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The stupid machine dripped slower than molasses.
She'd finished two cups before she felt ready to face the day, hence they were later than usual for their normal breakfast routine.
Josh had gone through the connecting door to find Austin. After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, she pasted a smile on her face as she joined them. “Good morning. Are we ready to head out for breakfast?”
“Yeah!” Josh was practically bouncing on the bed he had so much energy. “Guess what, Mom? Austin says I'm going over to Mrs. Parker’s house tonight for dinner.”
“Mrs. Parker?” She frowned sliding an arched glance at Austin.
“My sister Andrea is having all the kids over for a pizza dinner,” he quickly explained. “I figured you wouldn't mind if Josh joined them.”
She didn't, except that he could have asked her first.
“This way you and Austin can go out for a fancy schmancy dinner.” Her son comically rolled his eyes, making a goofy face before flopping back on the bed. “No kids allowed.”
“Thanks for letting the cat out of the bag,” Austin muttered.
“Cat?” Josh sat up and frowned. “What cat?”
“Never mind.” She realized Austin had created this kid dinner just so they could go out. She couldn't help being impressed by his ingenuity. “Let's eat, shall we?”
Josh talked non-stop through breakfast, which was a good thing because after the deep conversation with Austin last night, she was finding it difficult to get back on normal terms. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she was sure Austin kept sending her heated glances as if wanting to pick up their earth-shattering kiss where he'd left off.
No more kissing, she silently told herself as she concentrated on her food. She couldn’t think straight when he kissed her like that.
When they had finished at the restaurant, Austin drove straight to the hospital. The plan was to visit for a while, then head back to his parents’ house to get things ready for Abe Monroe’s return home.
Aaron had booked an early flight back to Boston as he had surgeries scheduled. The rest chatted in the waiting room with the other family members as there were too many of them to descend on Abe at one time. Lindsey leaned over to Austin. “You might want to arrange for sub sandwiches or something for lunch,” she whispered. “Otherwise, your mother is going to feel as if she needs to feed us, and she doesn’t need that added stress right now.”
“Good point.” He turned to Amber and the two of them put their heads together over their phones to arrange for a box of sub sandwiches to be delivered to the Monroe home around noon.
Despite his arrhythmia episode the previous evening, she was thrilled Abe looked much better when they made their way up to visit. This time she brought Josh along so he could meet Austin's father. She rested her hands on her son's shoulders and smiled at the older man. “Mr. Monroe, this is my son Josh. Josh this is Mr. Monroe, Austin's father.”
“You can call me Grandpa Monroe if you like,” Abe offered. He was sitting in a chair dressed in a hospital gown and robe. “That's what the other grandkids call me.”
Josh glanced up at her, silently asking permission and she gave a subtle nod. It was probably easier than using Mr. Monroe with so many other Mr. Monroes around.
“So what grade are you in at school?” Abe asked.
Josh went into a full discussion of what was currently happening in the fourth grade, and of course mentioned the Tai Kwon Do classes he and Tony were taking. Which led to a demonstration of his yellow belt “form”.
As Josh displayed the series of choreographed moves, Lindsey had to admit she was impressed. Maybe Austin was right about the martial arts being all about self-control. And boosting self-confidence.
“You're not upset about dinner tonight, are you?” Austin asked, after they'd returned to the family center.
“No, although I was taken aback at first,” she answered honestly. “It was sweet of you to make the arrangements.”
Austin’s grin faded. “I'm sorry it took me so long to realize we'd never really been out on a date by ourselves.”
She shrugged. “Dating isn't easy as a single mom.”
He nodded, but she could tell he was still troubled by the lapse. They made their way over to his parents’ house where much of the family had already congregated.
Lindsey helped Amber and Andrea in making casseroles that would be placed in the freezer to make things easier for Alice after Abe returned home. The guys worked on setting up a room for their father on the first floor so he wouldn't have to navigate the steep staircase leading to the master bedroom on the second floor. The kids were relegated to play in the family room, basically with instructions to stay out of the way.
“Rats, the kitchen sink is blocked again,” Amber said in exasperation. “This is the second time in two weeks. Lindsey, will you go ask Austin to come look at it?”
“Sure.” Feeling as if there were too many cooks in the kitchen anyway, she was glad to escape. Austin's family was nice, but they made a simple project into a major production.
