As promised last month, this is the first part of the second short story from The Art of Proposing. A preview of the next story will be sometime in November. When exactly? I guess that will be obvious when it shows up.
Katie got a face full of steam when she opened the oven. The enticing aroma had caused her to lean forward too quickly. She stepped back as she pulled the door all the way down, then pulled the pan out and set it on top of the stove. She inhaled again. The barbeque sauce was tangy enough to tickle her nostrils. The kabobs looked delicious, just a hint of char on the edges. They also looked like more than she could eat.
Cameron’s Turn
Katie got a face full of steam when she opened the oven. The enticing aroma had caused her to lean forward too quickly. She stepped back as she pulled the door all the way down, then pulled the pan out and set it on top of the stove. She inhaled again. The barbeque sauce was tangy enough to tickle her nostrils. The kabobs looked delicious, just a hint of char on the edges. They also looked like more than she could eat.
She should have asked Cameron to
join her. Maybe. Something had been weird when they talked
about her plans for dinner. He’d been
duly impressed with the advancedness of using the broiler. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why it
had sounded as though he didn’t want to be invited. He hadn’t actually said that.
Katie grabbed a bagged salad from
her refrigerator. The meat was enough of
an adventure. She frowned at the salad
that was also enough for two. She could
wait a day and have the same meal again on Friday. It was always nice to have an easy dinner on
Tichu nights.
Her phone rang as she was sitting
down to eat. It was probably
Cecelia. She kept the ringer silent for
unknown numbers, and her sister was the gabbiest person she knew. It was a good guess.
“Hey, Cecelia.”
“Hey. Did I catch you after dinner?”
“I’m just starting,” Katie
said. “But I don’t mind talking while I
eat if you don’t mind me eating while we talk.”
“Sure. It’s kind of late for you though. Something complicated tonight?”
“Not complicated exactly. I had to let the meat soak in the, uh…”
“I’d say you were turning into a
real gourmet if you knew the word marinade,” Cecelia teased.
“It was on the tip of my tongue.”
“Is Cameron there?”
“No. Not tonight.”
“Uh oh.”
“There’s no uh oh,” Katie
said. “We don’t have to see each other every
night.”
“It’s not uh oh that he’s not
there. It’s uh oh that you sound wistful
and defensive about it. What’s wrong?”
Katie made a noise to indicate she
was chewing. She was chewing and
congratulating herself on the flavor.
But she was also buying herself a few moments to think. Cecelia was easily her most drama-loving
sibling. Katie had to be careful what
she said to her. This time, she’d
forgotten to be careful how she said it.
There couldn’t have been more than the faintest whiff of
defensiveness. And Katie didn’t think
she sounded wistful at all. “Nothing’s
wrong,” she said.
“And now you sound more
defensive. Why did you say you don’t
have to see each other every day as though… I don’t know, but I didn’t say
that.”
Katie took another bite.
“You might as well tell me,”
Cecelia said. “The baby is already
asleep so I have lots of time to talk and bug you until you tell me.”
“Fine. But it’s really nothing.” Katie paused for a quick sip of water. “I was talking to Cameron at lunch about what
I wanted to try for dinner. He said
something about how he hoped I would enjoy it.
I don’t remember his exact words, but something about the way he said it
sounded like he was preempting an invitation.”
“Why would he do that?”
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