10. Cookies
Cookies
Nadine had very few vices. She loved her mimosas, no doubt.
And she could run up a bag at the shops in Phipps Plaza.
But when she was truly stressed, she baked.
It had been a source of comfort since she was a child.
If she was sad, she baked. If she got a bad grade, she baked.
If her mother pissed her off, which was often, she baked.
Her father often joked that she was part Keebler elf, eager to be her taste tester.
Her mother just fussed that it would make her fat, and she was wasting her flour and sugar.
The truth was that her mother was kind of jealous that she was a better baker than she was.
It was the one thing that she always got right.
After her last meeting of the day and hours of pouring over reports, she needed to do something to expel the anxiety and stress that she felt. She’d tried her best to work, but knowing Zaire was in the house was making her pressure rise and her pussy wet. Incredibly wet.
The smell of double chocolate chip cookies engulfed the kitchen.
Nadine pulled out the last batch, placing it on the cooling rack.
She made her way back to her pantry to find her fleur de sel to sprinkle on top of her cookies before they cooled.
It was the secret ingredient that made them so good.
As she peered through the shelves, looking for the salt, a voice interrupted her search, nearly making her topple over.
“It smells amazing in here.”
Nadine turned to find Zaire leaning against the doorframe. The pantry was massive, but suddenly, it felt entirely too damn small.
“Thanks. You’re welcome to take a few.”
“Oh, I’m good.”
“Don’t tell me you’re on a diet. I mean, not that you need it.” Nadine blurted out. She closed her eyes, regretting what she said. “Sorry.”
“Thank you,” Zaire chuckled. “No diet. I’m allergic to chocolate.”
“Oh,” Nadine breathed, relieved that she hadn’t offended her. “That’s too bad.”
“I mean, if you bake something without chocolate next time, I'll surely have a taste.”
Nadine had to quickly expel the thought of Zaire having a “taste” out of her psyche. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nadine almost forgot the salt and quickly grabbed it.
As she tried to exit the pantry, Zaire stopped in front of her.
Nadine watched as her tongue, adorned with a piercing, darted out, and licked the pad of her thumb.
That same thumb traced a path dangerously close to Nadine’s lips, moving slowly down to her chin.
“You had a little flour on your chin. Sorry, force of habit.”
Nadine swallowed hard, her grip tightening on the jar in her hand. “Th…thanks.”
“My pleasure. Can I take EJ a cookie? I know it’s not a designated snack time, but he’s been really good.”
Nadine nodded her approval wordlessly. She watched Zaire’s ass, ample and plump in her jeans, make its way back to the great room, a plate of cookies in hand.
“Jesus Christ…” Nadine whispered to herself. If she couldn’t last the first day, three weeks was going to be fucking impossible.
Maybe she’d pour herself a mimosa after all.
The rest of the evening was a blur. Nadine stole glances of Zaire here and there as she played with EJ.
She’d pretend to be looking at her phone or tablet if she felt she was staring a bit too long.
It was entirely childish; she realized. It felt like fucking stalker ass behavior.
For the most part, Nadine kept her cool, being as professional as possible.
After going through EJ’s bedtime routine, Zaire called it a night. Her first day was in the books.
“Hey, Nadine.”
Nadine sat at the kitchen counter, nursing a glass of cabernet. She wasn’t a cab girl, but it went well with the cookies. “Hey. Hope your first day with EJ wasn’t too terrible.”
“Of course not. He’s an angel.”
“Ha,” Nadine laughed. “You ain’t gotta lie, but I appreciate it.”
“I definitely wouldn’t lie. He’s just as sweet as his mother. By the way, you didn’t ask, but my day with EJ’s mother wasn’t so bad either.”
Nadine felt herself blushing. Hard. “I appreciate that, but you don’t know if I’m sweet or not.”
“Well, I’m a pretty good judge of character. You know, kind of comes with the job. I wouldn’t lie about that.”
Nadine nodded. “I get that. See you tomorrow, then.”
“See you tomorrow, Cookie.” Zaire gave Nadine a wink and headed toward the garage.
Cookie?
Nadine sat at the counter, paralyzed. Was she…
flirting…with me? She wasn’t sure how long she was standing there until the sound of Zaire’s car pulling out the driveway pulled her out of a daze.
She was pretty sure that interaction was real and not a made-up scenario in her head, like all the scenarios had been in the weeks since Secrets.
Nadine took the rest of the cab and downed it straight from the bottle.
By the time Eddie had come home, Nadine had polished off two bottles of Cab and five double chocolate chip cookies. He walked into the kitchen, finding his wife slumped over at the counter.
“Damn. Two bottles of cab and you baked double chocolate chip cookies? Your day must have been pretty shitty.”
Nadine lifted her head, sighing. “I wouldn’t say it was shitty, just…interesting.”
Eddie put his bag down and sat at the counter. “I take it the nanny didn’t work out.”
At the mention of Zaire, Nadine’s body heated. She hoped Eddie couldn’t see her pressing her thighs together. “She’s fine. A little young, but fine. EJ really likes her.”
Eddie raised a brow. “Just fine? Fine isn’t good enough for you, Deanie. Tell me what’s up for real.”
“I don’t know if it’s going to work out with her.”
“Why?”
“She’s just…” Nadine struggled to find the words as she twirled the wine glass in her hand. “She’s just different from Glinda.”
“But the agency said she was good, right?”
“Yeah, and there are no other last-minute replacements. Getting her was a God-send in the first place. But…”
“But what?” interrupted Eddie. “What is the real issue?”
Nadine stared at Eddie. She wanted to tell the truth. She really wanted to, but she just couldn’t. “I just think I’m not used to change. It’s just making me anxious.”
“I know, baby. Have you talked to Dr. Flournoy about this? Change can be stressful.”
Nadine rolled her eyes at the mention of her therapist. She still remembered her insistence that she talk to Eddie about her feelings and the emails with homework. “No. But at our last session, she suggested you come to therapy with me.”
Eddie’s eyes widened as he took a cookie from the domed cake stand. “Why? Is it something I did?”
Nadine leaned over, kissing her husband on the forehead. “Of course not, babe. It’s just she wants me to let you in. Be honest about some things going on with me. That’s all. It’s…complicated.”
Eddie took Nadine’s hand, kissing the back of it softly. “I’ll go. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Of course, Deanie. You’re my wife. I’m here for you. I’m your rock and vice versa. Nothing can make me not want to have your back.”
Shit, you say that now. Nadine thought. “Ok. I’ll let Dr. Flournoy know.”
Eddie smiled, biting into a cookie. “In the meantime, give the nanny a chance. You never know, change may be good for you.”
Nadine gave Eddie a wry smile. “Maybe.” She tried to get up and wobbled a bit. She was fucked up. In more ways than one.
“Whoa, baby.” Eddie took Nadine’s hand. “Let’s head to bed, love.”