Page 23 of Mom-Com
The thing was, a scientist never quits the experiment unless something horrific was happening and for safety reasons it needed to be shut down. Other than my feelings being squashed, nothing horrible had happened. I needed to complete the experiment to the best of my ability. And really, every reaction of Lily-Marie’s simply proved my original hypothesis correct. A man could do all the right things to show a woman he cared and it still wouldn’t be enough to make them fall in love. That kind of love just didn’t exist.
I placed the empty water bottle in the recycling bin and walked back into my office to grab my laminated sheet. Firing my computer back up, I opened up my notes about the experiment. Pecking away furiously with two index fingers, I typed out our exchange last night and then glanced at the sheet to see which ways I could try that night during the shopping excursion.
Complimenting her seemed like a good one as she might be trying on new clothes. I could show her I was well-read with interesting topics of conversation. Holding her coat and opening doors for her was a given. We were going shopping, so that was another one right there. I mean really, if I was going to go full steam ahead with the experiment, I should pack as many ways into each interaction as possible, right?
Maybe that’s where I’d gone wrong previously. I only tried out one at a time. Maybe the trick to this whole thing was doing a bunch all at once.
With renewed hope filling my chest, I read through the list multiple times, trying to memorize it and plan out how to accomplish them all in one night. Thank God Grandmother didn’t do a list of ahundredways to find a wife!
* * *
Lily-Marie had been perfectly at ease with me the minute we climbed into my car to carpool to Fashion Island. While the kids squabbled in the back, I’d asked some perfectly normal questions on the ride over about some fiction books I'd read recently, showing her I wasn't a stilted science professor, which turned out to be a good topic for her. She admitted to being quite the reader and I was intrigued to see that she read all kinds of genres. TheLee Childseries being a personal favorite was something we had in common. She also admitted to a love of young adult books that I had yet to give a try. We hadn’t written it in stone, but she insinuated she’d come over withThe Hunger GamesDVDs and we’d watch those together. She was intent on winning me over to the dark side of YA. If it made her smile again like she did as she talked about it, I was all in.
A loud shriek pierced the close confines of the car right before I turned into the parking lot. The kids had gotten louder and louder on the way over, my own child being the ring leader of noise.
I preferred a much quieter environment, but I didn’t want to reprimand Stein in front of Lily-Marie as that was one of the fifty ways I was to be minding. The list said not to scold the kids too harshly in front of a woman. So I winced with every shriek and bit my tongue.
Lily-Marie started throwing glances to the back and fidgeting with her purse strap. I finally pulled into a parking space and cut the engine.
“Stein.” I didn’t yell. My tone said “no nonsense,” but I was sure to keep my volume moderate.
“What, Dad?” He instantly stopped badgering Clark and faced forward.
“You know what.” I tossed him “the look” over my shoulder and then climbed out of the car. The minute my feet hit the pavement, I broke into a run and rounded the back of the car to come around the passenger side and pull open Lily-Marie’s door. She looked up, startled, but then thanked me as she got out. Warmth flooded my chest at her approval. Maybe she did like me.
We ushered the kids into a higher-end department store and found the kids’ section first. After piling them up with clothes to try on, Lily-Marie and I sat on a bench in the empty dressing room hall and had the boys try on their clothes first. Milly had a few of her tiny dolls with her and played in front of the huge three-way mirror at one end of the dressing room. Stein was the first to come out in one of the pairs of pants he’d chosen.
“Oh, honey, I don’t know. I think the striped capris might be a little too out there. I prefer the dark gray jeans you picked out.” Lily-Marie, God bless her, was the voice of reason and Stein actually listened to her, just shrugging and going back into his dressing room to change.
I looked over at her incredulously, conscious of how close we were sitting. I could smell the faint citrus layer of her perfume and feel her body move when she shifted on the bench. All I wanted was to scoot just a bit closer. In science-speak, we were water: our hydrogen bonds caused our molecules to be highly attracted to each other.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I blinked and tried to pull my thoughts together. “What?”
She chuckled, her blue eyes sparkling and alive. “You’re looking at me like I’m the Mother Teresa of clothes shopping.”
I shrugged, latching on to the excuse she’d given me. I couldn’t very well tell her I wanted to covalent bond with her. “Well, you did just get Stein to put back those ridiculous pant things without a yelling match ensuing. So I’d say you’re more Gandhi, bringing peace to the MacMillan household.
She threw back her head and laughed. I silently vowed to spend the whole night complimenting her just to witness that unleashed joy again.
“So, what are you trying on tonight, Ms. Masters?” Lingerie? Nightgowns? Short shorts? A guy could dream, couldn’t he?
She shrugged off my question. “I don’t really need anything. I just have work clothes and casual clothes for around the house. Got plenty of both.”
I rubbed my chin, thinking. “Milly?”
Her little blond head popped up from her dolls, a ready smile on her face, so similar to her mother’s.
“How about you and your mommy try on some fancy dresses?”
Her face lit up and she abandoned her precious dolls to race over, climbing onto my lap and stealing my heart in the process. “Can we weally?”
I grinned at her enthusiasm, ignoring Lily-Marie’s groan in my ear. “It’ll be super fun, won’t it, Mommy?”
Milly clapped her hands, bouncing on my lap. “We’ll be like the princesses in the movies we watch together!”
I knew there was no way Lily-Marie could say no to both of us.
