Page 38 of When He Saved Me
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I walkedinto my house around three o’clock on Friday to the scent of sugar in the air and the sound of Michael Bublé singing “Holly Jolly Christmas” coming through the Bluetooth speakers we had installed throughout the house a few years back. I stripped off my coat and scarf, hanging them on the hook in the mudroom, before stepping into the doorway to the brightly lit kitchen. I paused, leaning against the doorframe, and took it all in.
Mixing bowls were piled in the sink, several types of cookies were lined up on a cooling rack, and there was a bag of flour sitting open on the counter, along with a half-used carton of eggs.
And at the end of the island, farthest away from me, were my mom and Finn. She was sitting on a stool, scooping dough and rolling it into balls before dropping each one into a bowl. Finn swirled each ball around the bowl and then dropped them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet next to him. My eyes stung at seeing them working together, smiling and laughing.
As I watched, Finn placed the last ball on the cookie sheet while my mom set aside the cookie scoop and stuck her pointer finger in the bowl, scraping off some cookie dough from the side and popping it in her mouth. My grin spread impossibly wide as my mom’s eyes closed in pure bliss as she sucked the raw dough off her finger.
“Isn’t it unsafe to eat raw cookie dough?” Finn asked her.
“Worth it,” she said as she stuck her finger back in the bowl, her eyes twinkling.
“Looks like you two have been busy!” I said as I stepped forward into the kitchen. Both of them turned to look at me, twin smiles lighting up their faces. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Finn smile so wide, and the sight made something flutter in my chest. I leaned in and kissed Mom on her cheek before placing another on Finn’s lips. I kept it chaste out of respect for my mom, but even that small contact set my blood humming in my veins.
A timer sounded, and Finn moved past me to pull one pan out before placing another in the oven and setting the timer again. I stepped over to the sink, pushing up the sleeves of my hoodie as I started the sink to do a round of dishes.
“You don’t have to do that,” Finn said. “I can clean it all up.”
“That’s not how it works in this house. When one person cooks, it’s up to the other to clean it up.” I looked over at Mom, giving her a wink. “Mom would kick my ass if I didn’t help.”
“Damn right,” she said, stealing a treat off the nearest cooling rack. Since I had taken over at the sink, Finn slid around to the other side of the island, sitting beside Mom and grabbing a sugar cookie.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Ashley after her performance?” Mom asked. “The choir sounded great!”
“Yeah, she said to tell you she’d be over later tonight to hang out.”
“Pfft. What high school girl wants to hang out with their aunt at home on a Friday night?” I inwardly cringed, knowing how much she hated feeling like she was being babysat, but the fact was, Ashley had offered. She really was a great kid, and she loved her aunt.
“She offered, Mom. Said she’s going to bring over popcorn and hot chocolate and wants to watch Hallmark Christmas movies in her PJs.”
Finn came up next to me and began drying the dishes I’d already washed. “What time is your gig tonight?” I asked him.
“Not until eight. Why?”
“I thought we might go out to dinner beforehand to celebrate.”
“Celebrate? What are we celebrating?” He looked so adorable, his eyebrows drawn up in confusion.
“I got my placement today. I’m student teaching at Swope,” I said with a huge grin.
“Oh, Jamie! That’s great news!” Mom said, clasping her hands together in excitement.
“Yep. I’ll be teaching seventh-grade language arts with Mr. Davis.”
“Oh, he’s so great. The kids love him!”
The timer went off, and Finn swapped out another sheet of cookies, setting the timer again before turning back toward me. “Congratulations,” he said softly before placing a quick kiss on my cheek.
He started to turn away from me, but I pulled him back, placing his arms around my waist before putting my own around him. “So, what do you say? Celebrate with me?”
“Um, yeah.” He looked down at his hoodie. “Can we run by my apartment so I can change?”
“Of course. I’d love to see your space.”
“Okay then. Let’s do it!”
CHAPTER20
