Page 14 of Mom-Com
Before she could laugh at me like I deserved, I took a deep breath and infused some cheerfulness into my voice that I didn’t actually feel. “So, can I help you make anything?”
She opened the fridge and pulled out a platter of steaks. “Nope. I have a salad all ready to go, bread rolls in the oven, and I just need to put these on the grill.” She tilted her head to the counter across from me. “Maybe you can open the wine and pour us a glass?”
That I could handle way better than conversation. I nodded and she walked out with the steaks. I grabbed the bottle of red wine, seeing it was a cab from a little winery in Sonoma. That weird quaking in my belly was back when I realized she hadn’t gone cheap with the wine nor the food for our little dinner. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I just hoped the feeling wasn’t indigestion or gas. That was the last thing I needed.
I poured the wine and set our glasses on the table, then went to round up the kids and have them wash their hands. I was pleased to see that Clark and Milly were well-behaved kids, not even making faces when I made them use soap. It only took one peek at germs in a microscope to make you more conscious of hygiene.
“I hope you’re hungry, kiddos!” Lily-Marie came through the kitchen, grabbed the salad out of the fridge, and pulled the rolls out of the oven to put them in a bread basket.
The kids ran to the table and had a seat. I gave Lily-Marie a smile, taking the bread basket from her, and followed her, sitting down only after she sank into one of the chairs at the head of the table. I gazed at her smiling face across the table and lost the grin as something shifted. Something inside me. Like a bubble of gas maybe.
“You okay, Jameson?” Lily-Marie was staring at me with concern while the kids were busy buttering their rolls and flinging salad onto their plates.
“Oh, yes, fine.” I picked up the platter of steaks and selected a thick one. “These look great.” I passed the plate to Stein and told him to pass it to Lily-Marie.
Whatever was going on with my digestive system would have to wait. I’d eat every bite on my plate just so Lily-Marie knew I appreciated all the work she put into making this homemade meal. It was a rarity for Stein and me to go to this much trouble since it was just the two of us. I’m sure he was marveling at the food too.
When I saw Lily-Marie had all her food on her plate and had taken the first bite of salad, I picked up my knife and cut a piece of steak. It looked pretty pink for an outside piece, but then again, I was more of a well-done steak kind of guy anyway.
A few more bites in and I wasn’t sure if I could keep going. The fluttering was back, but it was more of a gagging sensation. The center of the steak was so red I could have sworn it still had a heartbeat. With a strong swallow and an iron will, not to mention stomach, I moved on to the salad, pushing it to the far side of my plate to miss the puddle of red seeping out from under my steak.
“So, Stein, what sports do you play?” Lily-Marie was politely engaging my son in conversation, which helped draw my focus from the carnage on my plate.
My chest swelled with pride when Stein swallowed before answering. “I play soccer right now, but I kinda want to try baseball.”
“Hey, I play baseball. You wanna play catch with me later? I can show you how.” Clark interjected, his big blue eyes sparkling at the thought of a new buddy to play with.
“I pway too!” Milly nearly jumped out of her chair to climb the table and get in on the fun.
“Let’s let the boys get some baseball time in and then I’m sure they’ll let you play some catch too.” Lily-Marie successfully refereed what looked like a common issue between the two siblings. She gave me a wink and I nearly choked on the leafy greens.
“Oh, I forgot the ketchup. My heathens like it on their steak.” She hopped up and I stood abruptly too, nearly tipping my chair over in the process. She gave me a funny look, but ran into the kitchen anyway. My list said to stand whenever a woman stood. I believed it was to show respect, quite like opening doors for women, but I wasn’t sure if she would take it that way.
When she came back in, I waited for her to sit, and then took my seat as well, smoothing my napkin back over my lap.
“So, what specifically do you do for Disney?” I figured showing interest in Lily-Marie’s line of work would have been on Granny’s list had she made the list in more modern times.
She chewed a bite of steak and then answered. “I’m an admin for one of the marketing executives, so it’s a little bit of everything, to be honest. I’ve learned so much in this position. It’s an incredible company.”
She cut another section of steak and took a bite as Stein asked her a question. “Do they give you free Disney DVDs?”
She quit chewing and her face took on a paler shade. She put a napkin up to her mouth and coughed. When she pulled it away, she finally answered. “Um, yes. We do. We get a lot of the movies for our personal collection and when they have special editions. One of the many perks.”
I decided I’d better work on a roll, rather than attempt the steak again. “What’s everyone’s favorite Disney movie?” I asked the table.
“Ohhh, I wuv Cindy-wella.” Milly smiled a cheesy grin, one I couldn’t help but return. Damn, that kid was cute.
“I used to loveCars, so I’d say that’s still my favorite,” Stein answered, with Clark nodding his agreement.
Lily-Marie put another bite of steak in her mouth, then promptly spat it back out onto her plate. Everyone stared at her and her bad table manners.
She looked up, eyes wide and face heated. “I’m so sorry. Oh my goodness. It’s just the steak is way too rare.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s a little on the rare side, but still good,” I reassured her.
“It’s still cold in the middle,” she confessed.
“Yeah,” I agreed with a grimace, then burst out laughing.
