by H. Mattern
Blake winked at her, “Nope, the truck was all mine, but your hint of jealousy is quite cute.”
The look that appeared on Katie’s face wasn’t at all happy. She turned around and stormed back toward the house, leaving Blake to wonder what was going on inside that head of hers.
“Women,” he said to the worker who still stood watching as Katie walked away. Blake couldn’t help but glance at her receding figure along with him.
Katie felt frustrated that Blake had the gall to flirt with her at a time like this. Yes, if she admitted it, she did feel a bit relieved the truck belonged to Blake rather than a lover of his. Why did it matter? Why should I care about him having girlfriends? What does it matter to me?
Katie decided to go back inside, put some coffee on, and make cookies for the men who were helping them. She had to do something to keep busy and keep her mind off of the man who caused such emotional turbulence.
She would have to check the kitchen cabinets again to see what she could possibly throw together. She remembered seeing chocolate chips in the pantry.
“Everyone likes chocolate chip cookies right?” she asked Micah.
Micah smiled big, “Coookieeees,” she said.
“Yes. Do you want to help Mommy bake some cookies for the workers?”
Katie knew that her daughter would be thrilled to be able to help her bake. The two of them often spent time together in the kitchen. It was one of her favorite parts of being a mother.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, Micah squirmed out of her mother’s arms and ran to the kitchen. She immediately pushed a chair up to the counter and stood waiting for her mother.
“Coookieeees,” she said again, pointing adamantly to the oven.
This made Katie smile.
“You sure are excited about helping Mommy, aren’t you? Okay, just let me get all the ingredients out.”
Katie reached for the bag of chocolate chips and began reading the recipe on the back, grabbing the items one by one as they were listed: baking soda, salt, butter, eggs. The list went on, and as Katie retrieved each item from the list she sighed in relief.
“We need to find a bowl to mix everything together,” she said to Micah and began searching the cabinets beneath the granite countertop.
Katie noticed that Blake wasn’t lacking in kitchenware. She finally found what she was looking for, a set of Pyrex bowls that sat together, nice and neat in one of the cabinets. She admired the bowls, a bright white with a small mushroom print twirling across the middle of each one.
She pulled two of the bowls out, one for dry ingredients and the other for the wet. She remembered cooking with her own mother as a child. Oh, how she missed her mother.
It wasn’t right that a child should grow up without a mother in her life. Katie was only four when her mother was taken from her. The memories of her, the way she looked, acted, were hard to recall. She had photographs, but they just weren’t the same as real, actual memories. Her mother was the first person that death took away from her.
It’s a shame, Katie thought, that Micah has to grow up with even less memories of her father than I have of my mother. It’s not fair. Katie had to remind herself to breathe and work to distract her thoughts before continuing.
Micah came climbing off her chair and walked up to Katie, grabbed onto her legs and yanked on her shirt, “Up,” she said. Katie obliged and sat Micah on the counter.
“Be careful not to fall.”
She thought about her little girl and hoped that she wouldn’t have to experience the loss of any more loved ones. It wasn’t fair to do that to a child. Katie measured out two and a quarter cups of flour into the bowl. Micah stuck one finger into the white powder and smiled.
“Don’t touch yet, baby. Here.” Katie opened the bag of chocolate chips and counted out five. “You can have these as a snack.”
Micah grabbed the chocolate and shoved two of them into her mouth, quickly leaking gooey chocolate out the corners of her lips. Katie continued to pour and mix everything together. She picked Micah up off the counter and put her back on the chair.
“It’s almost time to start cooking them,” she said.
Micah loved to stand in front of the oven and watch the cookies bake through the glass window. There was something fascinating about watching a blob of goo turn into a sweet, deliciously tender cookie. For Katie, the waiting was always the hardest part of baking.
Katie grabbed milk out of the fridge and poured some of the white liquid into Micah’s cup. She handed it to the little one and watched as she gulped most of it up instantly.
“Save some for the cookies,” Katie told her daughter.
“Coookieeees.” Micah said, pointing to the oven window again.
Katie loved hearing Micah talk; it made her so tickled at the childish vocabulary imperfections. Some mothers got worried about their children not speaking, or speaking correctly, but not Katie. Katie valued each moment as sacred and treasured it. She looked at her little girl, in diaper only, with chocolate evidence on her chin and nose. If only she could stay like this forever.
Katie took Micah to the room to change her diaper, realizing this was the last one in the bag. She started to panic about what she was going to do tonight and determined it was time she talked to Blake about this inconvenience. Who knows, maybe the roads will be cleared enough to venture out.
“Wait. I don’t have a car.” Katie said this out loud, and Micah looked up with an expression of attempted understanding. Katie looked at her and smiled. “Mommy is talking to herself again, huh.”
Katie knew she really didn’t have anything to worry about, Blake probably wouldn’t mind loaning her his truck. She just had to get up the gumption to ask him—that was the hard part. Katie wasn’t good at asking for favors. She hated the idea of needing the help of others.
It didn’t take long for the first batch of cookies to finish baking. Katie removed them from the oven to cool, and placed the next batch inside to cook. The whole house began to smell of freshly baked cookies, a smell Katie loved. Candles had nothing on freshly baked goods, even the ones that claimed to be “cookie scented.” They never did the scent justice. Katie had tried them all, still with the opinion that the real thing was best.
Katie looked over at Micah who was glancing up at Katie, impatiently waiting for her own cookie to cool. Her daughter reminded her of her namesake. He always joked with her by saying the only reason she’d bake cookies was to get the house smelling good. She was guilty. Her secret was to turn on the oven instead of lighting a candle. Nothing compared to baked bread or chocolate chip cookies. She laughed. Everyone thought it was because she was so hospitable. If only they had known how much of a hospitality hater she really was on the inside.
Katie looked at the cookies. They turned out perfectly. Just the way she liked them—a little bit on the under-cooked side for some people, but to her, they were perfection. She transferred the cookies to a platter that she’d found in the same cabinet as the Pyrex bowls.
“When the other cookies cool, we’ll take them out to Mr. Blake,” Katie told her daughter, who looked up and clapped her hands together in excitement.
Katie was thinking about how hard it was going to be on her daughter when the time came for them to leave. Micah wasn’t used to having a man around, and if Katie truly pondered it, she knew that she too enjoyed the addition. If she were honest, she would admit that she too was going to miss it. She’d miss him. Blake was such a great help, and not just with Micah. Adult conversation was pretty rare for this mother and preschool teacher.
While the last batch of cookies cooled on the counter, Katie began to clean up the mess they made in the kitchen. She scrubbed the cookie sheets and put them back in their place. She thought about how comfortable she had become in a stranger’s kitchen within only a day.
> Katie turned and saw that Micah had a cookie in her hand, half of it already missing. Chocolate covered her hands, her hair, her face.
“You’re going to need a bath tonight,” she said.
Katie grabbed a washcloth and tried to wipe up as much as possible off of the little girl. She remembered Jill telling her once, when she was in a fit over the messes of toddlerhood, that this too was art. The idea really did help Katie learn to appreciate the little things, even the messy ones.
“Let’s take the helpers some cookies, shall we?”
She grasped the tray and reached over to Micah. The two of them walked outside, hand in hand. The men all paused at the sight of them. Katie hadn’t thought about her appearance, but she began to feel self-conscious with all eyes on her. She looked down and saw that flour was all over her jeans, and not only that but the jeans themselves were a sight. Only the one leg was covered while the other pant leg was split open right down the center, showing Katie’s bare skin.
Katie wanted to turn and run back inside the house, but Blake was already at her side. He grabbed some of her hair between his fingers and with a huge smile twirled it around like school girls do when they’re bored.
“You look adorable.”
Katie then realized that not only was the flour on her clothing but also in her hair. Blake continued to twist a strand of her hair in his fingers while grinning. Katie felt warmth rise up into her cheeks. Aware that this was a bit more intimate than it should be, she backed away and faced the others.
With the same goofy grin on his face, Blake yelled out to the group.
“Hey guys,” he shouted. “We have cookies.”
The men dropped their tools and all came rushing forward to enjoy the sweet gesture. Katie didn’t know what to say, both to the men who were devouring the chocolate chip cookies and to the one man who had touched her. Blake had given her chills with his touch. He had complimented her looks even though she knew she was a complete mess. Butterflies had forced their way into Katie’s stomach without invitation, and that fact made her anxious.
CHAPTER
12
Katie was glad to get back inside and away from the men. The cookies seemed to be a success since each one of them had been completely devoured. All that was left on the platter in her hands were tiny crumbs.
She felt relief and exhaustion sweep through her. She contemplated the idea of taking a nap, but she knew that the sun would be going down in just a bit. If she slept now, she’d end up being up all night tossing and turning. Just like caffeine consumed after a certain time would keep her awake, naps in the late afternoon had the same affect.
Micah plopped down on the floor and began playing with some plastic cups. Blake had pulled them out earlier that day for her to use as little toys. “Improvising,” he said. Katie thought it brilliant, and wondered why she had never thought of doing the same thing before. She could have saved many trips to the toy store, not to mention the money that was invested in the little girl’s room, which now lay in ruins a stone’s throw away.
Who said kids needed expensive things? Micah loved the red cups; she’d stack them up and then knock them all down only to begin the ritual again. Oh what creativity lay here in child’s play. Micah was content to play alone on the floor, allowing only Montag to come distract her. When the dog would come roaming by, she’d then put all toy play behind and run off to pester him.
Blake walked in, and as soon as Micah saw him she did the same as she had done with the toys: she put play with Montag aside and ran up to Blake reaching her little arms as high as they could go.
“Hey sweetie,” he said as he lifted her up into the air.
“You know, she’s really going to miss having you around.”
Katie said the words, not thinking about them or their meaning until after they’d escaped her. She knew it was a bad habit, this speaking her mind without thinking first. Right then and there, she decided that she’d attempt to work on changing that tendency. I must learn to control my tongue, she thought to herself.
“I’m going to miss you both, too, you know.”
Blake said it in such a hushed tone that Katie really had to listen to hear the words. She even wondered if what she thought she heard was actually what he had said. Did he say “both”? Is he going to miss me, too?
Blake looked at Micah and smiled, “We need to get you some clothes.” He glanced at Katie, “You could use some clothes, too.”
Katie couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at this suggestion. It sounded too intimate, and she didn’t want to go shopping with him beside her. She wanted to do it alone, yet knew that it was an unlikely option.
“The men have cleared our driveway and they said that the main roads are pretty clear. They just left. Do you want to go down the road and see if Target is open? We can pick up a few things for you guys. I can take you both.” Katie thought about it, but remembered that they didn’t have a car seat or clothes for Micah.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea for all of us to go, Micah won’t have a seat. She’s also practically naked and I don’t think she’d fit too well in any of your clothing.”
Just as the words were out, Katie remembered his shirt against her own skin. She blushed a little at the thought of her skin being where his had been.
“Hmm, I didn’t think about that. I don’t really want you going alone, the roads are clear, but still a bit rough. Would you be okay making a list for me?”
The thought of Blake buying clothing for her caused her to blush all the more. Katie wasn’t sure if Blake’s suggestion was too intimate, but once again there was no other out.
“I guess that’s our only option.”
Katie went in search of a notebook or piece of paper. She spotted an empty envelope on the kitchen counter and began to make a list of the needed items. She started the list with diapers, trying to remember what size it was she purchased last. Micah was a bit between sizes at the moment. Katie opted for the larger option and hoped this would be the last pack that she’d have to buy. It was time for potty training to begin.
Katie moved on to thoughts of her own needs for underclothing. How could she send Blake inside a store to buy personal undergarments? She hesitated.
She reminded herself of what she had said before, “This was the only option.” These were needed items. She wrote the words, panties size small, and debated attempting to describe her favorite kind but then stopped. Whatever he ended up picking up for her would be fine. She thought about her bra. It would be nice to have more than one but she just couldn’t write another intimate piece down on the paper.
Her list continued with the next item, jeans in a size 6, shirts, medium, children’s size 2 dresses and tights. Katie smiled at the thought of Blake walking around the Target shopping center, filling his basket to the brim with little girl dresses and female items. This wouldn’t be an easy thing for him to do and for some reason that fact gave Katie more comfort in this whole process.
“Here it is,” She said handing the list to Blake:
Diapers- size 4
Panties- size small
Jeans- size 6
Shirts- medium
Toddler’s Dresses- size 2 (and tights)
She waited to see what his response would be. He glanced down, reading the items that were written down one-by-one in blue ink. His face began to turn red. Poor guy, she thought.
“Sounds good. Okay, I’ll be back in a few.”
With those words, Blake grabbed his wallet and keys and headed towards the door.
“Wait, I need to give you some money. Oh crap, I don’t have any cash, just a card. Do you think they’d give you hassle if you used a card with my name on it?”
Katie fumbled through her briefcase for her wallet, hoping this would be a viable option. The p
eople at the store hadn’t given her any issues when she would use her husband’s card.
“Katie, it’s fine. Really, don’t worry about it. Let me get these things for you. It’s the least I can do. You can just pay me back in cookies,” Blake said, grinning at the end.
“Are you sure? You’ve done so much for us already.”
She put the wallet back in the leather bag and stood up. Katie felt compelled to hug him, but she didn’t. She wasn’t sure why she hesitated, it’s not like it would have been out of line. If it were Jill, or a female friend, she would have hugged them in an instant to show her gratefulness.
“No worries,” he said, as he opened the door. “Want me to pick up some pizza for dinner while I’m out? Any preferences on type?”
Micah heard the conversation and piped in, “Pizza.”
“We aren’t picky, and are definitely fans of pizza.” Katie smiled and attempted to quiet her daughter, who was still repeating the word over and over again.
“Pizza. Pizza. Pizza.”
“Great, see ya in a few. Bye-bye, Micah,” he said and winked at the little one as he waved goodbye just before walking out the door.
Katie stood smiling at the interchange. This should be an interesting trip for him. She thought of the times that her husband had gone to the grocery store for her with a list of feminine items to pick up. He had hated it and fought her tooth and nail on the issue.
Blake drove slowly down the road. The devastation of houses mowed down, power lines tangled, and cars piled everywhere overwhelmed him. He was glad, for once, that Katie wasn’t with him; it would’ve been too much for her to handle—it was almost too much for him. He thought about turning around at the first house that looked like Katie’s. His stomach turned, and he felt himself begin to get nauseous.
