She winked. “For now.”
I chuckled. “Is that all right, though? If she comes by? I don’t know if she will. She works sometimes. But I think this is her weekend off.”
“If she pops by, she’s more than welcome. I’m going to cook dinner tonight, so she can stay and eat with us.”
“Dinner? I didn’t know you cooked.”
“What in the world do you think you’ve been eating for the past four years?”
“Uh, takeout?”
She cackled. “Well, glad to know my food takes like takeout. I think.”
“Wait a second, is that really your lasagna I’ve been eating?”
She nodded. “Oh, yeah. One of the many things my mother taught me was how to make most every traditional and popular recipe from scratch. That’s my lasagna and breadsticks you’ve been eating.”
My jaw dropped in shock. “Holy shit. I mean—”
She laughed. “You’re fine. It’s okay.”
“Well, damn then. That’s some insane cooking skills you’ve got.”
“In another lifetime, maybe I would have done it professionally. But I’ll settle for blowing you and your father’s socks off.”
A silence fell over us and she cleared her throat. She patted my leg before getting up, then made herself scarce. I heard her humming to herself in the kitchen, piddling around in there. Probably figuring out what to make for dinner. I pulled my phone out and crafted a text to Rae. Hoping she didn’t have to work tonight.
Me: Hey. If you want to come over tonight, you can. Stepmom’s cooking dinner, and you’re more than welcome to come eat with us.
I stared down at the text message and paused. Had I ever invited a girl willingly over to my house before? I raised my head, staring off at the wall. Holy shit, this was a first for me. A first with a girl. Willingly inviting her into my world. I smiled as I looked back down at my phone. I sent the text message off with excitement rushing through my veins.
And a few minutes later, my phone vibrated.
Rae: I’d love to. Be over there after school?
Me: Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait.
And I meant every word of it.
“Hey, Clint!”
“Yeah, Cecilia?”
“I’m about to make myself a little frozen banana milkshake. You want one?”
“Uh, yes please. That sounds fantastic.”
She giggled. “I thought it’d go well with a movie. There’s supposed to be an action movie marathon on this afternoon.”
I paused. “You like action movies?”
“Are women not supposed to like those?”
“No, no, nothing like that. You just strike me as a—”
The whirring of the blender cut me off and I started laughing. I craned my neck back, peeking into the kitchen as her playful glare fell onto my face. I laughed harder than I had in a while with her. I clutched my ribs, coughing and laughing through the pain as the blender turned off.
Then, my stepmother’s voice filled the room again.