Page 127 of Fourth Point Of Contact

I quickly finished up, not wanting her to do all the cleanup since she’d made breakfast. “Here, let me take care of that.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she waved me off.

“No, really. You cooked. Let me clean.”

“Hey,” Patrick called out, frowning at us. “What about me?”

I ignored him and started running the water in the sink. I gathered all the dishes, cleaning them off before dropping them gently in the water. I reached for a pan, wondering how I was going to get the burns off the pan from the sausage.

“Oh, I have a trick to get that pan really clean,” Debra smiled. “Would you like to know?”

“Secrets of the universe? Absolutely!”

“Hey! Not to interrupt this cleaning session, but your son—your…me—is over here completely alone.”

Debra and I both turned at the same time, eyeing him curiously.

“Did you need us to babysit you?” I asked.

His mouth opened comically, then snapped shut.

“You should be resting,” I continued. “Why don’t you go sit down in your chair and I’ll bring you some coffee. You can watch a movie or something.”

He scowled at me as if he was offended by the idea, but this was why I was here. What more did he want?

“She’s right, dear. You should take it easy and let that leg heal.”

Then I turned back to the dishes and started cleaning them while his mother grabbed a towel and dried while we talked. She told me about how she met her husband and the hilarious things she had to do to get his attention. All the while, I listened intently, soaking up every second of the story.

By the time the kitchen was clean, we had a plan for dinner and were ready to walk out the door. There was just one problem. Patrick was trying to follow us.

“What are you doing?” I whispered as he hobbled over to us.

“I’m coming with.”

“Why?”

“Because…” He glanced between the two of us with a frown. “Don’t you need me?”

Smiling, I kissed him on the lips. “For what? I’ve got this. I told you, parents love me.”

“A little too much,” he grumbled.

“Aw, is someone feeling left out?” I cooed.

“It’s just…” He glanced at his mom again, and then back at me. “She likes you a littletoomuch.”

I burst out laughing, ruffling his hair. “That’s what you wanted, Patrick. You said she was driving you crazy. So, let me handle this, and you can go to work or whatever it is you want to do. I’ll spend time with your mother and keep her from driving you insane.”

“You’re sure?”

He was so cute. He seemed so unsure that I would enjoy this time, but he had no idea what it meant to me to be able to spend a day with a mother-figure. And I wasn’t about to tell him and give him the wrong idea.

“I’m positive. Go. Have fun. I’ll see you tonight.”

I snagged the keys to his truck and bounded down the steps, smiling at his mother. This would all be over in a week, so I’d soak up every second of it until it ended.

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