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“Sure.”
And with that, she collected her daughter and headed to the main door. Molly looked over her shoulder and offered Ron a wink.
He’d seen Jason give that wink to many a girl. He’d seen it work to make Kylee stray. But on the kid, it was adorable, and it only made him like her more.
Chapter Five
The smell of burned broccoli filled the kitchen. Kylee pulled the back door open to let the smell out. But the wind didn’t dare venture inside the kitchen.
Kylee had never been the best cook. Jason had reminded her of that time and again. But now that she was back in her childhood home where her mom had placed so many delectable dinners on the table, she wanted to try and emulate that for her daughter.
“Mommy, can’t we just go to McDonald's?”
Another fault of Jason’s. Here they lived in one of the most culturally diverse nations in the entire world where walking down any street the spicy smells of Indian dhals, the toasty smell of rising French croissants, and the bitter aroma of Ethiopian coffee beans would seduce the nose. Yet her ex had been a fan of American fast foods that had bullied their way onto the Main Streets.
“No, we’re having a home-cooked meal,” said Kylee.
Molly moaned and whined and pretty soon the smoke alarm joined her. Kylee tugged off her checkered apron which read “Hot Stuff Coming Through.” She turned off the burners and yanked open the refrigerator.
Five minutes later, dinner was served. She’d slapped together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with some orange slices and a glass of milk. All food groups were covered.
“Great cooking, chef,” said Molly around a mouthful of choke sandwich.
“Oh, hush you Molly-monster.”
Molly giggled. Kylee found herself laughing as she swiped a dollop of strawberry jam off her thumb. It might not be gourmet, but it sure was fine dining. This was just what they needed.
Dinners had been a tense affair the last few months of her marriage. Money had always been tight. Anything could set Jason off and launch into an argument that would end with a door being slammed and him being gone for the night, and sometimes into the next day.
But there was no slamming of doors tonight. The fire alarm was quiet now that Kylee had backed away from the kitchen appliances. It was a peaceful, nutritiously-questionable, night at the Bauer castle. But Kylee still had to parent.
“So, Molly, what exactly got you sent to the principal’s office today?”
“Fairy magic,” Molly said as she pressed the rind of an orange into her mouth and gave her mother a citrus smile.
Her daughter had the wildest imagination. Kylee envied her that. Kylee had always been a black and white kind of girl. That’s why she did so well with tests and numbers. Meanwhile, Molly spent time making curly cues with the L’s and Y in her name.
“Molls, you have to take learning seriously. It’s how you’ll have a good future.”
“I’m only in fourth grade, Mommy. Don’t I have years before my future starts?”
Sometimes, Kylee worried her daughter was too much like her father. Head-in-the-clouds dreamer with no practical know how. At least Molly had a can-do kinda attitude. Even if her doing typically got her into trouble. Now that Jason was less of an influence in her life, Kylee would change that.
&
nbsp; “Besides, Principal Kidd set me straight,” Molly said after taking a gulp of her milk. “We’ve got it all worked out.”
“Do you now?”
It was so strange hearing her old best friend being referred to in such a lofty status. But Ron had always been great with kids. He didn’t really have a choice with the last name he had.
“Yeah, he’s really funny, don’t ya think?”
Kylee smiled. Ron always had a way of making her take herself less seriously. The two had been an inseparable pair for more than half her life. Seeing him again, that old connection felt ready to slip right back into place. In a way, it felt like they’d never been apart at all.
“We should have him over for dinner one night.”
It would be nice to have Ron back in her life on a regular basis. To sit next to him, and talk to him, and get another one of those hugs.
