Dinner Part II
She was irritated to see the seat left for her next to Gulliver, with Kaylee on the other side of him.
Sitting down next to him, she tried her best not to flinch when he flung his arm over the back of her chair.
“There she is, Kaylee. I told you she didn’t run out the back door.”
“Why would I run out the back door?”
Kaylee beamed at her, still sleepy eyed and yet coming to life in bursts, “I didn’t say the back door. I said you might have run through that door!” she pointed to the kitchen door. “That’s where the food is. Mom is definitely hungry.”
Gulliver’s thumb managed to find it’s way to her shoulder and he slowly made circles, his thumb burning the pattern through the thin sweater she’d thrown over her blouse. She wanted to slap him off, but Kaylee was watching her so intently she didn’t dare cause a scene.
“Are you hungry, Mom? You are right?”
“I really am.”
“I want ten chicken nuggets,” Kaylee patted her stomach, “my belly is empty.”
“I think they only do the chicken tenders here and there really long. How about four tenders, a plate of carrots and celery and
“How about,” Kaylee countered with a grin, “six tenders, no vegetables and gravy with my fries?”
“Yeah, no deal.”
“Mom!” she whined loudly.
“I think I’m going to have extra veggies with my dinner,” Gulliver said suddenly, his thumb never stopping it’s movement on January’s shoulder. “I think I’ll get some raw veggies and some steamed veggies.” He was flipping through a menu casually and he looked at January, “do you want to share a couple plates of appetizers?”
She wanted to scream at how familiar he was acting despite what she’d said to him back at the house. He was overstepping by leaps and bounds because Kaylee was there and he knew she wouldn’t do anything to make his daughter upset.
“I was thinking a burger and fries.” She countered with a shake of her head.
“Oh, what if you get the triple burger,” he pointed at it on the menu, “and we split it down the middle. You get onion rings, I’ll get fries and we’ll share the veggies?”
“Sure, yeah, whatever,” she met her mother’s eyes and saw the recrimination there at her lackluster response. She wanted to snap at her and ask what the woman wanted from her but instead she grabbed the pitcher of water off the table and poured herself a glass and guzzled it back thirstily.
Dad, can I get a milkshake?”
“Of course.”
January rolled her eyes as he didn’t even ask if it was appropriate. What if Kaylee was lactose intolerant or had allergies?
Thisbe rested her elbows on the table from where she sat next to Analia, “so January, your jewelry designs are incredible and I’m in awe of how well you’ve managed to promote your brand. What is your business plan like moving forward? Will you stick to the design and letting Lottie manage the shop?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, I mean now you don’t have to hide, you could be more involved in the day–to–day operations, like meeting with customers and doing more specialized design requests?”
“Why was Mom hiding?”
January shot Thisbe a dirty look and then looked at Gulliver who also gave his sister a glare which should have withered her on the spot.
“I wasn’t hiding, baby. I don’t like being in the spotlight and I don’t like meeting with the customers. Thisbe feels I was hiding in the back of my shop instead of dealing with the customers, that’s all. I have no plans to take on more specialized design requests. Too much consulting takes me away from the crafting part of my business. I like the creativity and the independence in what I’m doing.”
guess.” Thisbe said quietly as she bit her lip.
“You were the one who always liked mixing and mingling with the customers and designing to their wants and needs, I found more pleasure in looking at what you made and then taking inspiration and making the complimentary jewelry to the design. I didn’t like meeting with the customers. They were too demanding and whiny.”
“My mom draws beautiful pictures of jewelry and then makes them. She’s a good drawer. She even draws me sometimes.” Kaylee spoke up.
“Your mom was always gifted at drawing,” Analia said seriously. “I think my favorite thing she ever drew was you when you were born.”
“You draw portraits?” the thumb on her shoulder stopped
moving as Gulliver turned his body towards her. “I didn’t know that.”
“When I knew you,” she measured her words carefully, “I was in school, trying to keep up with courseloads, a new life and designing that I didn’t bring it up.”
Analia passed her phone across the table with the photo of the portrait on the screen. Gulliver adjusted his posture and lifted his arm off January’s shoulder to take the phone and look at it.
He was quiet, “wow. You drew this?”
“I did.”
“My love, you are incredibly talented.” 4/5
“Nana, show her the one she drew of Henry!”
“You drew Henry?” he asked with a laugh, passing the phone back so Analia could find the photo. When Analia passed the phone back, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. “Oh wow, you got him right down to the little heart on his nose.” As if he couldn’t help himself he hooked his arm back around her neck and tugged her close, kissing her temple. “You’re so gifted with this. You should do a family portrait. You, me, and Kaylee.”
She stiffened under his arm, hating him for crossing boundaries so openly in front of the child who was staring wide–eyed at the way her father had just kissed her mother.
Kaylee not one to miss an opportunity, pointed out the obvious, “Dad, if you kiss my mom, Darwin’s Dad won’t be brave enough to ask her for a date. Darwin really wants my mom to go on a date with his dad. He doesn’t have a mom, and he really wants to share mine because my mom shared our donuts with him at the school fair. You shouldn’t kiss her, or she won’t ever get
dates.”
