“Who?”
“The San Francisco Giants.They’re my favorite team.”
He set down the financial section and flipped through until he found the sports page.“Here.”
Billie sat next to him at the bleached oak table.“Thanks.”She peered at his cup.“Do I get coffee?”
“No.”
“Toast?”
He pushed his plate toward her and picked up the paper.
“Milk?”
“It’s in the refrigerator.”He scanned the columns until he found the article he’d been reading.Lack of sleep made his eyes burn.The house had been still.Jane and Billie’s rooms were far enough away that he couldn’t hear them, but he’d known they were there.Despite reading the most boring financial newsletter he could find, despite the shot of Scotch and the cold shower close to midnight, he’d been awake until dawn.That was the hell of it.He could force his mind to forget, but his body was less willing to cooperate.
There was a dragging noise behind him.He tried to ignore it.It was the “whoops” followed by mad scrambling and “I got it, don’t worry” that caused him to look up.
Billie stood on top of a stool.One foot rested on the seat, the other on the counter.A glass balanced precariously in her grasp.
“What the—What are you doing?”
“Getting a glass.Mom told me not to bother you.She said we have to be quiet and stay out of the way.”She climbed down.“I’m pretty sure I can stay out of the way, but the quiet part is gonna be tough.”
“No kidding.”He gave up and tossed the paper onto the table.“What do you normally eat for breakfast?”
She grinned.“Donuts?”she asked hopefully.
“Not a chance.How about cereal?”
“What kind you got?”
He opened the cupboard and scanned the contents.All the boxes contained sensible multigrain products.He glanced at Billie.“Somehow I don’t think you’ll approve of the selection.”
“Then toast is fine.”
She picked up a slice and nibbled on the corner.Her mouth twisted into a grimace as she tasted the marmalade.
He chuckled out loud, surprising her and himself.“I’ll make you fresh.There’s peanut butter in the fridge.Or honey.”
“Great.”She crossed to the fridge.
“Oh, and grab that bowl of fruit salad and the milk.Are we hitting all the major food groups here?”
“All of ’em except donuts.”
“That isn’t a major food group.”
“Okay, a minor food group.But it’s still my favorite.”
Billie held the bowl of fruit and the milk in her arms, then bent over and reached for the peanut butter.Milk sloshed onto the floor and three grapes slipped from the bowl to land in the puddle.She straightened, the peanut butter jar clutched in her free hand, then used her hip to shut the door.He waited, but she remained oblivious to the mess on the floor.
They assembled breakfast together.Billie spread a thick layer of peanut butter on her toast, then looked around.“You got any bananas?”
“I think so.Why?”
“To put on the bread.It’s yummy.”
