Page 14 of Blame It On the Lattes

“Is that chicken noodle soup?” a soft voice asked, pulling the corners of my lips up.

I turned around and found Kennedy in the kitchen, climbing onto one of the chairs at the island as Avery helped her.

“It is. I made it myself. Would you like some?”

“Yes, please.” Her little nose was red, and her cheeks still flushed, but she looked better than she had when I found them sitting on the curb this morning. It had shattered my heart to see her curled up against Avery, trying to stay warm in the storm that was moving in, but I had been incredibly thankful that she had gotten out of the room before the ceiling collapsed.

I poured her a bowl and set it in front of her, thankful that she didn’t rush to try to eat it and accidentally burn herself. Avery lifted a spoonful out and blew on it several times before offering it to Kennedy.

It warmed my heart to see the way her eyes lit up at the first taste. I knew children could be picky eaters, and I didn’t want to let Kennedy down if I failed at making chicken noodle soup. The way she begged her mom for more had me feeling over the moon as I pulled the pizza out of the oven and set it on a trivet.

“Is that pizza?” Kennedy asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

“It is. I wasn’t sure what your tummy might feel like for dinner, so I made a few options.”

“Can I have pizza, too?” she asked Avery, turning to look at her.

“I don’t see why not. Let’s get some more soup in you while we wait for the pizza to cool down,” Avery said, brushing her thumb against Kennedy’s lip as she gave her another bite.

“Can we have a movie night again?” Kennedy asked with more energy than I’d seen her with all day.

“I think it’s better if you rest,” Avery replied at the same time I blurted out, “sure.”

I didn’t want to overstep with Kennedy and upset Avery, but at the same time, I wanted both of them to feel comfortable in my house.

“Sorry,” I apologized and turned to grab some paper plates from the pantry.

“No, it’s fine. As long as you’re up for it, we can stay up and watch a movie. But you do need some rest since you’re sick.”

“Okay, momma.”

I cut the pizza into slices and grinned like a lovesick fool.

Eight

Avery

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