Bailey came rushing into the room. “Can you say thank you to Mr. Walker for letting you use this pretty table?” I urged.
“Tank you, Mr. Zoom-zoom. Here.” She pointed to the corner of the room.
“Oh no, sweetie, we can’t bring the table in here. Mr. Walker needs his rest.”
“Of course you can, sweetheart.” He shot me a look and I gave him one right back.
“Mr. Walker, I’m the child’s guardian, not you, and I don’t appreciate your trying to undermine my decisions.”
“Yeah, but if I want to watch her doodle on her paper to take my mind off my pain, then it’s my prerogative.” He stared me down. “Are you always this uptight, Auntie?”
“Well, no,” I said slightly embarrassed. “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries.”
“You’re not. Listen, she’s a great kid who obviously had a loving mother…as is her aunt…and I’d like her in here with me. So will you please drag the table and chairs into the corner of this room and let her get busy with whatever kids do at this age.”
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll bring it in here, but don’t get upset when she’s too noisy while you’re sleeping.”
“Please, just get the table.”
“Okay, but consider yourself warned.”
“Got it.” He pointed toward the door and I obeyed like a child who’d just been chastised.
After I’d had a chance to cool down, I returned to the room a half hour later to check on Bailey and see if she was wearing out her welcome.
“Will you please stop being a mother hen and leave us alone. I’ll let you know when it’s time for her to leave the room.”
“Fine.” I turned and left the room to check on lunch. I’d been busy making him beef Bourguignonne even though he’d asked for humble pie. The house smelled divine and I hoped to please him on this first day. I drained the noodles and added butter, salt, and pepper, and stirred, then plated a serving with a side of biscuits and carried it into the room on a tray.
Chase hadn’t realized I’d entered because he never looked up from watching Bailey. She was busy scribbling on her pad and singing her favorite song at the top of her lungs. It was obvious he genuinely liked her, and hard to believe after the way he’d acted when I told them about her. I found myself wishing I didn’t have to interrupt this tender moment, but the smell of lunch turned his attention in my direction. “Lunch is ready. Are you hungry?” I asked.
“Mmm, that smells mighty good. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to a good meal.”
“Well, you might want to reserve judgment until you’ve tasted it,” I teased.
“What? You applied for this job under false pretenses.” I placed the tray on the nightstand next to the bed and pulled it close to him. He eyed the plate, leaned over, and inhaled the aroma.
“Man, we’re starved, aren’t we, Bail?” When she didn’t respond we both turned toward her at the same time. “Look at that,” he said with a chuckle. “She’s sound asleep.”
“Do you mind if she naps on the leather sofa in the den?”
“No, take her into the back bedroom and use the bed. Please come back and keep me company.”
“I’m in the middle of cleaning.”
“I don’t care. Let it sit for a while.”
His sudden interest in having me in the room with him made me nervous, but I was going to do what my boss asked of me. I gingerly scooped Bailey up into my arms and carried her out of the room and down the hall. She stirred a couple of times after I laid her down but she’d done that in the past and not woken up. Yep, I was totally convinced she could sleep through a tornado.
Chase was finished with his food by the time I returned. “This was absolutely delicious.” He patted the bed. “Have a seat.”
“Zoom-zoom?” I asked. “Where did that come from?”
“She saw a race car on television and pointed to it and I told her what it was. She had trouble pronouncing it, so I told her to call it ‘zoom-zoom.’”
“That’s a cute story. I guess she’ll remember that one. What time does the nurse come for her interview?”
“I interviewed her over the phone and hired her.” He made a face. “But I’m already having second thoughts.
The woman’s voice sounds like she’s a knockoff of Nurse Ratched. I swear, something bad is going on in her life and she’ll punish me for it. She only wants a job because she needs the money and she’s going to make sure I’m sick long enough for her to collect.”
“Don’t you think hiring her over the phone is a bit risky?”
“It was, but you won’t bathe me, so what else am I going to do?” He shrugged.
I let that comment slip by quickly. “When does she make her first appearance?”
He checked the clock on the nightstand. “Actually in about a half hour.”
“Oh, okay. Let me go clean up the kitchen. Do you need anything else?”
“Just the remote to turn on the television.”
After the nurse finished, she walked right past me like I wasn’t even there. I watched her shut the door as I headed for Chase’s bedroom to check on him.
“She seems like a weird one,” I said without thinking.
“That she is.” He huffed out air. “Didn’t you hear my screams?” he winked.
“No.” I grinned at his humor. “I hardly think you’re the type to scream from pain.”
“Swell. Now I have to keep up that image. If I hear her say, ‘It’s for your own good,’ one more time, I think I will scream.” He grinned.
“I’m real familiar with that term, but I’m sure she means well.”
“Oh sure,” he said shaking his head, “don’t give this poor disabled guy any sympathy.”
He had me laughing at his sudden spurt of silliness and I decided he was actually a pretty nice guy. “Hey, you’ll be getting your cast off soon. Stop whining.” I stood and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to get back to work. So did she give you your next dose of medicine?”
“Why? Because you think I’m punch drunk?” He shot me a twisted smile. “No, but I guess I’m ready for my next dosage now, Doc.”
“Do you need anything else to eat, maybe a snack?”
He patted his stomach. “No. I’m stuffed. In the future though, please don’t make me such elaborate lunches. Without my daily exercise, my middle is just going to explode. I can’t go back to racing with a gut hanging out over my belt. I have an image to maintain, after all.”
“Okay, but that’s why I gave you the menu to review first.”
“Yeah, but I guess I didn’t realize—” He stopped talking and scrunched up his face. “I insulted you again, didn’t I?”
I raised my hands in the air. “Hey, it’s your party and since you’re paying for the service, you get to have it your way.”
“I think it’s actually this darn canopy over my head. It makes me say weird stuff. But in all honesty, I typically do say what’s on my mind, if you haven’t already noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed it, all right.”
“Although I do try to space the insults far enough apart so my audience doesn’t send me packing. In this case, however, I guess it would be you packing since I’m a temporary resident.”
I scoffed and turned to leave the room. “I’ll get the menu and explain the ingredients and what I can do to make the recipes low fat.”
“That would be good. Thank you.” His stare was suddenly intense and uncomfortable. I retrieved the menu off the refrigerator, taking my time to allow the awkward moment to pass.
“Okay, here’s the menu,” I said sitting down. “Let’s go over this again.”
“Let that wait for a minute. Tell me about yourself, Jamie.”
“What is it you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“I’d be happy to tell you about my hopes and dreams for my business, but I’m not accust
omed to sharing personal information with people I don’t know.”
“Oh, I see. Okay, that’s fine.” He took the pill from my hand and sipped the water to wash it down. “I think I need to rest now.”
I left the room filled with guilt for ruining his spirit. I didn’t regret not sharing my life history with him, but I could have handled it better.
Make sure the pears are ripe. Peel the pears. Cut each in half lengthwise and carefully core them. You know, like you did to him, but you weren’t so careful. You shot his attempt to get to know you better right down the flusher with a tad of arrogance, I might add. It’s fair to say he deserved that after the way you started out, but he was only trying to make nice and get you to like him. You made him think he was succeeding there for a while, but he’s a get-to-the-bottom-line kind of guy. Now prep the pear by slicing into quarter-inch-thick slices.
Heat a grill pan—the kind with the alternating grooves—over medium heat and brush with oil. When the grill is hot, place the pear slices on it and grill on each side just until soft and displaying the grill marks. Remove the slices and reserve for assembling.
Using medium heat, toast the almonds by placing them in a skillet that’s been coated with nonstick spray and keep tossing them just until golden. Do not walk away from the stove while toasting them. They’ll burn faster than you can imagine.
Leave the pan on low heat while you slice the French baguette into half-inch-thick pieces. Brush each slice with olive oil and return the heat to medium high. Grill the bread slices until golden. Allow them to cool, and then rub the entire grilled side of the bread with the garlic clove. Yes, it’s a different way of making garlic bread without the added fat of butter.
Next, spread each slice of bread with Gorgonzola and top with two slices of grilled pear and garnish with a few toasted almonds. Fan them out to look pretty. If desired, drizzle a little more oil and/or honey over the crostini just before serving. Serves six.
“How’s the job?” Renee’s voice screeched through the phone.
I was exhausted from my first day and not really in the mood for talking, but since she was the one to give my name to Courtney, I figured I owed her that much. “It’s okay, but we’ll be in the honeymoon stage for a while.”
“Ooh,” she said with excitement, “what exactly does that mean? He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”
“Geez, Renee, now don’t go reading anything into this. All I meant was we got along fine.” I didn’t tell her about the abrupt end to our conversation. “I’m sure it’ll be even better once we get to know each other.”
“But you think he’s hot, right?”
“Not the Chase I’ve been looking at. He’s sick, Renee. What did you think he’d do, get dressed up for me?”
“Of course not! I just thought you’d be more forgiving about his messiness and see his good looks and charm.”
“Well, he’s very nice to Bailey, and he was funny this afternoon, but I think it was the meds he’s taking.”
“Oh, what a clever man. He’s working through the back door? Using the kid to get to you, and you’re working through his stomach.”
“No. I’m taking care of him because I need the money.” My voice was beginning to lean toward the sarcastic side. I decided it was definitely time to end the call. “Bailey needs her dinner, and I’m really tired. Can I call you tomorrow sometime?”
“Sure. I just hope you won’t let another opportunity slip by for a chance at romance. You know, you’ve already wasted half the year. You need to decide if you’re going to live in the past or join the rest of us in the future.”
“Good night, Renee, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I clicked off and felt the tension rush through me, irked because I’d promised myself that I would not allow Renee’s insensitive comments to irritate me today—only it was too late. “She’s a regular stupid Cupid!” I mumbled to myself. Actually, Renee wasn’t stupid at all. In fact, she was quite clever and adept at what she was doing. Calling her ‘stupid’ made me feel better.
I read Bailey a story until I’d noticed her tired eyes beginning to blink. I kissed her and made my way to the living room, tossed my feet up on the sofa, and allowed myself time to think about the way my life was going these days. Renee was right; I needed to decide what I wanted to do. It was easier living in the present. I’d never had to think of anyone other than myself when it came to romance, but regardless of what my heart told me to do, things had to be placed on hold for Bailey’s sake. I loved Bailey, but Missy’s death and the fact that she’d named me guardian threw my life off kilter—whatever life I had. I just wasn’t ready for this type of responsibility. Knowing Bailey was doing so well since her mother’s death was a relief, but then she was only three.
Sitting still made me antsy, so I made my way to the kitchen and emptied the dishwasher, a host of thoughts entering my mind. The more I tried to brush off the guilt I felt over my less-than-desirable attitude today after Chase was trying to be so nice, the more it ached in my gut. And then my recent thought about not being prepared for motherhood returned and a queasy feeling tied my insides in knots. I prayed Missy wasn’t watching over me at that precise moment and sensing what I’d said.
I sighed and walked toward the television, flipping it on to take my mind off my whining when the phone rang.
“Jamie,” Chase said. “Have you figured out my new menu yet?”
I sat more erect, surprised to hear his voice. “I’m working on it now.” I picked the menu up off the coffee table so it wasn’t a total lie. “Was there something special you wanted me to add to the menu? Something maybe your mother made?”
“Are you kidding? My mother didn’t cook. How do you think my sister got the way she is? We had maids to do that stuff,” he scoffed. “So how are you doing after working so hard today?”
“Uh…fine.” His question seemed like a strange one for him to ask. Was he calling to check up on me or because he wanted to pick up where we’d left off? “How’s the leg doing after forcing yourself out of bed?”
“It’s sore, but I’ll be fine, and, with your help, I know that I’ll be back out there racing in no time.” There was a lull in the conversation because I really didn’t know what to say. “Okay, well I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing. I know I had you hopping today.”
“I’m fine, thank you. Would you like me to call you back with another menu plan?”
“No. Just surprise me tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good ni—” The phone went silent before the last of my words were out. “What the heck was that all about?” I sat for a few minutes trying to figure it out and ultimately decided he was lonely. I flipped the channel to my favorite show and placed my feet on top of the coffee table. I’d work on his new menu in the morning before Bailey woke up.
As the old saying goes, something’s rotten in Denmark! The sister knows too much. Run the other way or keep your mouth shut. Change the subject—do whatever you have to do, but give as little information as you can. It’s beginning to sound like these two, maybe all three of them, are in constant communication. Being naive is not an attribute—it’s dumb. They’re best friends forever—stay alert.
In the meantime, go ahead and remove the skin from the thighs and discard. Okay, so you can’t be sure about this cahoots thing, but this all sounds too coincidental if you ask me. Maybe this exercise—the removing of skin thing—will take your mind off the tension building in your shoulders. Maybe the sister is being nosy and hoping you’ll tell her your deep dark secrets, but don’t trust her. Sooner or later she’ll get the hint. Right—like that’s ever gonna happen.
Okeydokey, now cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and shut your mind down—you’re working it too hard. Take a deep breath and continue working.
So why aren’t you listening to me? Okay…then I give up. I know trying to focus on something other than negativity is not how you roll. You milk it to death, but hey, if you want to make yourself miserable—b
e my guest. Just try not to chop off your finger in the interim. All right, now cut the crap and force yourself to focus on dredging the chicken pieces through the flour and shaking off any excess. You ultimately want the sauce to thicken, but not like heavy gravy.
Take a five-quart pot, add the olive oil over medium-high heat, and brown the chicken. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on another plate. Cover the plate to keep warm. And speaking of warm, Chase was sure trying to warm up to you today. Was it because he thought he could schmooze you like he does all his ladies? Run, Jamie, run!
Okay, back to work. Your thoughts are slowing down the process. Now, lower the heat to medium, add the onions and garlic, and sauté until tender, approximately five minutes. Add the spices and brown sugar, then stir to incorporate. Stupid Cupid’s shenanigans drive you crazy. Don’t allow yourself to succumb to her running interference. Ignore her.
Add the chicken stock, stir, and return the chicken pieces back into the pot. Lower the heat to simmer and cover, allowing the flavors to meld together for an hour. During the last ten minutes, add the salt and pepper, dates, and apricots. Serve over couscous. Makes four servings.
“How are things going?” Courtney asked as she hustled around getting ready for work. I hadn’t seen her for a few days.
“Reasonably well. Chase was being silly in the afternoon, talking about the nurse he hired.”
“Yeah, he told me he wasn’t all that pleased with her, but then, that’s Chase. By the way, I made arrangements for her to take him to the doctor for an appointment on Friday. He probably won’t be happy about that either, but welcome to the real world. He’s been spoiled for so long, he doesn’t understand what it’s like being around people who don’t genuflect when they enter his room.” She paused long enough to gulp the last bit of coffee in her mug and placed it in the sink. “Hey, how did Bailey like the table and chairs?”
“Oh, she loves them. I’m glad you asked because I didn’t have a chance to thank you. That was very nice of you to allow her to use them. I was surprised you even had any kid stuff around here.”
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