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Dropping her shoes by the door and her purse on the couch, she looked around the house. It was oddly quiet. Mav’s shoes were still at the bottom of the stairs, and one of Pappy’s suitcases sat beside them. Everything was exactly where it had been this morning before she left.
“Mav, Pappy, I am home,” Reese called. Greeted only by the quiet, Reese continued to the kitchen. Paper with Mav’s scribble caught her eye. “Helping Cash set up his garage,” Reese read out loud.
Rubbing her temples, she tried to ease the throbbing headache from her day. There was no use in crying. Being a blubbering mess would only make her guys worry. She knew there was only one relieve the throbbing. Cleaning, Reese was a stress cleaner. Some people were stress eaters, but not her. A bucket of sudsy hot water and some elbow-length rubber gloves were better than any binge eating treat in the world.
The kitchen still looked great from the war she waged on grease and grime this morning. The well-used appliances sat sparkling clean. The countertops were crumb-free, and the floors were still shining from their last meeting with her scrub brush. Her cabinets were clean and organized. This room was done.
Turning her attention to the living room, Reese smiled. There was a hint of a dust bunny in the corner, but not for long. A smile crossed her face as she went to change her clothes. It was time to work out some frustration and come up with a plan B in case the post-it note from the bakery didn’t pan out.
The sun was setting, casting glorious shades of red and orange through the sky when Reese flopped down on the couch. Even in the dimming light, the room sparkled around her. It had been cleaned from the ceiling to the floor. The curtains were washed, dried, ironed, and carefully placed back on the rods hanging above the windows. The dust was beaten from the rugs and cushions, and a small tear in the couch’s fabric was sewn back together. The throbbing in her head was a distant memory. Plan B was still a little fuzzy, but the room was clean.
Reese sat weighing the merits of going upstairs to tackle her bedroom or starting dinner when the front door swung open. Her mouth fell open at the sight of her son. “Stop right there,” she balked.
“What’s wrong?” Mav held his filthy hands up, cautiously stepping away from the wild look in his mother’s eyes.
“You are filthy, and I just cleaned. Go around to the back porch and strip. Leave everything out there. Then go get a shower while I start dinner.”
Mav did as she commanded, with an equally dirty Pappy following behind him, grumbling all the way. Reese stood in front of the fridge deciding on dinner when they emerged from the back stoop wearing only their boxers.
“I call the first shower,” Mav didn’t wait for any argument.
Reese could hear his feet thumping up the stairs and then the water turn on above her.
“How was your day?” Pappy groaned, pulling out a chair from the kitchen table, easing himself down.
“I have one possibility,” Reese tried to sound cheery. There was no need to cause worry to anyone else before she had to. They didn’t need to know most of the town thought she was a lunatic.
“Went that well, did it?” Pappy chuckled knowingly.
“Yeah.”
“I am sure something will work out.”
“What do you want for dinner?” Reese asked, changing the subject.
“Mav and I can find something. You better hit the shower next, or else you will be late for dinner with Cash.”
“Pappy, I am not going to have dinner with Cash. I have some leftover pasta, or there is a frozen pizza. Which do you want?”
“Girlie, why aren’t you going to have dinner with Cash? He seems like a nice man. Lordy, a blind monk could tell the man likes you.”
“Yeah, the last one seemed like a nice man too,” Reese replied. Choosing the pasta over the pizza, Reese started pulling dinner together. Keeping her hands busy helped her relax, and if it ended this conversation, she would cook everything in the house.
“No, Reese,” Pappy grabbed her hand, stopping her in front of him. “The last one wasn’t a good man. A good man doesn’t run out on his responsibilities to go play motorboat on a pair of plastic tits.”
Reese couldn’t help it. Once she started to smile, it turned into a full laugh. “I suppose you are right.”
“I know I am right. That is the advantage of being old. You already know you are right.”
“Is that so?” Reese hugged him then turned back to the stove.
“Now that we have established, I am right. Is that really what you are going to wear tonight? What kind of pants are those?” Pappy sat at the kitchen table, looking at her, waiting for her answer.
“Yoga pants. I told you I am not going anywhere,” Reese reinforced. “He might not be the same kind of man, but that doesn’t mean I want a man.”
“I guess you could wear those. Maybe Cash likes the smell of dusting spray. Then again, with the way he looks at you, it isn’t going to matter what you look like or if you smell like artificial lemons. When I was dating your grandma, casual clothes didn’t look like those pants, but I will admit that was a few days ago. Things change. It doesn’t always make it right, but I guess they look okay if that is what you girls are wearing these days.”
Reese did her best to drown him out. She still needed to work on plan B. Plan B had nothing to do with her neighbor and his dinner invitation. Responsibilities. She had lots of responsibilities, and the weight of supporting her household fell to her and her alone. Reese stirred the pasta. Dinner tonight would be in her kitchen. The thundering on the stairs signaled her son was on his way. Reese turned just as Mav, fresh from the shower, came through the door.
