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“Sure. You and I will have dinner together on Friday, and then I’ll take you to Sarah’s. Deal?”
She looked up with a wide beaming smile. “Thanks Mom, you’re the best.”
“I really am, aren’t I?”
“Mom,” she groaned and rolled her eyes again. “Please.”
“Oh I see, now that you’ve gotten your way the compliments go away.” I let out a long suffering sigh, barely able to contain my laughter.
Stevie played her part beautifully and ignored my histrionics. “What’s for dinner?”
“I was thinking peanut butter and jelly. Grape or strawberry.”
“Gross.”
I barked out a laugh and shook my head. “Give a girl a little bit of homemade sushi and suddenly she’s Alton Brown.”
“I don’t know who that is, but what’s wrong with wanting something delicious and different for dinner?”
“Nothing. In fact, you should consider learning to prepare a meal or two. It’s a very grownup thing to do.” There was no way I would pay premium prices for ingredients I didn’t use often. “Nothing exotic tonight, just roasted chicken and vegetables with homemade biscuits.”
Stevie looked up from her phone in shock. “You made biscuits. You?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“No,” she admitted with a reluctant sigh. “But you never cook like this.”
“That’s because you don’t appreciate it as far as I can tell, staring at your screen while you eat.” It was like walking a tightrope, finding a way to encourage a young woman to eat healthy without feeding into her built-in insecurities. On most days it was an impossible task.
“I totally appreciate it, especially tonight. Tomorrow is Friday and I need to carb up so I’ll have tons of energy to deal with a building full of cheerleaders for two days straight.”
“You are one of those cheerleaders,” I reminded her with a laugh.
“Yes,” she sat up a little taller just as the oven timer sounded. “But I’m not perky all of the time.”
“I know that better than anyone.”
“Mom,” she rolled her eyes again and I was tempted to bust out the old your eyes will get stuck that way joke, which I knew would go unappreciated.
I just laughed at her overall put upon demeanor and pulled dinner from the oven. “Tell me about school while you grab silverware and drinks.”
“School is school,” she insisted and pushed away from the table. “My grades are good, which you already know, and I’m thinking about joining student government. Do you think I can do it?”
“Stevie, you are bubbly and beautiful, kind and smart, you absolutely have what it takes to win. But do you have any ideas to make you good at the job?”
“I have a few ideas like allowing students to study during lunch. Not everyone has a quiet home, or you know, like a home where they can properly study so it’s unfair to them.”
“That is an excellent idea, honey. It’s nice that you’re thinking of the students that don’t have what you do.”
She shrugged off the compliment, but the blush on her cheeks told me she’d gotten the message. “I learned from the best,” she sighed and her lips twisted into her famous worried look.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I mean, it’s just that I was hoping to skip dad’s visit next weekend.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Besides the usual? No. It’s just that we’ll probably place top three this weekend, and if that happens, we’ll need a new routine, and I’ve been working on something special. Coach isn’t making any promises, but she said it doesn’t hurt to have more ideas.”
“My little multi-tasker. You’re growing up so fast.”
“So I can skip Dad’s?”
I nod. “If he says it’s okay with him, then yes, you can skip.” If he refused I would step in on her behalf, because sometimes my ex was more focused on appearing to be a good father than actually being one.
Stevie’s lip jutted out into an adorable pout that I pretended to be unaffected by. “Fine. And thanks Mom.”
“Of course, Stevie. Eat up.”
We ate in silence until most of the dinner was agone before Stevie being Stevie, started with more questions. “I read Levi’s article in the paper.”
Of all the things I expected her to bring up, many of which about Levi, that his article didn’t even make the top ten. “You did? Why?”
She shrugged like it was no big deal, but I knew my daughter. “Some of the girls at school have dads like the ones in the article, and they felt inspired by Adrienne’s story. And mad. Really, really mad.”
I smiled and nodded. “It made me mad too, but it looks like everyone involve is starting to get what they deserve.”
“Cool. It’s kind of cool having a mom who deals with big issues like that.”
“Thank you. Levi did a great job with the story.”
Stevie’s brows dipped in confusion. “Why didn’t you write it Mom? You’re a woman.”
“Levi is better at writing those kinds of stories because he’s been doing it for years.”
