Chapter 15 #2
Theo and Michelle brought the rest of the supplies into the kitchen, and he insisted on carrying two bags at once, something he hoped she’d be impressed by.
Before she could say anything about him leaving, he started to unpack one of the bags, which was filled with breakfast food items and some canned blueberries.
“I’m assuming canned fruit goes into the pantry?” he asked, glancing up at her with an impish smile.
She was narrowing her eyes at him as though she didn’t know what to make of him.
“Uh, yeah. If you don’t know where something goes, you can just put it in the middle of the counter there. Or you can ask me.”
Wow, I can’t believe she’s letting me put things away in her kitchen, Theo thought, striding over to the pantry, carrying the can of blueberries as if it was a trophy. This place is pretty organized—I have a feeling that being allowed to put things away in here is a privilege.
Theo was just folding up the last paper bag after everything had been put away when he felt something bump against his leg. He looked down and grinned when he saw Puddle looking up at him with wide brown eyes.
“You want to wrestle, Killer?” he asked the puppy, who toddled over to a rope chew toy that was lying underneath the kitchen table. “I bet you’re going to beat me. You look really strong.”
Theo lay down on the floor and began to play tug of war with the animated little dog, who growled in a high-pitched voice that made him laugh. As he played with the puppy, he glanced over at Michelle, who appeared to be starting to cook something.
“Can I help you make dinner?” he asked, getting up off the floor.
Michelle froze for a moment before turning around and offering him a polite smile.
“You’ve done enough charity work for the day, Theo. You don’t need to stay and help me cook dinner too.”
“Charity?” Theo laughed. “If this is charity, it’s the most enjoyable form of charity I’ve ever experienced.” He made his way over to where she was and looked over her shoulder at the colorful ingredients that she’d lined up on the kitchen counter. “Come on, let me help. What are you making?”
“An enchilada casserole,” Michelle said, pointing at a cute little recipe card that featured a picture of smiling lemons and beautiful handwriting in a bright pink ink.
“Really? I’ve never had that before.”
“It’s really good—similar to enchiladas, obviously.”
“So, is it a secret family recipe or something or may I learn how to make it?” He leaned against the counter.
“It’s not a secret family recipe.” She laughed.
“Yeah? That handwriting is really elegant. I thought maybe it was Elaine’s. In my experience, only older people write in cursive that elegant.”
Michelle’s cheeks flushed slightly. “No, it’s mine.”
“Really?” Theo glanced with interest at the card. “You have really nice handwriting, Michelle.”
She turned away and didn’t say anything as she fussed with the ingredients on the counter. A few seconds later she cleared her throat lightly.
“Arf!”
Theo and Michelle turned around at the same time to see that Puddle had climbed up onto the kitchen table. She seemed to be incredibly proud of her accomplishment and she wagged her tail excitedly, but Michelle squeaked.
“Oh no, buddy, not up there!”
Theo laughed. “I got her. Does she have a kennel she’d like to chill in so she’s not so distracting?”
“She’s got a closet.” Michelle smiled. “In the main hallway downstairs.”
“Okay, little lady,” Theo said, scooping the puppy up into his arms. “Let’s go put you somewhere where you can have a nice little nap.”
Puddle wriggled, obviously opposed to the idea of a nap. Theo carried her down the hallway, enjoying the feeling of being useful to Michelle. He looked around the hotel with admiration as he went, marveling that Michelle had been able to run everything so well on her own.
“Here you go, Killer,” Theo said, setting Puddle down in her little closet bedroom. “Enjoy chomping on all these yummy soggy toys you have on the floor.” He laughed at the sight of a sock that had been gnawed to threads. “Be good, okay?”
Puddle trotted over to her bed and sat down, immediately starting to chew on a plastic bone.
Glad the little dog seemed content to be by herself for a while, Theo returned to the kitchen, whistling.
As he stepped through the doorway, his eyebrows lifted as he saw a pair of wine glasses resting on the counter.
Michelle had poured a deep red wine into both of them, a velvety-smooth liquid that gleamed in the light.
“Is this for us?” Theo asked, approaching the wine glasses and taking an eager sniff. “Cabernet?”
“Pinot Noir. Do you like it? I wanted to unwind a little while I cooked. It’s been a long couple of days.”
Theo wanted to blurt, “I’m glad I get to help make things easier for you,” but he felt suddenly shy. “I like Pinot Noir,” he said instead.
Michelle picked up her glass and tilted it toward him a little in a “Cheers” gesture. She took a sip and shivered appreciatively.
Theo went over to the radio and turned it on. Sweet, crooning Christmas carols began to play. Michelle lit a peppermint-scented candle, and Theo realized that must be why the kitchen smelled so good.
“Can you chop up these onions and bell peppers?” Michelle asked, setting a couple of yellow bell peppers down onto a wooden cutting board. Two peeled white onions were already resting on the counter nearby.
“Gave me the tough job, huh?” He grinned and picked up the knife.
“Oh, sorry, I can—”
“No, no.” He held his hand up. “I can do it. I’m great at crying.”
She laughed, and he felt a warm feeling in his chest. Smiling, he set to work chopping up the bell peppers and onions. The onions did make his eyes sting, but he didn’t really mind.
“We three kings of orient are,” Michelle sang, singing along to the radio.
“Tried to smoke a rubber cigar,” Theo sang.
She whirled around, blinking. “What on earth?”
“That’s an old version.” He grinned. “My grandpa taught it to me. People have always been goofy. Who knows? Maybe your ancestors have already sung that version in this very kitchen.”
Michelle lifted her eyebrows, unable to stop herself from grinning too. “Maybe.” She turned back to the stove, where she was browning beef in a frying pan.
Theo continued to sing the wrong lyrics to the song, imitating an opera singer with what he considered to be impressive accuracy. Michelle apparently thought so too, because she laughed brightly while he sang.
Before long, the casserole was in the oven, and Michelle and Theo were both leaning against the counter side by side, sipping their wine slowly.
“You’ll have to stay for dinner,” Michelle said. Her tone was casual, but Theo noticed that she was avoiding eye contact. “You gave all this free labor to the cause, you deserve the reward.”
“I won’t say no.” He took another sip of his wine, grinning. “It already smells incredible.” He was so thrilled that she’d asked, he wanted to dance. He forced himself to contain his enthusiasm, but he couldn’t stop grinning.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Michelle took a deep breath, smiling just as widely as Theo.
Is it my imagination, or does she seem happy that I’m going to stay? he wondered. She doesn’t seem like she’s just asking me because she feels obligated. She seems truly pleased.
“You want to play some checkers while we wait for dinner to be ready?” Michelle asked, gesturing to a game shelf that was tucked into a corner of the kitchen.
“Oh, sure. You want a little more wine?”
“Sure.”
A few minutes later, they were laughing over a game of checkers while the aroma of the enchilada casserole filled the kitchen.
Man, I could get used to this, Theo thought, feeling a pang of longing. I wonder if we’ll ever do anything like this again?