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Chapter Eleven
Elizabeth woke at 9:00 a.m. Her head pounded and her mouth was dry as a desert. As Joe predicted, she found herself in dire need of the pain reliever and water, he had set on her nightstand.
It took every bit of strength she could muster to sit up, place the pills in her mouth, and chase it down with the water. She couldn’t believe she’d slept so late.
As she sat on the edge of the bed, the events of the prior evening rushed back. She threw her hand over her mouth. I puked on Joe’s shoes! And now he’s seen me puke twice in less than a month. God, please strike me down dead right now. How am I ever going to face him again?
The doorbell rang. She slowly lifted herself from the bed; the task took more effort than ever before in her life. When the doorbell rang again, she slipped into her fluffy pink robe and willed her feet in the direction of the front door. The floor felt spongy.
She peeked through the window and saw Max standing on the front steps all bundled up in a jacket, hat, mittens, and boots. He held a paper bag in his hands. What could he possibly want? She opened the door.
“Good morning, Ms. Shaw. Dad sent me over here to give this to you,” he said as he handed the bag to her. “And don’t tilt it or it will spill,” he added.
“What is this?”
“It’s breakfast. I gotta go, mine’s waiting for me at home,” he chimed as he waved goodbye and ran across her yard, through his, and disappeared into his house.
Elizabeth carried the package into the kitchen and opened it. She stared inquisitively at the egg bake loaded with cheese, sausage, potatoes, and toast. It smelled delicious, especially the scent of the sausage grease. Her taste buds craved a tall glass of super chocolaty milk to go with the food.
I puked on the man’s shoes last night, and he makes me breakfast?
The compelling need to be with this kind man was near overwhelming, so she bundled the food back up to keep it hot, got dressed, and headed over to his house. She rang the doorbell. Joe opened it and quickly stepped aside to let her in, and out of the chilly air. “Is something wrong with the food?”
“No. At least I don’t think so. I haven’t tried it yet. I thought maybe...maybe...”
His dark gaze fixed intently on her, and the corners of his mouth lifted. “Maybe what?”
Her stomach knotted. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I thought maybe, if you don’t mind, I would eat it in the company of your family.”
His welcoming smile widened. “Sure.”
In light of the fact she puked on his shoes the night before, it had to be a good sign that he didn’t reject her and toss her out on her rear. Instead, he took the package from her hands so she could shed her coat and boots.
She followed him to the kitchen to find Max and Molly eating their breakfast, their plates nearly empty.
“Ms. Shaw is going to join us for breakfast. Max, why don’t you get some silverware for her?”
The young boy rose from his chair and retrieved a place setting for her as Joe unpacked her breakfast and set it on the table.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
He poured her a cup, set it in front of her, then took his seat at the table, and resumed eating.
Elizabeth ate her breakfast quietly as she listened to the comfortable banter exchanging between Joe and his kids. He gave his full attention to them as they talked about the letters they’d written to Santa, and the items they’d placed on their list.
At the top of Molly’s list were an American Girl doll and a tea set. Max wanted a BB gun and some Transformers. They seemed so genuinely excited about Christmas. In her experience, even as a young child, Christmas was never that big of a deal. Sure, she recalled writing a letter to Santa, and getting the items on her list, but the Christmas morning experience in her home lacked excitement, probably because she didn’t have anyone to share the enthusiasm with; no brothers or sisters, and parents who’d rather be working on business deals and charity events.
When the kids finished their breakfast they asked to be excused so they could go outside and play in the snow. Joe wasn’t finished eating yet, but excused himself from the table in order to help the kids, particularly Molly, bundle up to go outside. Elizabeth watched as he slipped his daughter into her snowsuit, put her hat on her head, mittens on her hands, and boots on her feet. He maneuvered so easily with this task. Once his daughter was all bundled up, he kissed her on the cheek and sent her out the door after Max. “Keep an eye on your sister. I’ll be out in a bit.”
He returned to his seat at the table and forked another bite of food.
“Isn’t that cold by now?” Elizabeth asked.
He glanced at his plate. “Yeah, I guess it is. That’s all right. I’m used to eating cold food.” He forked another mouthful.
She sat silently for a while watching him eat. There was something extremely sexy about how his strong jaw move up and down as he chewed his food, and she couldn’t shake the thought of it from her mind. She found herself in awe of the handsome, unselfish man sitting across the table from her.
