Chapter 8
EIGHT
She was thinking about the Archers when she left her bedroom and was met with the smell of hot pancakes. Mom’s spoiling Zoe…
After a trip to the bathroom, Amanda headed toward the kitchen. Now she wasn’t sure what she looked forward to more this morning—her first cup of coffee or the pancakes. Her rumbling stomach voted for the latter.
“Mom!” Zoe shouted when Amanda stepped into the kitchen. “Grandma’s making pancakes.” She made a show of licking her lips.
“I can smell that… and see that,” she added as she rounded the bend into the open part of the home. Her mother was at the counter, flipper in hand, standing in front of a griddle with some golden pancakes cooking on it.
“Sorry if I woke you.” Jules lifted a finger to her lips in a shh movement toward Zoe, as if they had conspired to wake her up.
“I’m just grateful you could come and be with Zoe.
” She tousled the girl’s long blond hair, fanning her fingers through it and thinking it might be time to get her a trim.
But as she put her attention on her daughter, an ache burrowed in her chest. Zoe had no idea what was going on with her teacher and his family, and Amanda was in no position to offer her any assurances.
“Well, there’s coffee in the pot. Help yourself.” Jules gestured with the flipper toward the machine. “You got in late.” Jules lifted a larger pancake from the griddle to a plate and extended it to Zoe.
“Mmm, mmm, mmm.” Zoe reached for the bottle of maple syrup Jules must have placed on the counter. The girl’s eyes grew larger the closer she brought the bottle to the pancake.
“Hold on there, girlie.” Amanda intercepted before Zoe gave the pancake a bath in liquid sugar. She didn’t envy whoever was Zoe’s teacher today.
Zoe angled her head. “A little more, pleeeeease.”
“You have plenty. Now eat up. You need to get ready for school soon.”
Zoe rolled her eyes before digging in.
Amanda should step in and be the parent, use this moment to teach her respect, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Not with the uncertainty of Paul’s fate looming overhead.
“Zoe, apologize to your mom for that look, young lady.” Jules pointed the flipper at her granddaughter. “Only girls who respect their mothers get pancakes.”
Amanda should have known her mother wouldn’t let the sign of disrespect slip past untouched, and she used that flipper like an extension of her hand.
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
“I forgive you. Now, eat.”
Zoe grinned and stuffed pancake into her mouth.
Amanda helped herself to a coffee and sipped it while she sat next to Zoe at the peninsula.
A few more hours of sleep would be welcome, but the sun was up.
Lord knew the birds were by the way they were chirping in the tree outside of her bedroom window.
And her mind was awake, with a new puzzle to solve.
This time she had a chance of saving people, not just picking up the pieces in the aftermath.
But the pressure that came with having people to save was daunting, even if it was a pleasant switch.
But just like when she tackled jigsaw puzzles as a kid, Amanda felt the familiar stirring inside.
A borderline obsession. There was something so satisfying about clicking that last piece into place.
And once she did that for the Archers, there might be a chance of bringing them home alive and their abductors to justice.
“Do you want a couple of these?” Her mother pointed at four pancakes she’d just flipped over. They were smaller than the large one she’d given to Zoe.
“Sure, why not?” She’d ride the sugar high for all it was worth, then reach for a coffee when it wore off.
A few minutes later, Jules unplugged the griddle and served up two medium-sized pancakes for herself and Amanda. The three of them ate at the peninsula.
Zoe finished first and sat back to rub her hand over her belly. “Full up. Time for school.” She bounced down from the stool.
“Wait a minute. Dish and fork, dishwasher,” Amanda told her. “And thank your grandmother.”
“Thank you.” Zoe hugged Jules around the waist and carried out her chore before leaving the kitchen.
“She’s growing up way too fast,” her mother said before putting a forkful of pancake into her mouth.
“Tell me about it.”
“And the eyerolls at ten years old? She’s taken a page from your book.”
“Nah.” Amanda laughed and chomped on some pancake. She remembered being quite the handful as a kid, and her parents didn’t know the half of it.
“Do you need me to drop her off at school?”
“If you could, that would be great.”
“No problem. Do you think you’ll be late tonight? Should we plan on my sleeping over again?”
Amanda was happy for a mouthful. It gave her time to think about her response.
Surely, her mother didn’t mean it the way it could be interpreted.
As if Amanda chose to work late and allow her job to interfere with her life.
That she was a terrible mother. But she had to wonder if some judgment was enclosed.
After all, her father had been the police chief up until his retirement nearly ten years ago and had sacrificed most of his energy to the badge.
But Amanda didn’t want to get into an argument and decided to overlook any perceived implications.
“It might be a good idea. This case I’m on—”
“No need to say any more. You can’t anyway.”
Amanda shook her head.
“Well, I’ll be here tonight and for as long as you need me.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re doing a great job with Zoe. I know your job’s important, but I hope you won’t have any regrets later on. Time flies by, and you can’t relive the past.”
As if her mother had to tell her that. Amanda swallowed her anger and focused on the compliment. Not the fact it was backhanded. “I’m doing my best.”
“I know.” Jules put her hand on Amanda’s shoulder and squeezed. “Well, I’m going to get ready to take Zoe to school. I’ll come back and clean up everything after I’m finished with that.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ve got it.”
“You sure? I understand if you need to run out the door.”
“I’m sure.” It wouldn’t take long to tidy up. Mostly everything got loaded into the dishwasher anyhow. The rest was a quick wipe of the griddle and countertop.
“Thank you.” She kissed Amanda’s forehead and left the kitchen.
She was gone before Amanda could reciprocate. Her mother had been a lifesaver last night. It had given Amanda time to get a head start on a mystery she had every intention of solving.