Page 100 of The Christmas Fix
“I feel like we’re walking into a trap.”
“Oh, we most certainly are. Welcome to parenting.”
Sara had three salmon filets on a baking sheet. She was dressing them with salt and pepper. There were two empty wine glasses and a corkscrew on the counter.
“Cat, do you want to do something with these tomatoes and asparagus?” Sara asked, jutting her chin toward the pile of produce next to the cutting board. “I printed out a recipe you can follow.”
Cat padded over to the veggies. “Recipe schmecipe,” she scoffed. “My nonni would slap me upside the head if she saw me using one. Just point me in the direction of your balsamic vinegar.”
Sara pointed, and Noah poured, and an 80s rock tune came on.
“Come on, Dad! It’s your jam,” Sara announced.
Noah shook his head, cheeks going a bit pink. “Nope. Not happening.”
“He does an air guitar solo that any other time I can’t get him to stop. Now suddenly he’s embarrassed,” Sara explained, shaking her head.
“Oh, I need to see this air guitar solo,” Cat insisted.
“No way.”
“It’s AC/DC. I’ll drum,” she offered.
It took a full glass of wine and a replay before Noah reluctantly performed. Cat laughed with Sara until her face hurt. While the salmon and veggies baked, Sara took Cat up to her bedroom to ask her advice on décor.
It was a typical pink bedroom littered with clothing and magazines and stuffed animals. The perfect cross-section of childhood and the teen years.
“Dad said I can repaint and stuff, but I’m not sure what I’m going for,” Sara mused, picking up a ragged stuffed dog and tucking it into a bin on the wall. “I like some of these ideas,” she said, pulling up Pinterest on her tablet.
“So, I see color, fun, but more grown up,” Cat said, studying the space and the pins. Two large windows overlooked the street. “That wall over there in a teal or a turquoise. And you need a new bed. You’ve got room in here for a queen. One of the ones with the upholstered headboards.”
“Um, that sounds awesome,” Sara decided, flopping onto her pink comforter.
“And you need better clothing organization,” Cat said, toeing a pile of crumpled t-shirts and leggings in front of the dresser.
Sara giggled. “That’s what my parents say, too.”
“If you’re into fashion, you have to treat your clothing well,” Cat pointed out.
“Okay, okay. I’ll clean up. But look. I found this rug that I love, but it’s got all these reds and oranges,” Sara said, pulling out her cell phone and calling up the picture.
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Cat nodded. “That would look great with a dark teal wall. You could leave everything else white, walls, bedding. Maybe do something funky with the bedside lamps.”
“That sounds awesome,” Sara said. “I hope Dad will be okay with it. Sometimes I don’t think he wants me to grow up.”
Cat gave the girl a smile. “Sometimes parents have trouble with that,” she admitted.
“But you wouldn’t,” Sara said it as if she was sure of it. “You see growing up as an adventure, not something to be protected from.”
“Uhhh…” Cat wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“I think you’re good for my dad,” Sara continued.
They heard the beeping of the timer followed by Noah’s call for kitchen aid.
“Good, I’m starving,” Sara said, bounding past Cat and heading for the stairs. “Hey, Dad! Cat gave me some ideas for my room!”
“Can we still afford to send you to college?”
