“Good with me,” Hazel said. “How did painting go?”
“Oh, it was so much fun,” Samantha said. “Annie’s basement is so cool looking now. We did different colored stripes everywhere. Maybe we could paint our basement like that?”
“Huh, maybe,” Hazel said, not opposed to the idea. She didn’t know if she wanted rainbow stripes, but Samantha and her friends working as a team was something she felt was good for her daughter, and she knew Samantha would be very proud if they worked on her house. Hazel and Jacob’s basement was unfurnished, holding only their washer and dryer, some shelves for cleaning supplies, and a couple of tables covered in Jacob’s handyman tools. “A little color would be nice down there. After we did so much work renovating the upstairs of the house, I guess we never thought about upgrading the basement.”
Hazel and Jacob had bought a fixer-upper together and turned it into their dream home through a great deal of hard work and determination. Jacob was the town handyman, and very skilled when it came to home improvement, but Hazel had learned many new skills while they worked together. It hadstrengthened their relationship even further and given them a home that they both adored.
“Cool! I’ll talk to the gang and see what they think. We can brainstorm decorating ideas together.”
Hazel chuckled over the fact that Samantha intended to ask her friends what the basement should look like rather than her parents. She was about to ask her daughter if she and her friends might be okay with limiting themselves to one or two colors when the wind suddenly picked up, rattling the car. “Oof, there’s going to be a storm,” she said, glancing up at the sky, which had gone from a pale gray to ominous. “This is much more intense than I thought it would be. They’d said it was going to rain tonight, but the weather station didn’t say anything about it being like this.”
“Oh, good, we can make cocoa and watch a movie,” Samantha said eagerly.
Hazel watched as raindrops began to splatter across the windshield, turning the road ahead of them darker as the seconds wore on. By the time they reached their home, the storm had turned into quite the downpour.
“Dad’s here already!” Samantha said, noting Jacob’s truck in the garage as they pulled into it.
Hazel’s heart still skipped a beat when she heard Samantha call Jacob “Dad.” Samantha’s own father, Hazel’s ex-husband, had completely disappeared from their lives, and Hazel felt that was for the best. He’d been her high school sweetheart but had not grown up into the man she’d thought he would become. Jacob, however, who had been her first major high school crush, was a strong, dependable, trustworthy man. Hazel felt incredibly grateful that things had worked out between the two of them and that Samantha now had a father who adored her and who made her feel safe and loved.
“That’s good,” Hazel said as she parked the car and turned off the ignition. “This storm is starting to look pretty bad.”
Hazel and Samantha left the garage, dashing across the short stretch of yard between it and the house and laughing as they become instantly drenched in rain.
“This is wild!” Samantha yelled.
They were panting by the time they reached the back door and pushed it open. They stumbled into the kitchen, giggling and dripping water onto the tile.
“Wow, welcome home,” Jacob said, laughing himself as he stood up from the kitchen table, where he’d been drinking some coffee and looking over a stack of bills. “You two got soaked out there.”
“It’s raining,” Samantha said.
“I noticed.” Jacob shared a grin with Hazel. “I’ll grab you guys some towels.”
He hurried off to get towels, and Samantha and Hazel took off their shoes. He returned a few moments later and they started to dry off, letting the towels soak up the water in their hair and clothes.
“I’m so glad you got home early,” Hazel said, giving him a kiss as she squeezed the towel around her wavy dark blonde hair.
“Me too,” he said. “What’s for dinner?”
She laughed. “Leftover lasagna. Give me two minutes and then I’ll start microwaving our portions.”
“That’s okay, I’ve got it. I just didn’t want to eat without the two of you.”
Jacob dished three generous helpings of the mushroom, spinach, and alfredo lasagna that Hazel had made the night before onto plates and popped the first one into the microwave. “How was cheerleading practice, Sam?” he asked, leaning against the counter and smiling at his daughter.
“Really good.” Samantha flopped down into one of the kitchen chairs. “But, oh man, am I starving.”
“Me too,” Hazel said. “I love leftovers. It’s always nice to come home and be able to eat right away instead of having to cook.”
“And leftovers always taste better,” Samantha said in a wise tone. “All that time in the fridge helps the flavors smush together and intensify.”
“Hmm, is that the terminology they used in science class?” Jacob teased.
Samantha made a face at him but then her expression brightened into one of delight when the microwave went off and Jacob placed the hot plate down in front of her. “Aww, thank you! Should I wait for you guys?”
Hazel’s heart glowed as she watched her husband and daughter interacting so affectionately. The bond between Samantha and Jacob seemed to be strengthening every day, and Hazel felt so grateful to be a part of the beautiful little family that they’d formed.
“No, you go ahead,” Hazel said, kissing Samantha’s head. “We know you’re hungry.”
