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Chapter 16
“You’re late,” Misty stated flatly as Elizabeth hurried through the garage door into the house. Chloe and Misty were parked in front of the television where one of Chloe’s favorite animated shows—a hive of bees that solved mysteries—was playing.
“It’s four ten. I said I’d be back after four,” Elizabeth told her a bit testily. She slung her jacket over the back of the couch and dropped her bag into a chair at the bar.
Misty shrugged. “Well, okay,” she finally allowed. She dropped her attitude completely and admitted, “I don’t really want to study anyway, but my mom’s been calling and calling.” With a roll of her expressive eyes, Misty added, “She’s going to drive me insane.”
“Insane,” Chloe repeated. “That means crazy,” she informed Elizabeth.
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed and she found her wallet and pulled out a few bills. “It does.”
Quickly she paid the teenager and followed her to the door. The skies were already starting to darken. Misty lifted a desultory hand in good-bye, then trudged off. Standing in the doorway, Elizabeth watched for a while and made sure Misty turned the corner to her own street. As she waited, arms f
olded across her chest, Elizabeth heard little footsteps in the foyer and from the corner of her eye she spied Chloe, barefoot hurrying into the foyer.
“You’re making sure she gets home?” she said, standing next to her mother.
“That’s right,” Elizabeth said.
“She played with me today and wasn’t so mean.”
“Good.” Elizabeth gave her daughter a quick hug as Misty disappeared. She herded Chloe inside and closed and locked the door behind them. “So, pumpkin, what do you want for dinner?”
“Cheese quesadillas!” Chloe declared.
“I think I’ve got that.” Flour tortillas and grated cheese was all Chloe required. Good enough.
“And chocolate milk!” Chloe said, skipping back toward the kitchen.
“Uh-uh.” Shaking her head, Elizabeth made her way to the refrigerator. “Regular milk or water. Your choice.”
“Yech,” was Chloe’s response, though she liked milk well enough most days. But she was as changeable as the weather and Elizabeth had learned never to take her daughter’s word as gospel. Not on anything.
As Elizabeth sprinkled grated cheese over the tortillas, Chloe plopped down in front of the television again, absorbed by an animated show about farm animals. A black shepherd dog was the main character. “Can we get a dog?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the set.
This—the campaign for a puppy—was her mantra these days.
“Not right now, honey.”
“A hamster?”
Elizabeth slid the quesadilla into the microwave and hit the QUICK MINUTE button. “God, no.”
“What?” Chloe turned to frown at her.
“Nothing in a cage,” Elizabeth said, ignoring Chloe’s protruding lower lip. “I think we’ve had this discussion.”
“Oh . . .” Chloe’s shoulders slumped. “I want a dog, anyway. A big dog with a black nose and a fluffy tail.”
Since this was similar to the animated dog she’d just been watching, Elizabeth smiled to herself. “Someday.”
“That means never.”
“No, it means someday, just not today.” Elizabeth had nothing against adopting a pet, but the timing was off. Currently, her ability and interest in taking care of another being felt about as reachable as the moon. She was struggling with warring emotions in the aftermath of her husband’s death, while battling with a newfound fear for her future. Their future, she mentally corrected, glancing again at her daughter as the microwave dinged. Using a hot pad, she pulled the plate of hot bubbling cheese escaping from a folded tortilla from the oven.
“Come and get it,” Elizabeth called and for once her daughter complied.
Chloe ate her quesadilla at the counter and downed the glass of milk that Elizabeth poured for her. Her earlier complaint about hating milk seemed to have been forgotten. At least for the moment. She found her way to the couch and curled up in a corner as Elizabeth cleared her plate, washing off the melted cheese.
