“Like criss-cross applesauce,” he replies, before he takes his own fork and with a lot of effort if the tongue sticking out is any indication, dips it into the water and sugar then proceeds to flatten the cookie.
“Great job, JD. Do you wanna finish doing this tray while I roll up the next?” I question.
“Sure! This is fun. Wait until I tell Johnny.”
“Who’s Johnny?”
“He’s my cousin and my best friend in the whole wide world. He’s spending the weekend with me and we’re gonna work with Dad on Saturday and then go fishing on Sunday with Dad and Boz.”
“Sounds like a lot of fun. Marvie is my best friend, too. I’ve known her since I was a little girl.”
He looks at me before saying, “That was a long time ago, I bet.” I can’t help myself, I burst into laughter.
“Not that long ago, but to a kid, it probably seems that way,” I say as I take his tray and put it into the oven before setting the timer.
Grabbing another tray, I start rolling more cookies as JD continues smashing down the ones on the second tray. “We make a good team,” he says when his tray is finished and I slide mine over to him.
“Yes, we do. Do you think your dad would like some lemonade?”
“Probably. Maybe some cookies too,” he adds when the timer goes off.
“Well, these are kind of hot, but we’ll put a few on a plate. Do you wanna grab another can of lemonade while I do that? I can put the last two trays into the oven, then we’ll clean up.”
He looks around and says, “But there’s not that much to clean. How is that possible? When Aunt Caroline bakes, there are things everywhere!”
“I tend to clean as I go,” I reply. “Makes it easier on me at the end. Now, all I have left are the trays once they’ve cooled down, the bowl, and the forks.”
“Why are you throwing the rest of the sugar out that we didn’t use?”
“Because it has tiny pieces of the cookie dough on it and isn’t good any more.”
“Huh. Guess that makes sense. Where’s your cups? I’ll make Dad some lemonade.” Oh if I could channel his energy! I point him toward the cupboard where I have the cups and quickly rinse the bowls and forks before putting them into the dishwasher.
He’s about to head out the back door, a plate of cookies and lemonade in hand, when we hear his dad’s voice through the screen. “No need to come out as long as it’s okay for me to come in.”
“It’s unlocked,” I reply, suddenly nervous about this larger than life man being in my kitchen. Get your head on straight, Addy girl!
“Hey,” he says once he’s inside.
“Hey.” No, I’m not feeling breathless. Must have suddenly developed asthma or something. “Did you get what you needed?”
He nods as he grabs the plate with the cookies and the drink that JD is holding out to him. “Should have a quote for you in a few hours, if that’s okay.”
“Works for me. Will it ruin the look by enclosing part of it like I want?”
“Not at all. In fact, how do you feel about the screened in portion having windows instead of just screening? That way, you can put up storm windows in the fall and still be able to enjoy it if you put one of those portable fireplaces out there.”
“Oh, I like that idea and I’m sure Libby will as well. She’s always been an indoor cat, but she likes looking out the window and that’d give her plenty to choose from.”
He nods before taking a bite of the cookie. “These are really good.”
“Thanks.”
“Dad, she has a special ingredient she puts into everything she makes,” JD interjects.
“She does? Like what, garlic powder? Maybe onion salt?” I can see he’s teasing the little boy, who just grins and shakes his head.
“No, Dad. It’s love. She said even if you don’t have a family, you can add the love you feel for the people you’re making it for into the recipe. Isn’t that cool?”
He looks at me and winks before replying, “Sounds cool to me.”
“Dad? Can she come fishing with us on Sunday?” My grin widens because I loved going fishing with my gramps, but I don’t say anything.
“That depends.”
“On what?” JD questions.
“On whether or not she’ll bring more cookies with her.”
“Miss Addy, will you bring cookies? If so, you can come and fish with us and meet Johnny.”
“Are you sure I wouldn’t be an imposition?” I ask Hale.
“Not at all. In fact, Boz is bringing Marvie.”
“Oh, I can call her and plan a picnic lunch if y’all want.”
“Then it’s a date,” he states. A date. I haven’t had one of those since the first time Branson took me out. Wait, is it really an actual date since JD was the one who wanted me to come? Oh well, I’ll go and enjoy the company, at least.
“Um, okay. What time do I need to be ready?” I ask.
“We’ll come get you around five.”
“In the morning?” I’d forgotten how early most men like to get up to fish, probably because I was still a kid and time was superfluous when I was younger. I had no clue Gramps and I left that early!
His chuckle sends a strange sensation through me. “Yeah, in the morning.”
I nod despite the fact I’m not exactly a morning person. I do most of my best baking at night. “I’ll be ready.”
“Great. C’mon, JD, we need to get home so you can get your homework done. Still got one more day of school this week before you can enjoy the weekend.”
I don’t have a lot of experience with kids, but JD simply nods at his dad then picks up the napkin he used for his cookies, gulps the rest of his lemonade down then proceeds to toss out the trash and then rinse the glass and put it in the dishwasher!
“See you Saturday, Miss Addy. Then you can see the tools that Dad got me for when I work with him!”
“Sounds like a deal to me.” I walk them out, watching the little boy who has so much energy it’s ridiculous. “Wish I could bottle that,” I murmur.
“You and me both,” Hale replies. “I’ll call you later with a quote and then I plan on being here on Saturday around nine.”
“Don’t forget to let me know what Branson didn’t pay,” I remind him. When he goes to balk, I simply say, “Please. This is my home now and I won’t feel right if I don’t correct his mistake.”
“It’s not yours to correct.”
“Did you miss the part about this being my home now?”
He shrugs then finally agrees. I feel like I won something, the relief is so great. I make a mental note to call Branson and chew him out for what he did to Hale. The man has a business to run for heaven’s sake!
Hale
My mind is on the woman whose house we just left so I miss a lot of what JD is chattering about until I hear her name. “Say that again?”
“I really like Miss Addy, Dad. She’d make a good mom, dontcha think?” His innocent question has all kinds of thoughts running through my head.
“I suppose she would. What makes you think so?” Now I’m curious because JD has never acted as though he feels like he’s missing out on something not having a mom around.
“Well, she knows the right amount of mayonnaise to put on sandwiches, can make lemonade from scratch and best of all, she makes homemade cookies! Plus, she’s easy to talk to.”
From the mouths of babes. I can’t fault his logic, though, because she not only fed him after his practice, she also allowed him to ‘work’ with her on the cookies she was making for the diner. I’m about to say something when he states, “You should ask her on a date, Dad. I like her better than any of the people you’ve gone out with before.”
Fuck my life.
“Let’s see how Sunday goes, okay? She may be really grouchy in the morning or she may not want to date anyone yet. She just got divorced.” There. That should shut him up.
“It’s because he wasn’t the right guy for her. Remember, I
met him? He wasn’t really nice to me, either. But Miss Addy acts like she’s known me since I was a little kid and she talks to me like you and Boz do.”
Again, I can’t fault his logic. “I guess we’ll see, huh?”
We pull up to our small house and I quickly park then grab my binder so I can work up a quote for Addy’s deck. “C’mon, go in and grab your shower so you can get your homework done. I’ll get dinner started. Burgers on the grill. You’re on French fry duty.”
He loves helping in the kitchen. Just another facet of his personality that helps me know I’m not completely fucking him up. “Cool! Can we have sweet potato fries tonight? The crinkly ones?”
“Sure, why not?”
Later, once dinner is done and cleared away and I’ve once again struggled with the common core math shit they teach nowadays, I look over at my son. “Time for bed, young man.”
“Can I stay up thirty minutes to watch TV?” he asks. I think about his recent progress report that had all ‘A’s’ on it and nod. “Thanks, Dad!”
“You’re welcome, JD. Now, let me work on this for Miss Addy, okay? I’ll come sit with you until you go to bed.”
He grins at me then runs into our living room and gets the show he wanted set up. “Hey, Dad? Johnny said that all the movies before the last Avengers one are on Netflix. Do you think we can get that so we can get caught up?”
I mentally think about our budget. I’ve managed to stash quite a bit in savings, and also started up a few investments. The truck is now paid off, leaving me with my business credit card, our utilities, and all the insurances I carry, plus for the house. “Sure, I’ll get it. Guessing you want it before this weekend?”
He grins and nods at me. “I know we’re working Saturday morning, but we can watch at least two of them Friday night, then when we get back Saturday, we can watch a few more. Then after fishing on Sunday, if we’re not too tired, we can watch another one or two before Johnny goes home.” Huh, sounds like he and Johnny have the weekend all planned out.
“Then I better get it set up so you guys can do that. Are we going to need snacks? I need to know so I can hit the store before you guys are out of school tomorrow.” Mentally, I add another task to my overflowing list for the next day.
“Can I write them down? Can we have pizza on Friday night? We can always eat the leftovers on Saturday or something.”
“Yes to pizza. No to two nights in a row, at least not for me. I’ll figure out something for you two, okay?”
“Thanks, Dad.”
4
Addy
“Girl, you do the desserts and the potato salad because yours is better than mine. I’ll do the fried chicken and some sandwiches in case the boys don’t want chicken,” Marvie says. “And for fuck’s sake, don’t be nervous about it! We’re all gonna be there so it’s a safe environment. You’ll be able to get to know him better.”
“I know, I’m just...hell, Marvie, I feel so damn naive! Lots of things have changed in the dating world since I was fifteen.”
“Yeah, you got people sexting, twerking and swiping left on that one app.”
“What app?” Now she has me curious.
“It’s for a booty call. Forget I mentioned anything because that’s so not you.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not me at all. I can’t do the casual thing. I know me well enough to know that much, at least.”
“Hale’s not that kind of guy. He’s dated over the years, and a few times had some longer relationships, but he’s not a horndog or anything like that. I wouldn’t let you date one of those.”
“He gives me butterflies, Marvie.” Her eyes grow wide at my words.
“Remember that psychic we saw and what she said?” Marvie asks. “She told you that Branson wasn’t ‘it’ for you and that when the right one came along, you’d have butterflies.”
“How do you remember all this shit? I can barely remember what I ate yesterday and that was years ago!” We had come down for some festival and while Branson opted not to go, Marvie and I went with a few friends from school and had a blast. “Wait, she told you about Boz then, too!”
“She sure did. Granted, I made him go through the paces before I said I’d go out with him, but I knew he was the one.”
“So when are you gonna say yes to the poor man?”
“Who knows? I love keeping him on his toes. Maybe I’ll hold out for a double wedding ceremony.”
“With who?”
“Duh, woman. You, of course!”
“Um, been there and done that.”
“Hale hasn’t. Neither have I. Both you and Boz have been married before, but the two of us haven’t. I’m sure we can come up with something that’ll work for you.”
“You’re presuming a helluva lot, Marvie. I mean, Sunday isn’t like a real date, I don’t think.”
“I think it is. He’s never taken anyone fishing before and you know these Mississippi boys rate their fishing high on the totem pole. If he asked you, you mean something.”
“Already? We just met.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “I’m done with your foolishness. Now, let me tell you how the cakes and stuff are doing.”
“Yes, I’ve been curious to know what is selling and what isn’t.”
“All of it sold in like, two hours flat!”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. Mr. Jenkins has requested carrot cake and I told him I’d ask. But the others are definite hits. Oh, and Miss Sarah, the church Sunday school teacher, wanted to know if there was any way that she could put in a standing order for four dozen assorted muffins for her classes each week. I’ve got her name and number for you to get in touch with her.” When she pulls a check out of her pocket, I’m stunned.
“Are you sure this is right?” I question.
“Yep. Do you need to restock anything? I’m free tomorrow morning before I have to make the chicken and stuff.”
“Actually, I do. I found a wholesale place nearby that has everything I need.”
“Great. Wanna go around nine before it gets too crazy?”
“That works. Thanks for this, Marvie. I know I don’t need to work, but I can’t just sit around all day doing nothing, y’know?”
“You have no idea how much this is gonna help me, Addy. I’ve sunk a lot of money into the renovations and reworked the menu as well. Business has picked back up, and if it keeps going the way it’s been, I should be in the black again in roughly three months.”
“Fantastic! Well, definitely let your customers know that I’m interested in making the kind of desserts they enjoy.”
Hale
“You gonna ask her out?” Boz asks as we work to unload the supplies at Addy’s house.
“Who?” I question, grunting a bit when he drops his end.
“You know who, dumbass. She’s a great woman.”
“Let’s see how tomorrow goes, okay?”
“You’re gonna base asking someone out on our fishing tomorrow?” He looks incredulous, like I just told him she had to steal the Hope Diamond or something.
“Well, yeah. I mean, fishing is almost a religious experience around here. If she can’t handle that, well, what else is there?” Now I’m teasing him because I couldn't give two fucks if she can fish or not. I just like her. I know I’m attracted because every time she’s in the vicinity, I get hard.
“You’re crazy,” he mutters, going back to the truck and grabbing the nail guns. My plan is to hopefully get the frame of the enclosure up today. Looking at the two by sixes laying there, I realize that another thought needs to be discussed with Addy. I think radiant flooring in that area would make it even more enjoyable to use in the fall and winter. And I saw a porch swing that’s almost as big as a twin-sized bed that I can picture her laying on and reading.
“Be right back,” I tell Boz as I head to the back door. I know she’s in there working because I saw her head peek out the window. Knocking, I wait for her to let me in then stand
there, staring.
Wisps of her golden-blonde hair are escaping the thing she has on her head but that’s not what has me speechless. She’s wearing a pair of leggings and an oversized top that hangs off one shoulder.
Curves for fucking days and I wanna trace each and every one with my hands and my mouth. Shaking my head, I reach out with a finger and swipe it across her cheek. “You’ve got a little flour,” I tell her.
“Oh! Yeah, I was trying to get at least the cookie dough started before Marvie came to get me.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. Just had a thought and wanted to run it by you is all.”
“What’s that?”
“What would you think if we built the deck that’s going to be enclosed so I could put down radiant flooring?”
“I don’t know what that is,” she admits. “Explain it to me in layman’s terms and if it sounds good, you’ve got the go ahead.”
“Simply put, it’d be a heated floor. That, coupled with one of those heater fireplaces out there would make it comfortable when the weather turns.”
Her eyes light up at that thought and she starts nodding. “Yes, that sounds good.”
“How about some electricity out there as well? Could put up some ceiling fans and shit too. Oh, and look at this,” I say, pulling up the picture of the porch swing I found.
“Why didn’t I think of any of that?” she murmurs. “Yes to all of it. I like that I can sit out there and relax and still see the lake. I love this house and if I didn’t say it before, I’ll say it now, you did a great job with the other work.”
“Thanks. Had a lot of help from my crew, especially Boz, since he grew up around here.”
“You haven’t always lived in Barge Falls?”
“Moved here my senior year of high school.”
“Then why don’t I remember you?”
“I think I’m older by a few years.”
Hale’s Song: A single dad contemporary romance Page 3