Popcorn Love

by KL Hughes

  “Oh I do, do I?” she asked, still laughing as she carried him into the kitchen, held him at the sink to help him wash his hands, and then put him in his seat.

  “Uh-huh.” His nod was overly dramatic.

  Elena opened the freezer and looked inside. “I suppose I’m in luck then, because we happen to have an entire box of dinosaur nuggets.” She pulled out the box of grilled chicken nuggets cut into dinosaur shapes and waggled it at her son.

  Giggling, Lucas threw up his arms. “How long?”

  “Not long, baby.” She stopped to drop a kiss to his forehead and muttered to herself. “Now, what to make for Allison?”

  * * *

  When the doorbell rang, Lucas had already devoured his dinosaur nuggets and sweet peas and had run off to play. Elena still found it strange how much her son actually enjoyed peas. He was one of few kids she knew to actually love them, but she was far from complaining. She finished straining the pasta before going to answer the door. The pitter-patter of Lucas’s feet running toward her from the other room meant he was too curious to stay away, but he was also quite shy. He hid behind her leg as she pulled open the door.

  Allison looked exactly as she had earlier that day—long blonde ponytail, jean jacket, and everything.

  “Ms.—sorry.” No formalities, she remembered. “Allison, hello. I’m glad you could make it.”

  “Hi,” Allison chirped with a little wave. Her eyes raked down Elena’s body as they apparently were going to do every time she saw the woman, then shifted to the little hand clinging to Elena’s pants and wide caramel-colored eyes peeking out from around Elena’s leg.

  Smiling and shaking her leg, Elena softly said, “Stop hiding, dear. Come out and say hello.”

  His little head poked out just a bit farther with a shy greeting. “Hello.”

  “Hi Lucas.” Allison waved at him, and the boy narrowed his eyes at her. She glanced back up at Elena. “He looks like you.”

  “Yes,” Elena said and then suddenly realized that they were still standing in the doorway. Stepping back, she motioned for Allison to enter. “Come in.”

  They barely managed more than a few steps inside before Lucas tugged on Elena’s pant leg. He crooked his finger at her, motioning for her to bend down. When she did, he cupped a hand around his mouth and pressed it to his mother’s ear.

  “Momma, who’s that?”

  “That is Allison.” Allison offered him another small wave, but he just continued to look at her with narrowed eyes. “She is a babysitter.”

  “What’s a babysinner?” He shrank behind Elena a little more.

  Both Elena and Allison laughed. “Babysit-ter,” Elena repeated.

  “Yeah, kid,” Allison said. “I sit on babies.”

  Lucas’s eyes widened comically and so did Elena’s.

  “I’m not a baby. I’m a big boy!”

  Winking, Allison said, “Well then, I guess you and me can just be friends then.”

  Elena watched closely as Lucas seemed to consider Allison’s words, and when he took a step out from behind her leg, she couldn’t help but smile.

  As if testing the water, Lucas quietly asked, “You like dinosaurs?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Allison gasped dramatically. “I love dinosaurs!”

  That was all it took. A wide smile spread over Lucas’s face and in seconds, he ran right past them and into the next room, shouting to Allison over his shoulder. “Come on!”

  Allison looked up at Elena and smiled. “Can I go and play with him?”

  Pure childlike excitement filled the younger woman’s bright eyes in that moment, and Elena could see why babysitting was a good fit for Allison Sawyer. “Go ahead. Oh, and I am making pasta. I thought you might be hungry.”

  “Awesome! Yeah, I’m starved. Thank you. That’s really nice of you.”

  “My pleasure,” Elena said. She watched as Allison darted off after Lucas and out of sight. Only minutes later, giggles from both of them echoed into the kitchen from the living room, and Elena grinned as she brought her pasta sauce to a simmer.

  “Perhaps this will work out after all,” Elena murmured, now only hoping that Vivian could keep her word and set her up with at least a few decent dates.

  Chapter Three

  When Elena finished preparing dinner, she set two places at the dining-room table and then headed toward the living room. She reached the open archway that led into the large living room and stopped and leaned against the frame. A tender smile graced her lips.

  Allison and Lucas sat on the floor together as they played with Lucas’s dinosaur figurines, and Elena had to cup a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud when she realized that her son was slowly but surely scooting closer and closer to Allison. Within a few moments, he was sitting hip-to-hip with her, and completely surprised Elena by crawling up into Allison’s lap and resting his back against her chest. That moment alone was enough to convince Elena that Allison was right for the job.

  She was only further convinced as Allison simply seemed to roll with the changes, letting Lucas make his own decisions and set his own pace. She patted his leg as she reached around him and quietly asked, “What about this one?”

  “That’s my tricertops.”

  “Triceratops,” Allison corrected.

  Lucas pulled the dinosaur from her hand. “That’s what I said,” he muttered. He then held up another figurine and added, “And the rex eats him.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah, ‘cause the rex is a carnival.” Lucas gave her a confident nod. “That means he eats meats.”

  Allison giggled and so did Elena, unable to hold it in any longer. Allison’s head snapped up and she smiled when she saw Elena leaning against the door frame and watching them.

  “Hey Elena, did you know that Rex is a carnival?” Allison asked her, winking.

  “I did, actually.” Elena nodded. “He only eats meat.”

  “You’re sposta say thank you.” Lucas’s hand poked at Allison’s chin.

  Allison grabbed his hand and held it. “What for?”

  “Because I teached you something.”

  “Taught,” Elena and Allison corrected simultaneously.

  Huffing out a breath, Lucas tried to roll his big honey-brown eyes but only ended up crossing them. Allison gently moved him off her lap and placed him in the middle of all the dinosaurs. He seemed content to play alone, so she popped up off the floor and walked over to Elena.

  “He has trouble with tenses,” Elena explained.

  “Well, he is only three,” Allison said. “He’ll get the hang of it. I had a brother once whose speech didn’t really develop until he was like four, and then I had a sister who was talking up a storm by the time she was two. It’s different with every kid. There’s no hard and fast rule to it, you know?”

  Nodding, Elena continued to watch her son play. “He’s normally very shy around strangers,” she said. “He seems to have taken quite the liking to you, though. I’m surprised.”

  “Ouch. Are you saying that I’m not likeable?” Allison gaped comically and pressed a hand to her chest.

  A smirk formed on Elena’s lips as she shook her head. Allison seemed like a genuinely kind person with a good head on her shoulders, and she was refreshingly at ease with herself. It actually made it easier for Elena to be more comfortable with her.

  Allison leaned against the opposite side of the door frame as she, too, watched Lucas play. “He’s pretty awesome.” She nudged Elena’s arm with her elbow. “Like his Mom.”

  That pulled a loud laugh from Elena. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Ms. Sawyer.”

  “It’s Allison, and I think you’re wrong about that,” she argued. “I think flattery will at least get me some food.”

  “You would have gotten it anyway. The dining room is just around the corner and to your right. I’ve already set the table for us. You go ahead. I am going to move Lucas to his playroom so I can see him from the table.”

&nbs
p; “Okay, thanks.” Allison darted off toward the dining room while Elena collected her son.

  * * *

  “So, what do you think, munchkin?” Elena quietly asked as she picked Lucas up. “Do we like Allison?”

  His fingers tangled in the hair at the back of her neck as he offered up a wide grin.

  “Is that a yes?”

  The answer came in the form of an enthusiastic nod as they passed the dining room, where Allison had just finished filling a bowl with salad and was now piling some pasta onto a plate, and then into the playroom next door. “She’s pretty,” he whispered, his cheeks flushing a gentle pink.

  Elena patted his bottom and put him down on his feet. “I know,” she said, tapping her finger on the tip of his nose. “Momma’s going to eat now. You be good.”

  “Okay.”

  * * *

  When Elena took her place at the dining room table, adjacent to her guest, Allison pointed toward the playroom. “The kid likes dinosaurs, huh?”

  “More than almost anything,” Elena said. “He got a dinosaur T-shirt for his second birthday, and ever since then, it has been dinosaur everything—clothing, room décor, toys, and anything else we can find. I have yet to understand the obsession.”

  “I always liked dinosaurs too.” Allison leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms out. “They’re cool because they actually existed.”

  “I suppose so, yes.”

  “So, you think I’m pretty, huh?” Allison asked, then, taking Elena by surprise.

  Elena shook her head, laughing quietly. “Do you ever stop?”

  “Rarely.” Allison nodded to accept the wine glass Elena offered. “Unless it bothers you? Because if it bothers you, I can totally stop.”

  “It doesn’t bother me.” Elena took a sip of wine. “I am simply unaccustomed to it. That’s all.”

  “Unaccustomed to what? Unaccustomed to people who don’t talk like they just climbed out of a textbook, or people who actually speak their opinions to your face instead of behind your back? Lifestyles of the rich and famous and all that, right?”

  One slender brow rose at the daring remark. “My, my. Am I sensing a hint of bitterness?”

  “Not at all.” Allison shoved a forkful of pasta into her mouth and moaned softly as she chewed the food and swallowed it down. “Holy crap! That’s good.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Thank you. Anyway, no, not bitter. Just my opinion, I guess. You disagree?”

  Elena stared at her a long moment before sucking in a breath and confessing, “Unfortunately, no.”

  “It’s no big deal, really.” Allison shrugged. “I mean, minus the general textbook talk, the middle and lower classes are really no better. There are bitches in every group, you know?”

  Elena’s eyes cut quickly to the side to see if Lucas had heard that word, but he was completely immersed in his own little world, making loud screeching and roaring sounds as he played with his dinosaurs. Allison followed Elena’s eyes, and her cheeks instantly flushed.

  “Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to say that so loudly. I swear I won’t ever cuss around the kid.”

  “Thank you. I would prefer that you don’t in his presence, but I don’t believe he heard just now. Anyway, I find I rather agree with you. However, I am curious to know…”

  “If I see you like that?”

  Elena nodded as she took a dainty bite of pasta and avoided Allison’s eyes. It wasn’t until she heard the quiet words “Not even close” that she finally looked up.

  “At least, not yet,” Allison added. “You can always tell which people think they’re better than you. It’s in their eyes and in the way they sneer, you know? I’ve had a lot of rich people turn me away just because of how I dress or how I talk or whatever. But I don’t get that from you, even if you do secretly think you’re better than me. You definitely don’t show it.”

  “I don’t,” Elena said quickly.

  “You don’t show it?”

  “I don’t think I am better than you.”

  Their eyes locked across the table. Allison winked and pointed her fork at Elena before twirling it in her fingers and poking it down into her pasta again. “Okay then.”

  Her smile was echoed on Elena’s face. “Okay.”

  * * *

  When they were finished eating, Allison immediately stood up and reached for Elena’s plate. All stacked together, the dishes were easy to carry to the kitchen, and Allison deposited them next to the sink.

  Elena started to thank her but then noticed Allison pulling off the jean jacket that she seemed to wear like a second shirt and turning the faucet on.

  “Oh Allison, you don’t have to do that.”

  “I know. You didn’t have to cook me dinner either, but you did. I want to, so just let me, okay?”

  Elena’s shoulders relaxed as she laced her fingers together in front of her waist and stepped over to the counter. “Very well. I appreciate it. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Thank you for dinner.”

  Just then, Lucas sprinted into the kitchen, shouting that he wanted to help Allison. When he tried to skid to a stop, his socks slid on the tiled floor, and he crashed into the lower cabinets beside Allison’s leg. The dishes sitting on the counter near the edge trembled as Lucas’s little body banged against the cabinets, and before Allison could stop it, the salad bowl on the top of the stack slid off and went tumbling down.

  A yelp of fear escaped Elena as Allison threw herself to the floor and covered Lucas’s body with her own. The salad bowl clunked on top of her head with a hard thud, rolled down her shoulder and then onto the floor where it cracked on one side from impact.

  Elena was on the floor next to them in seconds, just as Allison was turning Lucas in her arms and looking him over. “You okay, little man?” she asked. He nodded like it was no big deal and then bent to pick up the fallen bowl.

  “This bowl is not okay.” His eyes widened as his voice jumped up an octave. “Look Momma, a crack!”

  “I see,” Elena said. “I’m just glad that you are all right. Let’s not touch it anymore, though, okay?” She took the bowl from him and placed it back on the counter, far from the edge. “Lucas, why don’t you go to your room and change into your pajamas? You think you can do that by yourself like a big boy?”

  “But I wanna help wash.” He knotted his hands in the bottom of his shirt as he danced in place from foot to foot.

  “You can help Allison the next time she comes to see you, okay?”

  That seemed to be enough for him. “Okay!” he cheered before taking off for his room.

  Once he was out of sight and Elena turned back around, she found herself face to face with an amused Allison. “So, there’s gonna be a next time, huh? That mean I got the job?”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  Allison’s smile dropped from her lips. “Oh, uh, well, I—” she began to stutter.

  “Allison, you just threw yourself in front of a flying salad bowl to protect my son. Of course you have the job.”

  A sigh of relief slipped through Allison’s lips before dissolving into laughter. “Sounds so much more badass when you put it like that.”

  Elena stepped to the sink, nudging Allison’s shoulder with her own, and reached for the dish soap. “Come on, hero. Let’s finish these dishes.”

  * * *

  Lucas’s small hand slapped against Allison’s in a firm high five when she accompanied Elena to bid him goodnight. “So, I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  Grinning at her, he nodded and climbed into his bed. “And we can play more dinosaurs?”

  “Totally.”

  “Totally,” he repeated, and Allison chuckled as she ruffled his hair. She was already pretty taken with him. “Night kid.”

  She left the room and waited for Elena in the hallway. Elena’s voice drifted from the room as she told Lucas she would be right back to tuck him in. When she emerged from the room, they walked quietly down the hall, throug
h the foyer, and to the front door.

  “So, I guess you’ll call me when you need me?” Allison asked as she opened the door and leaned into the frame.

  “I will,” Elena said. “I’m glad we were able to do this, Allison. I think Lucas will enjoy having you around when I am out.”

  She smiled. “I think I’ll enjoy it, too.” She gave a small wave before stepping through the open door. “Okay, well, goodnight Elena.”

  “Good night.” Elena gently closed the door behind her.

  * * *

  A resounding squeal spilled through the phone. “This is fantastic! We can get started right away.”

  “Please stop making it sound like a project, Viv.” Elena groaned as she lay in bed with the phone pressed between her cheek and her pillow. “I’m not a test subject.”

  “Sure you are. And we are testing how fast we can find you a man.”

  “Or woman.” Elena bit her tongue as soon as she realized what she said.

  “Oh really? What happened to all that ‘it was only one time’ stuff?”

  Burying her face into the pillow, Elena let out another exaggerated groan. “You are incorrigible.”

  “I’m not incorrigible. You just hate it when I’m right, and I was right. You are at least twenty-five percent gay.”

  The pillow muffled Elena’s snort of laughter. “Gayness is not measured in percentages. It’s not a heritage.”

  “Well, it is now.” Vivian was cracking herself up. “I am one-sixteenth Irish, and you are one-quarter gay.”

  Elena rolled her eyes and glanced at her bedside clock. “I’m hanging up now.”

  “Okay, but see if you can get the babysitter for tomorrow. You are lucky you called me on a Friday, because I can definitely have a date set up for you by tomorrow night.”