Page 18 of Sweet Home

“Me next,” Elizabeth said. “Me, me, me.”

“Are you sure, Lilibet?” Dulcie asked. “You won’t get mad if your first try doesn’t work?”

“It might go on the ceiling?” Elizabeth asked, her voice tinged with hope.

“If it did we’d have to stop and clean everything up,” Dulcie said carefully. “And then we wouldn’t get to eat our fancy pancakes. So hopefully whatever happens, it stays in the pan. But I know you can do that, so I’m not worried.”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth said, nodding and not sounding too disappointed.

She watched while Dulcie poured in a bit more batter, and then a second bit to make the heart shape.

“Now?” Elizabeth asked.

“Not until we see tiny little bubbles all across it,” Dulcie told her.

All three of them waited, breathless, until Dulcie nodded.

“What will you do first?” she asked, as Elizabeth reached for the spatula.

“Put it under,” Elizabeth said.

“Right,” Dulcie told her. “Then what?”

“Flip it,” Elizabeth yelled excitedly.

“Quickly, but gently,” Dulcie agreed, handing over the spatula.

West was on his feet without realizing he was going to get up. They all watched intently as Elizabeth shoved the spatula under the pancake.

Miraculously, she didn’t smush or wrinkle it, and he said a silent prayer of thanks to his parents for buying him a nice, non-stick pan as a wedding gift all those years ago.

“Amazing job,” Dulcie praised her. “Now flip it gently.”

“Don’t go on the ceiling,” Elizabeth advised the pancake sternly.

She moved to flip it gently. It didn’t flip all the way over, but it did stay in the pan.

“Oh,no,” she moaned.

“That was great,” Dulcie told her. “Can I smooth it out for you?”

Elizabeth handed over the spatula and Dulcie managed to get the pancake more or less back in place.

“You did it,” Dulcie told Elizabeth excitedly.“You did it.”

“I did it, Daddy,” Elizabeth said, gazing up at West with shy pride.

“I can’t believe it,” West told her honestly. “You did such a good job.”

“I’ll make the rest,” Elizabeth decided. “You two set the table.”

“How about I pour and you flip?” Dulcie offered. “And then we can all set the table together.”

Elizabeth nodded graciously and the two of them got back to work.

West quietly moved to set the table himself. It was very pleasant hearing the two of them discuss pancake sizes and techniques while he grabbed plates, forks, and maple syrup. The radio was playing softly, and the sunlight was growing brighter outside, making the snowy fields sparkle.

“Here we go,” Dulcie told Elizabeth a few minutes later, as they slid the last pancake onto the platter. “You can make the announcement.”

---