Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
David entered his parents’ house, and Jasper ran down the hallway to greet him. Scooping Jasper up, David wandered down the hallway in the direction of the sound of his parents’ TV “Mom, Dad, are you back there?” David stroked Jasper between his ears.
“Shh,” Kelly bellowed. “We’re watching Survivor.”
He chuckled to himself. His parents’ obsession with the show was unlike anything he had otherwise witnessed. Quietly, David continued into the living room. His parents were cuddled up on the couch, David plopped down on the empty loveseat. Attention glued to the TV, neither glanced over at him. Jasper settled onto his lap, and David rubbed his fur in long methodical strokes until Jasper fell asleep.
Finally, Survivor went to a commercial. Kelly hit the pause button on the DVR device. David gasped. “You’re recording this? Why didn’t you pause it when I came in?”
“You know we only pause it during commercials, so we can fast forward through them.” Stephen adjusted the blanket spread haphazardly across both his and Kelly’s laps. He raised an eyebrow. “Did you stop by for a reason? You never come by when we’re watching Survivor.”
Kelly threw the blanket off her lap, grabbing an empty popcorn bowl. “You have five minutes before we turn it back on.” Wiggling off the couch, she walked to the kitchen and placed it in the sink. “Hey, how did helping Claire and Alexis with the garage sale go? I never asked.”
David paused mid-stroke, moving a sleeping Jasper on the cushion next to him. “Good.” He glanced over at his parents, wondering if he should tell them more. Like how Claire was both fascinating and intriguing. Like how she managed to fill a void in his life he didn’t really know was there until now. David leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and steepled his hands together. “Claire and I’ve been hanging out a lot since then.”
“Is that right?” Stephen folded his arms. “And by hanging out do you mean helping her out or dating?”
Returning to her seat next to Stephen, Kelly readjusted the blanket over her lap. “David…” Her voice was pointed. “Please tell me you didn’t kiss her already.” She tilted her head to the side, studying him.
David shifted, gripping both sides of the couch cushion. “I like Claire. I think there might be something there.” His gaze darted between his parents, judging their reaction.
Kelly shook her head. “David, this isn’t a good idea. Claire just lost her mom. And she’s moving soon. It won’t work.” She wagged her finger at him. “And I know how you love a project and love to be the hero.”
“It isn’t like that.” David ran a hand down the length of his face. “I know none of it makes sense, but I enjoy being with Claire, and Alexis too. And it’s too late, I like her, and I’ve already kissed her.”
Stephen smirked.
Kelly threw up her hand. “I asked you to help her with a garage sale, not date her,” she groaned.
“I thought you liked Claire.” David stated, pointing at Kelly. “You practically pushed me onto her when you volunteered for me to spend a whole Saturday with her. What did you expect?”
Kelly threw down both of her hands on top of the blanket. “I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Not this.” Then she glanced at her watch. “Your five minutes are up. We’ll have to talk about this later. I worry about you getting hurt. They’re moving, and you’re not.” She folded her arms.
“Be careful David.” Stephen picked up the remote and fast forwarded through the commercials, cuing it to the correct spot. “Claire and Alexis will be gone soon. It’s probably best to not start anything.” Then he turned the TV back on.
“It’s too late,” muttered David under his breath. “I couldn’t back out now if I wanted to.”
If only they knew, Claire already had him wrapped around her finger. And Alexis only sweetened the deal. David regretted stopping by his parents’ house. Na?vely, David thought they would be happy for him. Because for the first time in however long, David was optimistic about his future. The last few years of being alone—well, lonely—weren’t ones he wanted to repeat. Claire and Alexis had brightened his life in a way he didn’t know he needed. So, though it wasn’t wise, David didn’t care. He planned on leaning into the feeling of happiness, even if it eventually blew up in his face.
* * *
Slowly, pushing the cart down the aisle, David stopped in front of the endcap with shelves of tortillas. “What kind of tortillas do we need? Flour or corn?” He shifted his weight, glancing over at Alexis.
Alexis peered down at her list of ingredients. Her finger ran across the paper. “It doesn’t say.” She groaned. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she finally said, “My gut tells me we need to buy corn tortillas.”
David grabbed a pack of the corn tortillas off the shelf, tossing it into the cart. “Let’s go with your gut. Isn’t that what every expert chef says?”
Alexis laughed. Her demeanor softening. “I, personally, don’t know any expert chefs. Do you?”
David tipped up the bill of his baseball cap a tad. “No, but it’s on those cooking shows.” He wandered further down the aisle. “They tell you to work with what you have.”
“You watch cooking shows?” Alexis’s eyes widened while she trailed along beside him. “Why? You said you don’t cook.”
“I watch it more to see the creative process. I like the one where they have to cook something with a secret ingredient.” Pausing, David stopped in the middle of the aisle. “I’ve no clue what the show is called or why I like it so much.”
Putting a hand to her chest, Alexis replied, “Please don’t look at me,” she shook her head. “I don’t know how to psychoanalyze that. I’m a teenager.”
David laughed. The subject was dropped.
“Ahh, okay, let’s see.” Alexis peered down at her list again. “Next, we need shredded cheese.” She groaned as she double checked the list, then she tilted it in David’s direction for him to see. “Again, it doesn’t say what kind.” Her shoulders drooped. Running a hand through her hair, Alexis added, “These are going to turn out horrible. I see why Claire can’t cook. This is harder than I thought.” Her eyes started to mist. “Mom always knew what to buy. She would literally get the shopping done in ten minutes flat. I’d just wander along behind her while she grabbed everything, she needed without even stopping the cart.”
David readjusted his baseball cap. “I’m sure she was good at it.” Wrapping an arm around Alexis’s shoulder, he lowered his voice, “But we’ll get better at this too. Promise. If we mess these up, because we get the ingredients all wrong, we can try again next week. It’s no big deal.” He gave her shoulders a slight squeeze before letting go.
“I guess you’re right.” Alexis grabbed a pack of random cheese and placed it in the cart.
They continued down the ethnic food aisle, stopping in front of rows of enchilada sauce.
Clearly losing her steam, Alexis grabbed a random type of enchilada sauce without even double checking and tossed it into the cart. David wanted to make sure they were covered so he grabbed two different types too and added them to the cart.
“I don’t know why I’m putting so much pressure on myself for these enchiladas to turn out…” Her voice trailed off, and Alexis stared directly in front of her. Biting her quivering bottom lip, Alexis dragged her feet slowly down the aisle. David slowed his speed to match her steps, wondering if he should jump in with another word of encouragement or allow her time to process everything. Alexis cleared her throat then finally said, “Maybe it’s because if I get them right then it’s one more thing I can manage to do without Mom. Like if I can make these, then all the other little things that pop up will be manageable too. I worry too though as I manage things without her eventually, I’ll forget her altogether.”
“No,” David shook his head. “Impossible. Your mom will always be a part of you. Though I get why you are feeling discouraged, you have to remember half of life is messing up and trying again until you get it right.”
“Is that how you feel about your divorce?” asked Alexis. “Do you want to try again? You know, get married.”
Her question stopped him in his place. Sweat started to gather in the small of his back. “I—” David stammered. “I?—”
Alexis shrugged. “Claire told me you were divorced.”
“I am.” David pushed the cart forward, mainly to avoid looking at Alexis directly. “I made a mistake. I’m learning to move on from it. I guess that’s part of my life. I messed up, and I’m trying to make things right again.”
Alexis ran her hand along the cans of vegetables as they walked toward the checkout. “You’ll get it right this time around.” She shrugged. “You probably just didn’t pick the right person. I think marriage number two for you will be better.”
“I sure hope so,” said David. “It can’t be worse than marriage number one.”
“If you married my sister,” Alexis paused, staring directly at David, “you’d get it right. She’s the best person I know. Even if I grumble and give her a hard time. I know she’ll always be there for me.”
David’s back stiffened at the mention of marrying Claire. Marriage? He wasn’t anywhere close to entertaining those thoughts. He sure hoped Claire wasn’t either because they had only just begun dating.
His throat grew tight. David gulped. “Claire is amazing. I can’t argue with you there.”
With a huge grin, Alexis replied, “She’s the best, but don’t tell her I said that. I don’t want it going to her head.”
David made a crossing motion over his heart.
They joined the checkout line. With Alexis’s help, they loaded the ingredients onto the conveyor belt. David was grateful for something to occupy his hands and mind. After purchasing everything, they drove back to her house.
When they arrived, Claire came out and helped them carry the groceries inside. After unpacking the contents onto the kitchen counter, David kindly walked Claire out of the kitchen.
“Please,” Claire pleaded, “can’t I sit here and watch? I promise not to get in the way.”
David wanted nothing more than to be near Claire, but this wasn’t up to him. This project was something for him and Alexis to bond over. Glancing over his shoulder into the kitchen, David said loud enough for Alexis to hear. “It’s up to the cook.” He raised an eyebrow. “What do you think Alexis? Do we kick her out or let her stay?”
Opening the spice cupboard, Alexis shook her head. “Kick her out.” Her voice softened a tad. “David and I wanted to make you dinner. Sometimes you need to let people do nice things for you.”
David smirked. “You heard the woman.” Kissing Claire on the cheek, he put both hands on her shoulders and turned her toward the hallway. “You look beautiful by the way, but sorry, I have to kick you out.”
Claire made a pouty face. “I can’t believe this.” Fiddling with her hair, Claire finally whipped it over her shoulder. The strands cascaded down her back.
David’s stomach pooled with warmth. “Go relax.” David hugged her. “I promise I’ll come find you once we put the food in the oven. Then we can all watch a show together while they bake.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she released their embrace, “see you soon.” Then she wandered out of the kitchen.
Alexis rubbed her hands together. “I thought she’d never leave.” Then she peered at the ingredients lined up on the counter and put a hand on her hip. “Now what?”
David chuckled then slapped his hand across the slick, cool countertop. “I have absolutely no idea.”
Alexis’s eyes dilated. “What are we going to do? I kicked Claire out of the kitchen because I thought we had this.” She gnawed on a fingernail. “I was obviously so wrong.”
Then David held up his pointer finger. “We do have this. That’s what a recipe is for, right?”
“Let’s hope.” Alexis grabbed the cookbook off the counter, opening it to the correct page.
After poring over the instructions, David and Alexis started cooking the chicken over the stovetop. Multiple times, David rechecked the next steps of the recipe. They fumbled their way through it and somehow managed to get the enchiladas into the Pyrex pan.
Before putting them into the oven, Alexis glanced down at the pan. “These don’t look anything like Mom’s.” Her shoulders drooped. “They look awful.”
“But maybe, they’ll taste like them,” replied David.
“I’m not holding out any hope.” Alexis opened the oven, placing the enchiladas inside. She started the timer.
“I have faith they’re going to be delicious,” said David with a tad too much enthusiasm.
After they finished cleaning up the kitchen and setting the table, David wandered through the house looking for Claire. He called out her name a few times.
“In here!” Claire bellowed.
David followed the sound of her voice, finding her in a room which he assumed was an office. The room was practically empty. Only a desk and some packed boxes remained. Claire sat at the desk, typing on a laptop.
Claire glanced up at his arrival and stopped typing. “Are you done already?” Shifting in her seat, she stretched.
“We certainly weren’t fast.” David sat down on the corner of the desk, inches away from Claire. “It took us over an hour.” He reached out and ran a hand down the length of her arm.
Claire double checked the clock on her laptop. “I told you cooking wasn’t easy.” She leaned forward in her swivel chair. “Do you think you and Alexis have a future in cooking?”
Shaking his head, David replied, “Not a chance. But,” he held up a finger, “I was happy to spend time with Alexis. It gave me an opportunity to get to know her better. She is a great kid.” He couldn’t help but smile.
“I know. I’m lucky to have her, even with the extra responsibilities…” Her voice trailed off, and Claire stared out the window overlooking the side yard. Methodically, she ran her hands back and forth over the armrests. “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have her.”
After a long pause, Claire swung her gaze back to him, and it almost unhinged him. Deep worry wrinkles stretched across her forehead and a sadness shone in her eyes. David knew the burden she carried was heavy, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and reassure her everything would be okay. But he couldn’t promise her that. Nobody could.
Claire continued, “It’s not like I have extra family in my life. My dad took off, and my grandparents are long gone. It’s only me and Alexis. She has kept me going.” Her voice cracked.
David realized how incredibly lucky he was to still have both of his parents in his life. A blessing he hadn’t recognized in a while. “I’m sure glad you have each other. Alexis loves you, even if she doesn’t always say it.” David reached out, covering his hand over hers. Then he yanked her up and toward him, wrapping his arms around her. He whispered into her hair, “Alexis told me at the store today she needed to not be so hard on you.”
Rapidly, Claire loosened their embrace enough to glance up at him. “She did?” She lowered her voice, “I don’t know how to get her to talk to me. You have a way with her. I wish she’d tell me more.”
Reaching out, David tucked a few of Claire’s stray hairs behind her ear. He cupped her neck. “She will. Eventually, she’ll probably tell you more than you want to know. Just give her a little bit of time. I’m an impartial party. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to an outsider than someone you know and love.”
Placing her arms around his waist, Claire gazed up at him. “You aren’t an outsider to me.” She quickly kissed him on the lips. “You belong right here with me.”
Grinning, David touched his forehead to hers. They stared at each other for a moment too long. His heart hammered. A fire raged in his gut. David gulped. How did this woman manage to create this reaction in him in such a short amount of time?
“Thanks for coming and cooking me dinner,” said Claire, breaking the silence.
With one finger, David swiped Claire’s hair over her shoulder, letting his fingertips run through the silky strands. Whispering into her ear, “Alexis practically did everything. But it’s our secret.” Kissing her cheek, David, for a speck of time, allowed himself to imagine his life with her. Imagine a world where they could be together, forever. He hadn’t dreamed in a long time, and he knew allowing himself to hope was a dangerous path to walk down. With a casual shrug, he added, “I just the read the steps off to Alexis from the recipe.”
Smirking, Claire replied, “Liar. I don’t believe you for a second.”
David wanted to kiss her twitching lips.
From the door threshold, Alexis loudly said, “Geez, you two.”
They both flinched, jumping a few inches apart and releasing one another’s embrace.
Leaning one shoulder against the doorway, Alexis continued, “Every time I stumble upon you guys, you’ve got your hands all over each other.”
“Calm down,” Claire fiddled with the ends of her shirt then pushed up her chin. “We weren’t doing anything that couldn’t be seen.”
“Says who?” Alexis raised an eyebrow. Then Alexis shook her head, pushing off the door frame, pivoting to leave. Over her shoulder, she added, “The food’s ready. Let’s eat.” Alexis wandered down the hall, leaving them alone.
Squeezing Claire’s hand, David motioned with a head tilt toward the kitchen. “You heard Alexis, we better get in there before she reports us to who knows who.”
Claire quickly gave him a peck on his lips. “Let’s go eat these enchiladas you’ve been slaving over.”