Seven | Sam
Seven
Sam
“H ow is she feeling ?” I asked Avery as she sat curled up on my couch with Kennedy sleeping on her lap.
“She’s still running a fever, but it’s not as high as it was. Thank you again for everything you’ve done for us today.”
“It’s my pleasure.” I sat down in the chair across from her and tried to ignore the way my heart danced every time I saw her. “I grabbed stuff to make her chicken noodle soup while I was at the store. I also grabbed some frozen pizzas and stuff to make dinner this week. Is there anything that sounds good to you?”
“Sam, you don’t have to keep spoiling us like this. You’ve already given us a place to stay and went to the store to get medicine for her. You’ve done more than enough. If anything, I’m the one who should be making dinner for you .”
“You don’t need to do that, Avery.”
“Trust me, it’s the least I’m able to do to show the gratitude I feel.”
I could hear the sadness and frustration in her voice, but decided to let it go. I didn’t want to make her feel worse when I knew how much she was already struggling with everything. My goal was to make things easier for her without her feeling like she owed me.
“So, maybe a pizza tonight? That way, if Kennedy doesn’t feel like soup, there’s at least something else she might eat.”
“That sounds fantastic. Thank you.”
I smiled and got up to fix dinner. It had been a while since I’d made chicken noodle soup from scratch, but I was pleased when everything came back to me easily. For a moment, I was transported back in time to my grandmother’s kitchen as she taught me to make it.
I popped a frozen cheese pizza into the oven and set the timer while I stirred the noodles, waiting for them to get to the perfect softness.
“Is that chicken noodle soup?” a soft voice asked, pulling the corners of my lips up.
I turned around and found Kennedy in the kitchen, climbing onto one of the chairs at the island as Avery helped her.
“It is. I made it myself. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please.” Her little nose was red, and her cheeks still flushed, but she looked better than she had when I found them sitting on the curb this morning. It had shattered my heart to see her curled up against Avery, trying to stay warm in the storm that was moving in, but I had been incredibly thankful that she had gotten out of the room before the ceiling collapsed.
I poured her a bowl and set it in front of her, thankful that she didn’t rush to try to eat it and accidentally burn herself. Avery lifted a spoonful out and blew on it several times before offering it to Kennedy.
It warmed my heart to see the way her eyes lit up at the first taste. I knew children could be picky eaters, and I didn’t want to let Kennedy down if I failed at making chicken noodle soup. The way she begged her mom for more had me feeling over the moon as I pulled the pizza out of the oven and set it on a trivet.
“Is that pizza?” Kennedy asked, her eyes wide as saucers.
“It is. I wasn’t sure what your tummy might feel like for dinner, so I made a few options.”
“Can I have pizza, too?” she asked Avery, turning to look at her.
“I don’t see why not. Let’s get some more soup in you while we wait for the pizza to cool down,” Avery said, brushing her thumb against Kennedy’s lip as she gave her another bite.
“Can we have a movie night again?” Kennedy asked with more energy than I’d seen her with all day.
“I think it’s better if you rest,” Avery replied at the same time I blurted out, “sure.”
I didn’t want to overstep with Kennedy and upset Avery, but at the same time, I wanted both of them to feel comfortable in my house.
“Sorry,” I apologized and turned to grab some paper plates from the pantry.
“No, it’s fine. As long as you’re up for it, we can stay up and watch a movie. But you do need some rest since you’re sick.”
“Okay, momma.”
I cut the pizza into slices and grinned like a lovesick fool.