Page 35 of Staging Love
"He hasn't put that thing down since he opened it," she remarked, shaking her head fondly.
"Boys and their toys," Aunt Lara said with a wink. "Now, Jade dear, why don't you tell us a bit more about your family? I'd love to hear about your parents."
"Oh, they're wonderful. Mom's a teacher - kindergarten - and Dad runs the farm they live on. They're the kind of people who know everyone in town. As Jade continued, painting a vivid picture of small-town life in Ohio, Camilla was captivated. She could almost see the cozy kitchen where Jade and her mother baked cookies and picture the cows in the fields.
"That sounds like such a wholesome childhood," Aunt Lara said wistfully. "Quite like mine, actually. I came from a farming family before I met Robert. You know, he didn't have a dime to his name back then."
Jade’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and Aunt Lara chuckled at her expression. "Oh yes, it's true. It's remarkable, really, how this family seems to have a knack for building brands. Robert's a hardworking man, but he always put me first, I’ll give him that. Even when we were just starting out." As Aunt Lara spoke, Camilla noticed Jade listening intently. She wondered what was going through her girlfriend's mind, hearing about the humble beginnings of the now-wealthy Parkes family.
“We always wanted children,” Aunt Lara continued. “We tried for years, but it wasn’t in the cards for us."
"I'm so sorry," Jade said, turning to her.
"It's okay, dear. Really. We've made our peace with it. And we're very happy, Robert and I. Plus, we get to spoil Jack and Emma rotten when Theresa and Mark go on vacation."
"Jack told me they love staying with you," Camilla said.
"Oh, they do. Though I do wish Vivian would make more time for them,” she added, lowering her voice. “Their owngrandmother, always too busy running her company to spend quality time with her grandchildren." She washed her hands and dried them on her apron. "Right," she said brightly, changing the subject. "I think these cinnamon rolls are ready for shaping. Emma, how’s that cookie dough coming along?"
Emma proudly held up her bowl, chocolate smeared across her face and flour dusting her hair. "All done!"
Emma's enthusiasm for baking far outweighed her skill, a fact that became hilariously apparent as she attempted to shape the cinnamon rolls. With her tiny hands coated in a sticky mixture of dough and cinnamon, she attacked the task with gusto, resulting in what could only be described as abstract cinnamon art. One roll resembled a lopsided figure eight, while another looked suspiciously like a half-deflated balloon. Aunt Lara bit her lip, torn between amusement and a desire to intervene.
When it came time to shape the cookies, Emma's creative spirit truly soared. Rather than settling for boring round shapes, she decided each cookie should be a masterpiece. There was a blob she insisted was a unicorn, complete with a cinnamon stick "horn" sticking out at an odd angle. Another creation, which she proudly declared to be a portrait of Camilla, looked more like a misshapen starfish. Jade had to turn away to hide her laughter, her shoulders shaking with the effort.
The pièce de résistance, however, was Emma's attempt at making a cookie version of Jack's drone. Using chocolate chips as "buttons" and stretching the dough into thin, wobbly arms, she crafted a confection that looked like a delirious octopus had crash-landed into a chocolate factory. When Jack briefly came inside and saw his sister's tribute to his new toy, his expression of utter bewilderment sent the adults into fitsof giggles.
While the cookies and cinnamon rolls baked in the oven, the group settled around the kitchen island with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Aunt Lara had pulled out an assortment of festive bags, ribbons, and tags for packaging their baked goods as gifts for the family to take home.
Emma, her face still smeared with chocolate and flour, suddenly adopted a serious expression. "Can I tell you guys something?" she asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Of course, sweetheart," Aunt Lara said, barely concealing a smile at the girl's dramatic tone.
Emma took a deep breath. "I think I need to break up with my boyfriend."
Camilla nearly choked on her hot chocolate, while Jade bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Aunt Lara, ever the diplomat, managed to keep a straight face. "Oh? And why is that, dear?"
"Sometimes," Emma said, her voice dripping with gravitas that seemed entirely out of place coming from a seven-year-old, "I don't know if I can trust him."
The adults exchanged amused glances, recognizing the line as something Emma had likely picked up from a television show. Jade cleared her throat, valiantly attempting to match Emma's seriousness.
"Trust is very important in a relationship," she agreed solemnly.
"What has he done to make you feel you can't trust him?" Camilla asked, curious to see where this conversation would go.
“He promised he would do the three-legged race at the school fair with me, but then he went with Sarah instead.”
“Oh, honey,” Aunt Lara said, with genuine affection. “Boys don’t always keep their promises.It's important to talk to him about how you feel." She paused, considering her words carefully. "However, if he keeps breaking promises or if he makes you feel bad, it's okay to decide you don't want to be his girlfriend anymore.”
Emma nodded, seemingly content with that advice. “He has a stupid name anyway.”
“What’s his name?” Camilla asked.
Emma scrunched up her nose in disgust. "His name is Eeyore.”
The adults exchanged glances, trying to keep their composure.
"Well, Emma, names are very personal,” Jade said. “I'm sure his parents thought it was a nice name."
