Page 12 of Healing Hazel
“You just had dinner.”
“Nope, that was Hazel’s dinner. This is mine,” she said lifting one bag. “Or maybe it’s this one,” she added, holding up the second as if I needed visual aids.
“But what about Hazel?”
“What about her?”
“Sadie Hawkins, you heard exactly what I did. Hazel said you’d explain and I promise if you take one more step before doing so, I’ll be making my own call to your Daddy to inform him not only will his dinner be late, but that his cheeky Little girl is one snark away from having my hand connecting to her arse.”
If I didn’t actually witness it, I doubt I would have believed how rapidly her expression changed from one of bewilderment to one of pure mischievousness.
“Care to tell me how you could find a single thing about this whole situation amusing? I just watched the woman I love skip out of my life without explanation and you’re smiling?”
Instead of answering my question, Sadie asked one of her own. “Are you saying you still don’t get it?”
“Get what? You’re killing me here!”
She almost managed to stifle her giggle, but a little escaped as she set the bags back onto the table. “I guess my acting skills aren’t as good as I thought.”
My growl wasn’t the least bit stifled and had her raise a hand. At first I thought it was to ward me off, but when she made a fist then let a single finger point skyward, I realized she was using it to make her point.
“First, I wasn’t totally sure when you asked me if I thought drinking Hazel’s shake was a good idea, but when you simply accepted my ‘why not,’ I knew I was on the right track.”
“Track? What track?”
She rolled her eyes and my hand actually twitched.
“I’m getting there.”
“Get there faster,” I suggested.
That smile almost made me regret the stern tone, but only almost.
“Okay, second”–the single finger was joined by another—“the desecration of Chef Connor’s famous mac ’n’ cheese is nevereverpassed over but you didn’t even blink.” Her ring finger joined the lineup. “Third, the tater tot test. Instead of informing me that my comment about I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think it was a good idea wasn’t acceptable behavior, you just let me be rude. Oh, and if you recall, I started that comment with a pretty snotty ‘duh’.”
“Oh, little girl, I definitely recall,” I said which only got me another brilliant smile.
“Good then we’re getting there. Okay, fourth, not only did you let me keep dunking tots into the shake, you actually let me eat every single one of them.”
“I did not! I told you that was a bad idea.”
“No you didn’t. You just started muttering about hash browns and when I basically stated your opinion was stupid, not only did you not give me a warning that I was walking a thin line, once again you didn’t reprimand me for the disrespect.”
Okay, I’d give her that one, but still had no clue where this was headed or even if it was actually going to prove to be worth all this finger counting.
“That brings us to the fifth point which, honestly, should have had that lightbulb going off over your head.” Her thumb unfolded to give me a full handful of splayed fingers. “I mean, I had to sit there with sticky melted cream dripping off my face for you to even notice it, and then, instead of simply reaching across the table to wipe my mouth, you just kept repeating I missed a bit. I mean, everyone knows what a mustache means. Well, everybody but you it seems.”
She gave her hand a shake before dropping her arms and planting both hands on her hips. “Which told me exactly what the problem is.”
I took a deep breath, exhaled, inhaled and then repeated the set while both Julie who’d stood transfixed through the whole demo and Sadie just stood there. Finally, I rubbed my hand over my face. “How about I promise to treat you to dinner of your choice if you’ll stop trying to feed me guesses and just spit out whatever it is that I’m supposed to be getting from all of this.”
“Are you serious? How can you still be clueless? No wonder Hazel couldn’t tell you…”
“Tell me what!” I said, far too loudly as it had both her and Julie’s eyes rounding to the size of the plate that had held all those tater tots. I held up my hands. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. I just feel like I’m in some sort of labyrinth and am so busy trying to avoid getting gored by the Minotaur’s horns, that I can’t even stop to look for a way out.”
“Oh wow, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to feel that way. Perhaps I’m wrong…”
“You might be a lot of things, including extremely tardy for dinner, but I don’t think you’re wrong about this.”
