Pizza Party Part I
January looked at Gulliver as he slid a wide triangle of pepperoni onto a plate and set it in front of her at the table where they were all squeezed around.
He paused, “you do still like only pepperoni and extra cheese? Shit I should have asked.”
“It’s what I like,” she smiled at him.
“Mom! Mom!” Kaylee bounced in the seat beside her, “my dad said that I’m having a sleepover and me and Mitsos can make a fort and sleep in it if we want.”
“Really?” she looked at Gulliver.
“If it’s okay with you,” he started to back peddle.
“Gulliver, what you do with her when she’s with you, so long as it’s not going to cause her harm, I don’t care. I mean, do I want to know if you’re leaving the city, state, or country? Yes. Do I trust that you’ll never do anything to hurt her, also yes. So long as she’s not missing school and she’s back when you say she’ll be back, then do what you want.”
He gave her a smile which warmed her heart, “thank you for trusting me with our daughter, January.”
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She shrugged as she felt all eyes on her at the table. Thisbe was sitting close to her, thigh–to–thigh and was smiling widely at her. “What?”
“I like this,” Thisbe said simply. “It feels like my family is complete again.”
January blushed at the comment but didn’t pull away when Thisbe squeezed her hand on the table.
“January, I understand you are designing jewelry.” Grandfather spoke. “What is the favorite piece you’ve made thus far?”
She pressed her lips together and contemplated the question. “I’ve designed so many pieces. I have some I’ve not yet put into form but if you’re asking which of them I like the best that I actually made, then I guess a set of wedding rings I made for a customer last year. They were stunning if I say so myself. The groom wanted a simple band at first, but when I pushed him a bit it we managed to create something beautiful.” She dug into her pocket for her phone and then found the photo, “this one.”
Grandfather took the proffered phone and was quiet as he studied the photo. He handed it to Gulliver who moved to sit
down next to him.
January this is gorgeous.” Gulliver met her eyes seriously. 2/6
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“Thanks,” she felt the heat on her cheeks.
“Why did she not make your wedding rings?” Grandfather asked seriously as he looked at the gold band which sat on Gulliver’s finger.
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“She was in the middle of a midterms when we said our vows, and she also had a significant amount of projects looming. We picked out simple bands with the agreement that someday she would design our bands.”
January took a bite of her pizza feeling the familiar sting of anger at the comment about the wedding and wondered when it wouldn’t hurt.
Thisbe frowned as she took the photo, “I’m glad she didn’t design them. It would have hurt her even more every single time she needed to design a set for a customer.”
She shot Thisbe a half smile as the woman squeezed her hand again.
“Mom,” Kaylee interjected, “if my dad gets married, you can make him rings.”
January heard the way Gulliver choked on his pizza but
more than that, she felt the ache in her chest at the question.
“What?”
3/6
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“When the girl came up to bring our lunch, she was staring at my dad. Mitsos said girls look at my dad and his dad all the time and someday his dad might get married to a pretty girl because they are always doing this,” she batted her lashes at January. “So, if Uncle Glenn might get married to a pretty girl,
dad might get married to a pretty girl. If he gets married you could make him wedding bands.”
my
“Yeah, not happening,” January grunted as she angrily tore a piece of pizza with her teeth and shot Gulliver an annoyed glance.
“What are you mad at me for?” he asked defensively as he stared back at her. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Didn’t you?”
“No.”
“Why was the room service attendant batting her lashes at you in front of Kaylee?”
“I can’t control the eyelid movements of a twenty–year old girl.”
“She was twenty?”
“I’m guessing.”
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“So, you looked long enough to guess her age.”
< Pizza Party Part I
Glenn chuckled and Ford snickered while Thisbe bit her lips to stop giggling.
“I had to tip her so yes I looked at her face.” Gulliver’s upper lip was pulling back between his teeth as he tried not to laugh.
“What is so funny?” she glared at him.
“Nothing at all, my love.” He took a bite of his pizza his eyes trained on her face as she glowered at him. “I apologize for looking at the twenty–year–old room service attendant who brought lunch up for us earlier today. Moving forward I will ask the hotel to send up only male attendants. Would that be better?”
At his words she grimaced, “I’m only concerned about the influence of such behavior on Kaylee.”
“Sure, you are. Not jealous at all,” Gulliver grinned widely now as she flushed bright red.
“I’m not!” she protested and looked around the table as all the adults shot her knowing glances. “I’m not,” she repeated weakly.
Gulliver turned his attention to Kaylee and winked at her, “I won’t be getting married to any of the pretty girls who flirt with me and stare at me because I’m so handsome, Kaylee. I mean, 576
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are there tons of women who would love to be married to me? Yes but there’s only one woman I ever want to be married to, and she’s not interested in me like that. She even went on a date with someone else today and made it clear she’s moving on.”
Kaylee giggled, “you’re talking about my mom!”
He smirked, “maybe.”
“You never know, Dad. You might see a girl who makes you not want to be alone anymore and then you’ll marry her and then maybe I can have a little sister.”
