a funny face that immediately generated giggles. “Yummy in my tummy.”
“I wanna try,” Lily said, causing Sophia’s eyes to widen.
“That’s music to my ears,” she said as she placed utensils down beside the plates before organizing the platters in the middle of the table. “Take a seat, Lily.”
Caleb pulled out a chair so Lily would sit down, then he pushed her chair in.
“Let me make a plate for you,” he said as he sat downbeside her. “Let’s start with the chicken parm. If anything else looks good, just let us know, and we’ll put some on your plate.” Sophia, who was sitting on the other side of Lily, leaned over and cut up her chicken into small pieces.
“Okay,” Lily said, lifting a forkful of chicken parm and putting it in her mouth.
