He gave a slight smile. “That’s a good answer.”
“But she’s never really had a problem with it. I don’t think she feels like she’s missing anything not having a father, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s got three adults raising her, so she’s very loved.”
“True.”
“And now she has you, and she’s really taken a liking to you.”
He dropped his gaze for a moment, like he was reliving an old conversation between them, reflecting on their relationship and how it was slowly growing into something deeper. He claimed they could just be friends, but I could already see the partner instincts kicking in the moment he marched down to Mr. Franklin’s office and made him shit his pants. “Well, I like her too.”“You think he’ll like this?” Lizzie asked as she worked beside me. “It’s boring.”
“Yes, he’ll love it.”
“But it’s just chicken and rice. Why don’t we make him something cool? Like lasagna.”
“The chicken will go bad tomorrow, so this is what we’re making.” I turned around and checked the chicken in the pan. “Cut up those veggies, honey. And be careful with the knife.”
Lizzie patted the squash and asparagus dry before she transferred everything to a cutting board and started to slice them into pieces. “Do we have dessert?”
“He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth.”
“What a weirdo.”
Derek knocked on the door.
I flipped the chicken before I washed my hands and headed to the front door. I opened it and saw him standing there in dark jeans, a white shirt with a black leather jacket on top, looking hoooooot. He had a bag over his shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey, baby.” He stepped inside and set the bag on the nearby table. He didn’t kiss me like he normally did, probably because Lizzie was standing at the kitchen island with a full view of us. “Something smells good.”
Lizzie cringed. “If you say so. I wanted to make lasagna.”
“Need any help?” Derek asked.
“No.” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him. “But you can take a seat on a barstool. I’ll get you a beer.”
Derek moved his arm around my waist and pulled me in to place a kiss on my forehead before he moved to the chair directly across from Lizzie.
I placed a beer in front of him.
Derek sat with his elbows on the table, watching Lizzie slice everything. “You’re good at that.”
“Well, Mom makes me cook with her all the time.” She rolled her eyes.
I patted her on the back before I turned back to the stove.
“That’s nice,” Derek said. “I had to learn the hard way.”
“The hard way?” Lizzie asked.
“You know, with YouTube,” Derek said with a chuckle. “I was so busy when I lived at home and then in college that I never took the time to learn. I ate a lot of takeout, which isn’t good.”
“Why isn’t it good? It tastes bomb.”
“Just a lot of extra calories and you don’t know how your food is being prepared. They could be adding a lot of oils you don’t know about, and then they give you large portions, which makes you eat more. And it’s also a lot more expensive. It could be three times the price as eating at home.”
“Oh.” She sliced the veggies then turned around to add them to the other pan. They immediately started to sizzle in the hot oil. She turned back to Derek and continued to talk to him. “Mr. Franklin won’t even look at me. Even when I ask him questions, he won’t make eye contact with me.”
“Probably because he’s embarrassed.” He drank from her beer.
“He should be embarrassed,” Lizzie said with a chuckle. “He pooped his pants after all.”
Derek chuckled too.
I worked the pans with my back to them, listening to them talk the way Lizzie talked to her grandma.
“Are you still working on that rover thing?” Lizzie asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I’ll be working on that for a long time.”
“What about your rocket? What’s happening with that?”
“It’s being put together. Making a lot of progress.”
“Wow. Can I come see it?”
“It’s not done.”
“But still, that sounds pretty cool. I’d love to see where you work.”
I pushed the veggies around then turned off all the burners since the food was ready. I waited for Derek’s response.
“Sure,” Derek said. “We can do that.”
“Cool,” Lizzie said. “I want to see what rocket scientists do all day. When can I come?”
“What about after school on Monday?” Derek asked. “We can drive out there and take a look.”
“Sick!” She turned to me. “Mom, did you hear that?”
“Yes, that’ll be a nice field trip, honey.” I carried everything to the kitchen island and started to plate the meal. “That’s very generous of Derek to do that for you.”
“Nah, we’re friends,” Lizzie said. “Friends hook each other up.”
Derek smiled before he took a drink of his beer.
I carried the plates to the dining table, and we took our seats together so we could eat, all three of us. “Bon appétit.”