by Annie Young
Wyatt was quickly becoming surprised at his own thoughts. Immediately after having them, though, a pang of guilt flashed into his mind. He wondered what Caroline would say about him having these kind of thoughts about Maggie's surrogate mother. She would have likely accused him of being a total creep.
Or would she have? He wondered. Caroline loved Lily. In fact, she thought that Lily was one of the best people on earth. I don't think that she ever had an ill word to say about her. Still, though, I have to wonder if she'd approve of me fantasizing about her. I'm guessing that would be where Caroline would have drawn the line.
“How's the wine?” Wyatt asked, in an attempt to kill the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
Lily licked her lips, which had turned red from the drink. “It's incredible. It's the perfect balance between sweet and dry.”
“Told you,” Wyatt said, with a smirk.
“I don't think I'll be able to drink cheap wine ever again.” Lily laughed and then took another sip.
“Did I ruin you?” he asked. “If so, I'm happy to buy you good wine for the rest of your life. Nobody deserves to drink those five dollar gallon jugs that they sell at the liquor store. I'm pretty sure you can use those as fuel in your car if you run out of gas.”
“That's good to know.” Lily giggled. “Maybe I should keep a bottle or two of the cheap stuff in the trunk of my car in case I ever get stranded and out of fuel.”
Wyatt and Lily took another few sips of their wine, then went back to work on making dinner. In just the few minutes that they'd been distracted, Maggie had managed to make a total mess. The counter was now covered in breadcrumbs and chopped vegetables. Some of it had even made its way to the floor, surrounding the stool that she was standing on.
“Oops,” Maggie said, with a mischievous grin.
Wyatt just laughed. Lily turned to clean it up, but he stopped her.
“I'll get it,” he said. “You keep working on the dinner and I'll get this cleaned up. Clearly, I'm not much help with preparing the food.”
“Alright, sounds good,” Lily said. “If everything goes as planned, food will be ready in forty-five minutes. I hope everybody is hungry.”
“Starved,” Wyatt said, patting his stomach. “I can't wait to try your cooking. I hope your mom's recipe is as good as you've made it sound.”
“Me too,” Lily said, nodding in agreement. “Me too.”
Chapter 9
Lily
God, I hope he likes it, Lily thought, as she carried two full plates of eggplant Parmesan out to the living room.
Wyatt followed close behind. He was carrying a little plate for Maggie. In addition to the eggplant, though, they'd given her some tater tots and green beans. Wyatt wasn't sure if she was going to like the eggplant. She'd never tried it before. This would be her first time and eggplant is one of those things that you either love or you hate.
Lily was actually a little bit nervous as they sat down on the couch to eat. She hadn't cooked a real meal in quite some time. Usually, her dinners by herself consisted of a bowl of cereal or microwave food. Sometimes she'd go all out and make spaghetti and meatballs but never went as far as something like this. She really hoped that Wyatt would approve, since she still had eight days worth of cooking to do for him and wanted to make a good first impression.
“You're sure you don't mind if we watch the game while we eat?” Wyatt asked, taking a seat next to Lily on the couch.
She shook her head. “No, of course no. I think it will be fun.”
Maggie sat on the floor in front of the couch, taking a seat to the left of Lily's feet. They set the plates down onto the black marble coffee table in the center.
“The food is hot, we should let it cool for a second,” Lily said. Really, though, she was just postponing everybody trying it.
Wyatt turned on his gigantic flat screen TV and found the channel that was playing The Raccoon's game.
“Perfect timing,” he said. “They're just starting. If we keep our eyes out, we can probably find Derek sitting in the front row.”
Lily laughed. “We can spy on him.”
“Yep,” Wyatt said. “We'll be able to see if he found someone to go with him or not. Although, I'm sure he did.”
They watched the first few minutes of the game and when the food had cooled, Lily cleared her throat. “Alright, guys. Let's dig in.”
Lily watched carefully as the two of them took a bite of the food. Wyatt kind of jerked his head back a little bit and his eyes widened. It looked almost like he had eaten one of those super sour pieces of candy, the kind that make your face scrunch up.
Oh no, she thought. It must be awful.
She then looked down to Maggie, who had taken a bite, only to spit it back out on the plate. Neither of them said anything, so she decided to try for herself. She stuck her fork into a piece of eggplant and popped it in her mouth, immediately realizing why they were acting the way they were.
My God, she thought, chewing as quickly as possible so as to get it past her tongue and down her throat. I ruined it. I added way too much salt.
“It's really bad,” she said, with a sigh.
Maggie, still too young to understand tact, nodded in agreement. “Wheely bad.”
Wyatt forced a smile and took another bite. He was obviously just doing it to be nice, though. It was clearly taking a lot of effort. “It's alright, Lily. I think it's just fine.”
“No, no,” Lily said, shaking her head. “It's awful. I added way too much salt. I thought for sure my mom had told me to use a quarter cup, but now that I think about it, that might have been the amount I was supposed to use for the breadcrumbs. I knew that looked like way too much salt. I'm so sorry you guys.”
She was legitimately disappointed in herself. All of this planning and preparation, just to make a meal that was practically inedible.
“Please, nobody eat this,” she said, gathering the plates. “I'll make something else. This belongs in the garbage.”
Maggie took her napkin and began using it to wipe off her tongue.
“Maggie, don't do that,” Wyatt said. “It wasn't that bad.”
“My tongue burns,” she replied. “I need water.”
“I'll get you some water, sweetie,” Lily replied.
She stacked the plates and headed to the kitchen, feeling almost as embarrassed about the food mishap as she had the night before, when Wyatt had walked in on her while she was wearing only panties.
“Hey, Lily, let me help you.” Wyatt hopped up from the couch and followed Lily into the kitchen. She really didn't want him to, though. Her cheeks were on fire as she blushed and all she felt like doing was crying.
“I can't believe I did that,” Lily said, as she dumped the contents of the plates into the trash. “I really wanted to make this meal something special.”
Wyatt placed his hand onto her shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. “Well, it was definitely special.”
She turned to look at him, noticing he was smiling playfully. It was contagious and soon, she found herself laughing. “Yeah, I guess you're right. I think after one bite, all of our blood pressure went up about forty points. That's pretty special. In all seriousness, though, I feel terrible. I messed up this whole thing.”
“You definitely shouldn't feel bad,” Wyatt said. “It's just one meal. Who cares? Do you have any clue how many times I've ruined meals in the kitchen? I can't even tell you because I don't know. The number is way too high to keep track of. All I know is that it's a lot. There's a reason Mildred won't let me step foot in here.”
“Really? You're not mad?” Lily asked.
Wyatt's eyes widened and a confused expression crossed his face. “Mad? Are you kidding me? Why would I be mad? These things happen. Tell you what, why don't we just order Chinese tonight and have it delivered? There's a really nice place nearby and it usually only takes them fifteen or twenty minutes to have it at the front door.”
Lily nodded and a wave of
relief flooded through her. “That actually sounds really good.”
Wyatt smiled and pulled out his cell phone. “What would you like?”
“I'll take whatever you're getting,” Lily said. “I pretty much love anything that comes from a Chinese restaurant.”
“Sesame chicken it is,” he said. A moment later, he began speaking on the phone to place the order.
Lily continued scraping the toxic eggplant Parmesan into the trash. When she was done, she put the plates into the dishwasher. It took a few swigs of her red wine to wash the salty taste out of her mouth, but soon it was gone.
I knew I wasn't the best good in the world, but jeez, I had no idea I could mess up a meal quite that drastically, she thought. It's okay, though. I'm here for over a week still. There's plenty of time for me to redeem myself.
Chapter 10
Lily
Monday morning came around and Lily hopped out of bed early to get started on the day. Everybody was still asleep when she woke up, so she headed downstairs to make some coffee. Before she did that, though, she made sure she was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt that was loose enough so her nipples didn't show. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of Friday night.
Besides the eggplant Parmesean being a complete disaster on Saturday, the weekend had been very relaxing. She'd spent Saturday evening watching the basketball game with Wyatt and Lily. On Sunday, she took Maggie out while Wyatt worked out in the home gym in his basement. She and Maggie walked around the park, picking flowers and giving them to each other. The weather had been perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. So they stayed outside for most of the day.
Now the real work week begins, she thought, turning on the coffee machine. Monday morning is here, which means Wyatt will be gone during the day. It shouldn't be too bad, though. Maggie is a good kid. I don't think she'll give me too much trouble.
The coffee brewed and Lily took a seat on the stool nearby. She placed her elbows onto the counter and used her hands to hold her chin, while she gazed out into the back yard. The sun had just come up, painting the yard in a brilliant orange light. She sighed thoughtfully as she took it in. It was really pretty and certainly beat the heck out of the view from her one bedroom apartment.
Maybe someday I'll get to live in a place like this, she thought to herself. I could get used to waking up in a mansion every morning. I'd wake up early and make coffee, then prepare breakfast for the many kids that I hope to one day have.
Lily often thought about her life five years prior when she'd been pregnant with Maggie. Unlike many mothers she'd spoke with during that time, Lily actually really enjoyed being pregnant. Sure, she'd dealt with morning sickness and back pain and restless leg syndrome. Not once had any of that bothered her, though. The joy of carrying a little human being in her belly far outweighed any of the burdens that she had to bear because of it.
I just miss being pregnant, she thought. I miss that feeling and wish I could have it back.
Even though she was currently single, there was still the undeniable nagging in the back of her mind and body that urged her to get pregnant again. She wanted to feel the joy of new life inside of her once more.
I'm not getting any younger, she thought. I can't wait forever to have kids of my own. The clock is ticking all the time.
She felt the moving of time, leading toward the inevitable inability to have children later in life. It made her 'baby crazy', a term that she'd heard over and over again from her girlfriends who were wanting to get pregnant just like she was. It apparently hit women in their mid-twenties and she was quickly realizing that it had hit her as well.
Oh well, she thought, placing her hand onto her belly. It's not like it's something I can force. If I meet the right guy, then I'll have kids. It's as simple as that. Not much I can do right now.
Lily heard the sound of little feet scampering down the stairs. As soon as she looked up, Maggie appeared around the corner. Her hair was sticking out from all sides of her head. It was a tangled mess, but adorable nonetheless.
“Good morning, pretty girl.” Lily hopped off of the stool and then squatted down to get a hug from Maggie.
“Good morning,” Maggie said, through an exaggerated yawn.
“You want some breakfast?” Lily asked.
Maggie just nodded and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hands. Lily picked her up and set her down onto a stool, then began digging through the fridge. She was looking for something easy to make, something that would be impossible for her to screw up.
Scrambled eggs, she decided. There's no way I can mess that up.
She grabbed a half dozen eggs and broke them into a bowl. She was in the middle of stirring them up, when Wyatt popped into the kitchen. “Good morning, ladies.”
“Morning, Daddy,” Maggie said.
Lily spun around. She was cradling the bowl in one arm, while continuing to stir the eggs with her opposite hand. “Good morning. Hope I didn't wake you up. I tried to be quiet.”
“Oh no, you didn't,” Wyatt said, reaching for a mug from the cabinet. “I'm always up early on the weekdays. I've got a meeting this morning that I need to prepare for anyway. I'll be at the office fairly late today, too. I have a lot of things to catch up on.”
“No problem,” Lily said. “I'm sure Maggie and I can find lots to do today to keep ourselves busy.”
“That reminds me,” Wyatt said. “She has dance class this morning at nine. I'm such an airhead sometimes. I totally forgot to tell you about that yesterday.”
“Dance class, huh? That sounds fun. I didn't know she did that.” Lily turned on the stove as she spoke.
“She just started, actually,” Wyatt said. “Today is her first day.”
“I'm happy to take her,” Lily said. “Can you help me move her car seat into my car?”
“No need for that.” Wyatt place a set of keys onto the counter. “Just take the SUV. I'll take the Lamborgini to work today.”
“You sure?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course,” he replied. “The SUV is great anyway, because you can put a movie on for her when you're driving. It keeps her occupied.”
“Alright, well, can you text me the address of the dance place?” she asked, as she poured the eggs into the pan.
“Yep, on it,” Wyatt said, pulling out his cell phone to send the text.
“You want breakfast?” Lily asked.
He shook his head. “No, I never eat breakfast. All I need is coffee in the morning and I'm good to go. I'm going to head upstairs and get ready for work. I'll say goodbye before I head out.”
Wyatt took a sip of his coffee and walked around the center island. He kissed Maggie on top of her head and then left the kitchen. Lily listened to the sound of his footsteps as he ascended the stairs.
“Are you excited for your dance class?” Lily asked Maggie.
She nodded, but didn't show much enthusiasm on her face. It was obviously still a little too early for her to be too excited about anything. Lily completely understood that feeling.
“Is there anything we need to remember to bring to it?” Lily pulled a couple of plates from the cabinet and dumped the scrambled eggs onto them. Then she placed one of the plates in front of Maggie, along with a fork and a small glass of orange juice.
“Um, let's see,” Maggie said thoughtfully, gazing up toward the ceiling. “Daddy bought me new dance shoes. I guess I need those.”
Lily smiled. “Yeah, you probably need those. Is there an outfit that you're supposed to wear?”
“A pink one!” Maggie said, now smiling.
It was far from enough information to help Lily figure out which pink outfit Maggie was referring to. Nearly every article of clothing that Maggie owned was some shade of pink.
“I should probably ask your dad, huh?” Lily said. “I don't want you to forget anything on your first day of class.”
Maggie had already begun to dig into the food. To Lily's relief, she ate it without complaint
. It turned out that she had been correct, in that there was no way she could screw up scrambled eggs.
“You eat up,” Lily said, as she turned off the stove and put the pan into the sink. “I'm going to run up and ask your dad what all you need for your dance class today.”
“Okay,” Maggie replied. She looked over toward Lily and a ray of sunlight poured across her face. It ignited her baby blue eyes and that cute little smile of hers. As always, Lily's heart melted in an instant.
“Be right back,” Lily said.
She turned and made her way upstairs.
Wyatt's bedroom door was open, so she poked her head inside.
“Hey, Wyatt, I've got a question for you,” she said, glancing around the room.
It was her first time looking in there and she was amazed at how large it was. Even the king-size bed seemed small in contrast to the rest of the room. Fancy velvet curtains were hung over the windows. They were light blue and matched a few pieces of accent furniture in the room, including a small couch in the corner and a lamp near the bed. It was a contribution that was most definitely Caroline's. Lily was certain of that. She knew Wyatt had good taste, but doubted he would have been able to design a room quite this perfectly.
“Wyatt?” Lily called out again. “You in here?”
There wasn't a response, so she took a step further into the room. Her toes dug into the carpet as she walked.
“Hello?” she said.
Lily paused when she was about halfway in the room.
He did say he was coming up here to get ready for work, right? She wondered. Oh well, I'll hopefully see him before he leaves this morning. I can ask him then, I suppose.
She considered heading back down to the kitchen, but wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel on finding Wyatt. One more step further into the bedroom and then she quickly realized why he hadn't been responding.
The door to his master bathroom was opened just a few inches, but where she now stood gave her direct line of sight through the crack. Thanks to the help of the bathroom mirror, she was able to see Wyatt's reflection. He was standing naked in the shower, lathering up his hair with shampoo.