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“Lily and I will keep things quiet while you work,” she assured me.
“I barely hear her.” I laughed.
I went back to my office to finish work for the day. I was looking forward to sitting down with Lily and Dee, having dinner with the two of them. It was almost like a family. I cautioned myself to be careful. I didn’t want to get too excited about the idea.
As I walked back into the kitchen, the savory smells of the stew filled my nostrils once again. Dee and Lily were sitting at the bar with Lily’s spelling words. They were chatting and giggling. It was a pleasant sight. I couldn’t help but smile.
“All done?” Dee asked.
“I am.”
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
I smiled. “Actually, if you’re not too tired, you can set the table.”
“We already did,” Lily announced.
I looked toward the dining room and saw the table was set and someone had lit the two tall candles that were always on the table. I looked at Dee, who jerked her head toward Lily. I smiled and nodded. I had a feeling my daughter was trying to set a mood. She liked Dee and was always trying to find an excuse to invite her to stay for dinner or to stay the night. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to set us up or not.
We sat down to eat our dinner. Dee nodded as she took her first bite. “Good,” she nodded. “Really good. So flavorful.”
I wasn’t going to lie, my chest puffed out a little. I was feeling pretty damn proud of myself. “Thank you.”
Even Lily seemed to be enjoying the stew. We talked a little about Lily’s day. It was all very normal. Very family-like. Lily seemed very happy. She was enjoying the family dynamic. I was probably going to need to talk with her and make sure she knew this was not a family. We were friends and Dee was her nanny.
“I’ll get the dessert,” Lily said after we finished our stew.
“Oh, goodness,” Dee groaned. “I’m absolutely stuffed. That was really good stew. Thank you for letting me pig out.”
“It’s cookies,” Lily said. “Just one cookie.”
Dee stayed seated while Lily bustled back to the kitchen. “I should prepare you to be wowed,” I said.
“How so?”
“Lily likes to get very fancy when she serves dessert,” I answered.
“Fancy is good.” Dee nodded and smiled.
She looked a little sad. I couldn’t quite tell what it was that made her sad. I often sensed there was something dark in her history. Dee did a good job hiding it, but I saw it. Lily came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with the China she loved to use when she was being fancy. We used it for tea parties and on holidays. I let her use it because it made her happy. The dishes weren’t even a complete set. They were passed down from my mother. They weren’t valuable but to Lily, they were special.
“I brought milk and cookies,” Lily announced.
“That looks very nice,” I said and glanced up at Dee.
She’d gone pale. Her eyes were focused on the tray of China dishes and a stack of cookies. Her visceral reaction surprised me.
“Excuse me,” Dee murmured. “I need to get some air.”
She quickly stood and walked away. Lily looked at me with confusion. “What happened?”
Lily moved to follow Dee outside.
“Don’t,” I said. “I think we should give her a minute. Sometimes people just need fresh air.”
Lily didn’t look happy but nodded. “Do you want cookies?”
“Please.” I smiled.
