Chapter 41: Chapter 41
Kirsten and Maison’s house was nice, though she apologized several times for the mess of toys strung throughout. It was understandable, since she had two small kids, and part of Dak was a little jealous. Having a messy home because one had children was a blessing.
Bryce, Sheila, and Ellie made their way in, Ellie delivering Memory her missing items from work, and they all sat down to a meal of beef stew and buttered bread with sweet tea and cookies for dessert. The stew was delicious, which was surprising considering how everyone in Memory’s family said they couldn’t cook, and he appreciated Memory’s thoughtfulness when she brought him water to replace his tea since all Kirsten had on hand was sweetened already. The conversation was light, peppered by Lorelei’s laughter and Anson throwing carrot bits and green beans on the floor and smashing them in his hair.
Dak helped clear the table. “I don’t mind doing the dishes,” he said to Kirsten who was rinsing bowls out in the sink.
“Oh, that’s okay. Thank you for offering, but I’ve got it. It gives me a few minutes without the baby in my arms.” She laughed and took the dishes he’d brought in.
“Uncle Dak! Come look at my room!” Lorelei grabbed him by the hand, and the next thing he knew, he was upstairs in a room so pink, it looked as if a bottle of Pepto-Bismal had exploded. “Sit down!” She pulled on his arm until he found a spot on her pink rug near a teddy bear tea party, and she went off to her toy box to find various items to show him.
“This is my kitten. Her name is Kitty. I got her for Christmas last year,” she said, handing him a stuffed white cat.
“Nice. What did you ask Santa for this year?”
Lorelei shrugged. “Nothing yet. I haven’t seen him ‘cept at the parade.” She took the cat back and headed over to the toy box again.
The bedroom door creaked, and Memory stuck her head in. “What are you doing, Lor?” Her voice was light, as if it was all a secret.
“I’m showing Uncle Dak my toys. This is my pet pig, Piggy.”
Dak took the stuffed pig. “I’m seeing a trend with the names here.” He made a few oink noises and held it up to her neck until she giggled and snatched it away.
Memory sat down next to him on the floor. “You know you don’t have to play with her,” she whispered so Lorelei couldn’t hear over the sound of toys clanking together as she riffled through the toy box.
“Oh, I like to. She’s sweet.” He smiled at Lorelei’s back. “When is she going to see Santa?”
“Next Saturday. He’ll be at the diner for pancakes in the morning. That’s Saturday’s town-wide activity.”
“And tomorrow is the snowball fight. Are you going?”
Memory pursed her lips for a minute. “I don’t know. Kirsten is so competitive. If we end up on opposite teams....”
“How does that work?”
“It’s sort of like Survivor in that we all draw buffs for teams. Anyone who wants to come early to build the two forts can, and then, we randomly choose colors to see who is on what team. It’s a capture the flag sort of thing.”
“Is it like dodgeball? Can you get out?” He paused to admire the teddy bear Lorelei had thrust in his face before she left to go find something else.
“No, everyone stays in, but it’s so cold, and you’ve got snow hitting you in the face, and you’re trying to throw it yourself, while running fifty yards to the other teams’ flag.... A lot of people end up dragging a few minutes in. It’s just the hardiest of adults and the kids who stay in until the end.”
“So once you have the other team’s flag, it’s over?”
“No. Then there’s the firing squad.” Memory wrinkled up her nose. “I was thinking they might take that out a few years ago because it’s not PC or family friendly, but as far as I know, they’re still going to do it.”
“What is it?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Memory sighed. “All of the losers line up, and the winners stand across from them, about six feet away. Then, when the signal is given, the winners launch a snowball into the face of the losers. It’s... painful and humiliating. Unless you get a nice person who doesn’t aim for your face or throw it as hard as they can.”
“That sounds brutal. And your grandma participated in this?”
“Not for years. No one ever beams the elderly in the face, though. Or small children. But you can imagine Kirsten’s velocity the few times I’ve stood across from her on the losing side.”
He could only imagine. “Ouch. Have you ever tossed one in her face?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No, the only times I’ve ever won, she was on my team. So... I owe her.”
“Then you should play.” He grinned at her, though he doubted she would be as ruthless as her sister.
“I don’t know. I might just watch. Lorelei will play, though. She doesn’t really have to worry about the firing squad for a few years, and she has enough energy for three of me.”
“Ha, you have plenty of energy.” He bumped her with his shoulder, glad Lorelei was preoccupied for a second. He expected Memory to scoot away, but she didn’t. She may have even leaned slightly closer to him.
“Listen, I’m really sorry about what I said earlier.”
“Mem, you already apologized. It’s fine.”
“It’s not, though. I just... if I’m honest... talking about money makes me uncomfortable. But my family is constantly wanting to discuss it with me, so it seemed very hypocritical of me to say anything to you. And the last thing I want for you to think is that I might be the type of person who would try to get to know you better because of your money.”
A laugh almost choked him as he tried to bite it back. “Don’t worry, Memory. I have not gotten that impression at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I wish you’d let me know what’s going on with the store so I could help you. But I know that you wouldn’t take anything I’d try to give you.”
Her eyebrows raised, and Dak found himself sinking into pools of sapphire blue. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I do.” She smiled, the genuine kind, not the fake one, and the scent of vanilla wafting off of her porcelain skin filled his lungs.
A lock of golden blonde hair found its way into his hand before he realized what he was doing, brushing it back away from her cheek, his fingertips grazing her skin. She was so close, their knees almost touching, and she wasn’t backing away. Dak’s breath staggered, his heart catching mid-beat, and it seemed as if Memory was having the same problem.
“This is my puppy. Her name is Ebony.”
The black lab they’d borrowed the other day was thrust into his face, blocking Dak’s few of the gorgeous blonde. “She’s... beautiful,” he said, not talking about the dog.
“She’s fluffy!” Lorelei pulled the toy against her chest, squeezing it tightly. She shot off again, leaving Dak staring at Memory, whose cheeks were pink, her eyes fixed on the carpet.
Memory wasn’t the sort of girl a man kissed haphazardly. No, if he were going to kiss her, he was going to do it right. Not amidst a dozen lingering carolers on the sidewalk, and not in a pink princess room while her niece played behind them. He’d spent a lot of time recently thinking about what it would be like to kiss her for the first time, and though he hadn’t yet determined when or where would be best, he hoped he would have the chance to find out. In the meantime, he knew he’d spend as much time thinking about it as he would breathing.