Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
TOBIAS BARRETT
K iki is staring at me, and I can’t believe I just said what I did. I pray she didn’t fully hear me. That was so inappropriate. I have no idea what came over me.
“So, how old were you when your grandmother died?” I cringe. Way to change the subject. Next I should ask about her failure to find her biological mother. I’m sure that would be another great subject to bring up. “Sorry, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s fine. I was eleven. My grandmother used to watch me and my sister after school, when both my parents were working. She only lived a block away.” Kiki brushes sand off her tank top. She’s acting like it’s no big deal, but the way her eyes mist up tells me her emotions are running high.
“Today must have brought back a lot of unwanted memories. I’m sorry.” I shoot her a sympathetic look.
“Yes,” she says quietly. “It did.”
“How did your grandmother pass?” I just can’t stop with the fantastic questions today.
“Heart attack.”
“Sounds like you were close.” I wiggle the sprayer and Skyler giggles as she tries to run to catch the water.
“She was like a mother to me. My parents did the best they could, but they didn’t go to college. They both had to work full time just to pay the bills.” Kiki frowns, and I try to figure out what she’s thinking.
“Are you close with your parents?”
She blinks and her expression hardens. “They disowned me.”
“Really?”
She raises a hand. “In their defense, I did some pretty terrible things.” She clenches her jaw, and I wonder if she’s going to elaborate. She doesn’t.
“Oh?” I ask, hoping to prompt more from her. Not that I think she would ever do anything to hurt Skyler, but I’m curious what happened in her past.
“They told me they were done with me and to never contact them again.” Her voice turns soft. “I obliged.”
“How old were you?”
“Eighteen.”
The hurt is evident in her voice, and I scramble to think of something supportive to say. “Maybe they’ll come around.”
She shakes her head. “I did things they can never forgive me for. They never want to see me again.”
I grow too curious not to ask. “What happened?”
She pinches her lips together, like she’s regretting this conversation. She shrugs and averts her gaze. “I was young and stupid.”
That could mean all kinds of things. Still, I deserved that because I was being nosey. If she doesn’t want to tell me, that’s her prerogative. “I understand.”
Skyler wanders over to the play area, finally done with running through the water. I shut off the hose and motion to her. “Come on inside. I’ll get you a towel, and we can make those sandwiches.”
Kiki makes a face. “You’re not really going to make me eat peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwiches, right?”
“Hey, I used to eat them as a kid. They’re Skyler’s favorite. Don’t judge before you try them.”
She brushes the last of the sand off her clothes. “All right. I’ll try a bite.”
Skyler runs up to me. Water drips from her hair and sticks to her eyelashes. “This was fun!”
“I’m glad you had fun. Let’s go get you dry.” Kiki takes Skyler’s hand, and I love how my little girl looks up at her, like she’s the greatest thing since the invention of the garden hose. Kiki really is a great nanny for her.
I trail along behind them as they enter the house. I grab a towel from the laundry room and hand it to Kiki. She rubs it over Skyler, then wraps her up in it and picks her up, hugging her to her chest.
I go into the kitchen to get the bread out. I make the sandwiches, and Kiki comes in with Skyler when I’m almost finished. Kiki’s cleaned Skyler and herself up. I slice through the middle of Skyler’s sandwich and hand the plate to Kiki. She sets the plate down on the counter and lifts Skyler on to the barstool. “Here you go. Your disgusting sandwich is ready.”
Skyler laughs. “It’s good!” She lifts one triangle. “Try it, Kiki.”
“Don’t worry. I made her one.” I set the plate in front of Kiki as she slides onto a barstool.
“All right, all right. Here goes nothing.” She picks up one triangle and bites into it. Skyler and I watch her intently as she chews.
“Well?” I ask.
She sets the sandwich down and folds her hands into her lap. “It has some fruity notes to it, with an underlying nutty flavor that combines well with the light and airy brioche.”
Skyler looks confused. I can’t help but laugh. “I think that means she likes it,” I say to Skyler.
She giggles because I’m laughing and nods. “Yes. She likes it.”
Kiki smiles and boops Skyler’s nose. “I’m shocked, but it’s good.”
After our lunch, I hide myself away in my office. I have emails to answer, and I have to do something about the art gallery that’s failing. I spend the next three hours working on my computer while I listen to Kiki and Skyler playing in the other room. When the noises stop, I get up and walk into the family room. They’re no longer in there.
I find Kiki and Skyler in the kitchen. Kiki is stirring a pot of chili, and Skyler is sitting on the counter. Kiki hands Skyler a small measuring spoon and the bottle of cumin. “Measure out one scoop.”
I lean against the door jam and watch as Skyler carefully measures out one spoonful, scraping the mound off. I assume Kiki taught her that. Kiki lifts the pot and brings it close to Skyler so she can pour her cumin into the mixture.
“Great job.” Kiki stirs it in.
Kiki continues to hand Skyler measuring spoons and different ingredients. My heart swells watching them together. Skyler hasn’t had this kind of attention from a woman, ever. She’s never had a mother figure in her life, not after Courtney left. Sure, Violet helped me watch her, but Violet was so particular in the kitchen, she wouldn’t ever let Skyler help cook. Violet was kind to Sky, but watching Kiki with her stirs up emotions in me. Kiki is showing love to Skyler, which is different from being kind.
Kiki glances at the door and nods at me. “You done with your work?”
I exhale. “For today.”
She lifts one eyebrow. “Things not going well?”
“It’s just the gallery.” I push off the door jam and enter the kitchen. “Did Josephine and Ellie tell you about it?”
“Josephine did say something about running an art gallery. Is it having trouble?” Kiki grabs a spoon and dips it into the pot.
“It’s losing money each month.” I slide onto the stool next to Skyler, who is now spinning back and forth, bored with our conversation.
“What do you need to do about it?” She cups her hand under the spoon and brings it to me to taste.
I open my mouth, and she feeds me the chili. There’s something intimate about it, and it makes my stomach feel fluttery. “It’s good,” I say.
She looks at me, waiting for me to answer her question. “I need to either bring in more traffic or shut the gallery down. But I don’t want to shut it down. So, I guess I have to figure out a way to make it profitable.” Just how to do that, I have no idea. That’s not my expertise.
Kiki picks up the large spoon and stirs the chili again. “What ideas have you tried so far?”
“We had a grand opening sale. We had seven local artists at the gallery, and we served hors d’oeuvres. That night was good, but then the crowds dwindled.”
“That’s all you’ve done?” Kiki frowns. “I mean, that was a great opening idea…”
I laugh and shake my head. “Yeah, you’re right. We have to do something else. I’m just not in that world at all. I have no idea what to do.”
“I’ll brainstorm with you. I bet we can come up with some good ideas. And tomorrow I can talk to Ellie about it. I’ll be quilting with her.”
I lean on the counter, touched that Kiki would want to help me with the gallery. She has no investment in it. “That would be great.”
Levi enters the kitchen and walks around the island to the stove. “What are you making? It smells great.”
“It’s just chili.” Kiki grabs a spoon and scoops up a portion. Levi grins as she carries the spoon to his mouth.
“That’s delicious,” Levi says, licking his lips. “Just the right amount of heat, but also a sweet aftertaste.” He smiles at her, and it irks me. He shouldn’t flirt with her like that.
Kiki seems pleased with his assessment, and now I feel terrible for just saying it was good. But I can’t go back and amend my comment, because that would be stupid.
“It was my grandmother’s recipe,” Kiki says.
And now I feel even worse. I know how close she was with her grandmother. “I did think it had special…flavors,” I say like the lamest lame guy in all of Lame Town.
Even though what I said was dumb, she gives me a bright smile anyway. “Thanks.”
Skyler climbs off her stool. “Can I watch Bluey?”
“We’re going to eat soon. How about after dinner?” I say.
“Okay.” She leaves the room, and I suspect there will be naked Barbies on the floor of the family room soon.
Kiki turns off the burner. “I can set the table.”
I stand. “I’ll help.”
Levi opens a cupboard and grabs some bowls. “Me too.”
I don’t know why, but that irritates me as well.