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“What are those?” Lucy asked when I put the plate in front of her.
“Pancakes,” I said cheerfully. “How do you like yours?”
“They don’t look like teddies,” she commented.
I opened my mouth to reply when at that moment, Alex appeared.
“Smells good in here,” he said. “I didn’t know you were making breakfast this morning, or I might have gotten up earlier to give you a hand.”
“I’m full of surprises,” I told him with a grin.
“Daddy! Cassie said she was going to make teddy bear pancakes, but they don’t look like teddy bears. They’re still yummy, though,” she said.
“I’m sure they are,” Alex replied. “It doesn’t matter what shape they are, does it? Pancakes are pancakes, right?”
“Right!” Lucy beamed.
“Would you like some?” I asked Alex. “I’ve made a lot more batter than I realized, and there’s plenty.”
“I’d feel bad. You already spent the night when you didn’t have to. I don’t want you to feel like you had to make breakfast for everyone, too,” I said.
“I don’t feel like Ihaveto,” I said. “I was doing it for Lucy anyway, and like I said, there’s plenty.”
I didn’t consider what I’d told him to be an outright lie. What I said was true, after all. There were plenty of pancakes to be had.
What I hadn’t told him, however, was the fact that I had made enough for everyone on purpose. I wanted to cook for him. I enjoyed the time I spent at the house so much – the time I got to spend with him and Lucy both – I wanted to have that little bit of family feeling in my morning.
It was only a fantasy, and I knew that. Something I had in my own head, nothing more. But to be able to make him breakfast before he got his day going along with making food for Lucy made me feel like I was more than just the nanny in the house.
“Alright then, if you don’t mind, I’ll have some,” Alex said. “Amoeba shaped, I see.”
I blushed despite myself, and he laughed.
“I’m just teasing,” he said. “I have never been too skilled when it came to turning food into shapes, so I feel your pain with this one. I’m going to tell Lucy you are the only one who knows how to do this.”
“And she knows I didn’t do it right, too, so good luck with that,” I said, recovering from the blush. I was a little embarrassed his words had brought on such a strong reaction, but he didn’t seem to mind. The way he kept looking at me made me wonder if he had actually enjoyed the fact he’d gotten me to blush.
And that thought was thrilling.
“How long are you able to stay this morning?” Alex asked, changing the subject to business. “I know it was a lot asking you to stay all night, so I understand if you need to take off right away.”
“I actually cleared my schedule since I was staying the night,” I replied. “I didn’t know how quickly I would be able to get Lucy up and ready for the day, so I made sure I didn’t have anything going on before two this afternoon.”
“Would you be able to stay and keep an eye on her until around one then?” he asked me. “I don’t know what you have going on at two, I guess, so if you need more time to get ready or to get there, I understand.”
“Not a problem,” I told him. “It’s nothing too big, and my place is on the way, so I don’t even have to detour to get there.”
“Thanks,” he said. “You’re a lifesaver. I thought I had gotten all that I had to have done for work finished last night, but I woke up to a couple of emails from people who need me to clear up some things for them, and I’m not sure how long that’s going to take. You’d think a simple email in return would do it, but I have to do some digging into the contracts we have to find the right information and everything.”
“Think nothing of it,” I said. “Lucy and I can hang out this morning just fine, can’t we?”
“Yes!” Lucy beamed. “Can we go to the park?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said. “Sounds like fun to me, and it’s supposed to be a beautiful day.”
She smiled, swinging her legs under the table as she continued with her breakfast. I finished making Alex’s pancakes, then I made my own. I had to admit, I hurried to get through making mine so I would have as much time as I could sitting at the table with Alex and Lucy.
Even if my mind knew it was all just a fantasy for me, it felt like we were a real family when we were all at the table together,and that made clearing my schedule for the morning more than worth it. I wanted to spend as much time with the two of them as I could, and while I knew I had other things to get done in my day, I still wanted to maximize moments like this.
