Chapter 5 #2
“Now it’s time for the milk and another dose of patience,” Mimi whispered. “Jack rushes the eggs and makes them all rubbery, which is why I’m teaching you instead… so you can teach your young’uns the right way, how it’s properly done.”
“Mimi…” she began, only to see the woman purse her lips as she shushed her once more. “Milk – and then stirring.”
Jack chuckled from behind them and moved into the kitchen. “Mimi, you mind if I finish off the coffee?”
“So long as you make another pot – then no,” the woman shot back, eyeballing the skillet like a surgeon. “Stir a little faster. We don’t want it lumpy.”
“It’s still milk.”
“It’s gonna take a hot-minute to thicken – but don’t let it boil.”
“You'd better listen to her,” Jack smirked as he poured the coffee into a large mug, dropped in a heaping spoonful of sugar, and then emptied the grounds into the trash can. “Mimi, you want flavored coffee or…”
“Boy, make it real,” she shot back, not looking away from the skillet as Jack winked at Heidi, before pointing at the pan. Heidi dragged her eyes away from him, trying to focus, and kept shooting glances at him to see what he was doing now.
“Excuse me, ladies,” he murmured, much too close to Heidi, causing her to nearly burn her hand as she moved away from him.
He scooted past the two of them in the smaller kitchen, turned on the water, and stood there with the carafe under the stream…
holding her gaze as his lip curled upward. “Stir.”
“Hush.”
“He’s right…”
“Don’t tell him that,” Heidi retorted in a hushed voice to his grandmother. “He’ll never get that melonhead through the doorway with his ego.”
“Oh, I like you,” Mimi chuckled and then pointed. “Stir faster – it’s thickening.”
“Told you,” Jack inserted – and Heidi shot him a nasty look, whisking that fork wildly in the pan under Mimi’s tutelage. The older woman grabbed a bowl nearby that had three eggs in it – pausing as she inspected the skillet again.
“She’s better than you were,” Mimi acknowledged – and Heidi took a moment to look up at him, sticking out her tongue.
The smile that spread across his face was everything.
His gorgeous eyes crinkled at the edges, a dimple appeared in the shadow on his chin…
and her heart nearly skipped a beat – only to slam back into pattern as Mimi swatted her.
“Pay attention to me – you can eyeball him later.”
“I’m not,” she sputtered indignantly, her face warming.
“You are, and we’re at an important part.”
“Yeah,” Jack taunted in a hushed voice meant for her as he walked past her with the full carafe of water. “You can eyeball me later.”
“Never gonna happen…”
“Are you ready for the eggs to turn?”
“That sounded loaded…”
“Would you shut up?” Heidi yelped as Mimi poked her side.
“Would you focus?” Jack quipped, chuckling.
“I am focused. Mimi, tell him I’m focused…”
“You’re not.”
“What?” Heidi started, feeling a note of betrayal from the older woman’s clapback that hit home.
“My egg gravy is going to burn…” Mimi whimpered, taking the fork from Heidi – and she immediately took it back, holding up her other hand to Jack to make him stop. Whisking madly, Mimi cracked three eggs directly in the white gravy as Heidi stared, still whisking.
“Don’t get the yolks,” Jack volunteered.
“Shut up,” Heidi shot back – and Mimi patted her arm.
“He’s right. The yolks are last, Heidi. Let the whites cook, turn down the heat only slightly, and let them turn. You want to keep mixing – but don’t touch the yolks until the very end.”
Staring at the pan, Heidi could feel Jack’s eyes on her, making her feel antsy. Why was that pesky officer hanging around anyhow? Yes, it was his grandmother, but did he have to act so informal, so cozy now? Didn’t he have someone else to harass, someplace else to go?
“Jack – make the toast,” Mimi ordered and then whispered to her, “I think you’re good to break the yolks – but keep stirring.”
Nodding, Heidi ignored Jack as much as possible as everyone set about working on this casual, impromptu breakfast that felt almost…
normal. She never had casual breakfasts like this with her ex, and it had been years since she had one with her parents.
Everyone always seemed so busy, their lives so hectic between work, meetings, running to appointments, the grocery store, everything…
and they were just here, making some weird breakfast, like it was nothing.
“Jack,” Mimi interrupted Heidi’s thoughts just in the nick of time because she could feel a lump growing in her throat and a feeling of emptiness because – this – felt like it had been missing from her life.
Something so simple, so easy, so normal…
felt abnormal, and that seemed wrong on so many levels in her mind. “C’mon with the toast.”
“I can’t make it toast any faster,” he admonished, his voice full of humor as the toaster popped. He plucked them from the toaster, dropped them in a plate, and held it out toward where Heidi was standing – still stirring. “Grab a spatula or spoon before Mimi bites one of us…”
Her eyes met his, saw the sparkle in those hazel eyes – before looking away.
His smile faded as she quickly spooned up some of the ‘gravy’ onto the toast. Mimi plucked the plate from Jack’s hand only a second later, taking it to the table.
He was glancing at Heidi, making more toast, and their eyes kept meeting, but neither said a word.
He looked concerned, and frankly, she was trying her best to keep from looking at him.
She didn’t want to like him, didn’t want to think he was funny or cute, and sticking around here could be dangerous to her mindset…
and her heart. Two more slices of toast popped, and he put them on a plate, leaning toward her.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a hushed voice, keeping it between them.
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’d be better if you left me alone…” she tossed out, avoiding his gaze – only for him to stand there pointedly, still holding the plate that she’d just dumped more of the weird egg gravy. “Go sit down,” she begged under her breath, trying to get him to leave her alone.
“Never,” he murmured. “Ladies are always first – and that includes the lovely ones who would like to cheerfully rip my head off, or stomp on my feet.” Her eyes moved to his – and he reached over, taking the spoon from her as he pressed the plate toward her once more. “Go enjoy it while it’s hot, Heidi…”
“I wish my name were Mary, Beth, or Jessica…”
“Why?”
“Because you’re making things weird.”
“By saying your name?”
“You know what I mean,” she whispered to him, trying to move away from him, but he was blocking her.
“I don’t know what you mean…” Mimi chimed in from the table. “Jack, move your scrawny hide out of the way and take a hint, young man. She’s hungry – and not for you.”
Heidi and Jack looked at each other – and let out a choked laugh between them that instantly made her feel a little better…
and a little worse. This is not what she needed and probably needed to tell him that, explain things, and check on her tires so she could get out of here sooner rather than later…
and all of that needed to happen away from Mimi.
“How about a walk later?” he breathed in a hushed voice.
“Maybe,” she replied – and then neatly sidestepped him, moving to the table where Mimi had already devoured half her meal.
“Jack, sweetie, be sure to turn off the heat when you make your plate.”
“Yes, ma’am…”