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I was glad Dad and Dora were getting along. We were lucky to have found a caregiver as good as her.
When the doorbell rang, I went straight to open it. As I passed Dora, she whispered, “He insisted on dressing up for Reese.”
I figured something was going on to that effect, and it made me grin.
When I opened the front door, I burst out laughing. I could barely see Reese.
"What's all this you're carrying?" I asked as I took the boxes from her.
"I brought a lot of sweets and a pie from Liz's bakery. Everything she makes is delicious."
I kissed her over the boxes but couldn't deepen it as much as I wanted because Dad was right behind us.
I turned around. "Dad, Dora, this is Reese. Reese, Dad and Dora."
"Hi, I'm so pleased to meet you," Reese said.
Dad shook her hand. "I’m Theodore. Glad to meet you, girl. Very nice of you to stop by today."
"Of course. I couldn't miss it."
"I hope you're hungry, because Dom's cooked up a storm."
"I am. I purposefully didn't have any breakfast, and I'm extremely glad that I managed not to taste any of the goodies in these boxes.”
"I like you," Dad said. He was usually terse, but there was a subtle change in him since she'd stepped into the house.
"Come on and give me a tour of the kitchen," Reese said, "and put me to work."
"Nonsense," Dad replied. "You're going to keep me company. Dominic's got everything under control, doesn't he?"
Reese looked at me in surprise, and I laughed. "Dad likes to boss people around."
She winked at me. "I guess I know where you get that from. How about this?" Reese said. "I'll chat with you while I help Dom."
I kissed the side of her head, putting a hand on her waist. "There's no need, Reese. Just relax with Dad. I have everything under control. I've done this a few times."
"All right, then. That means I'm all yours, Theodore.”
She sat with Dad in the living room while I went back into the kitchen. The turkey was ready on time, and Reese did help me set the table. "This looks so fancy. I've got to take a few pictures." She started to reach for her phone but stopped. "Actually, never mind."
"What were you about to say?" I asked.
"That I could send them to Aunt Lena, but then she's going to be jealous that I’m eating turkey before I taste hers."
I smiled at her. "Come on, let's all sit down and see if it tastes as good as it looks."
The four of us gathered around the table and chatted away during the meal. It pleased me to see Dad and Reese getting along so well. Dora kept smiling as Dad opened up and became more animated.
Once we finished the food, Dad looked at Dora. "Is there any program on TV that's showing Christmas lights around the city?"
"Not that I know of," she replied.
"I have an idea," Reese said, standing a bit straighter. A wave of her perfume reached me. It was a new one, but it was just as addictive as the last one. Slowly, I was starting to realize it didn't matter what perfume she was wearing—I was addicted to her. "Why don't we go out and see some lights? The city is full of them."
Dad frowned. "What's an old bag of bones like me going to do out in the freezing cold?"
"We can always go to Light up the Lake at Navy Pier. That's indoors, and it's gorgeous." Reese sounded so enthusiastic. I hadn't had the time to warn her that my father only used to go on Christmas lights strolls with my mother. "I'm sure we’ll have fun."
