Dreaming of His Snowed In Kiss - Jessie Gussman Page 0,43
done that.”
“That’s exactly what happened. I should have realized it was going to, at least taken something out so I could tell what time it was.”
“It’s really not that big of a deal, except we’re stuck here tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”
It didn’t really matter whether he minded or not, but he definitely didn’t.
“Of course, I don’t mind. You’re the one that’s been inconvenienced. And I’m sorry about that.”
“You don’t have to apologize again.” She straightened and grudgingly allowed her eyes to fall on him as he walked around the table and sat down at the head, with Trevor in his high chair on his left. “I hadn’t had a chance to talk to you about it, and maybe we can chat later, but the church was going to pay me to come out here anyway.”
His brows twitched, like he hadn’t realized, but almost immediately comprehension dawned on his face. “That sounds exactly like something that my parents would do. Not just for me, for anybody.”
“That’s right. We didn’t really hash out the details, but the point was that you needed help with the kids.”
West nodded, but if he had feelings about it, they didn’t show on his face.
Although he seemed lighter somehow, probably because of getting some of his work done, his familiar scowl was back on his face. He did grin as Trevor beat his little child-sized fork on his tray and said something that sounded an awful lot like, “eat, eat, eat.”
“Hold on a couple minutes, buddy. We have to wait for everyone to be ready.”
“I’m ready now,” Poppy announced, with a grin at Trevor, trying to keep the dismay off her face as she looked around the table.
The only seat left was the one right in front of her. The one to the right of West.
It wasn’t exactly what she planned, but she wasn’t going to be rude or make a big deal about moving her plate and chair and sitting somewhere else.
West prayed and they passed the food, with West helping Trevor and Poppy making sure Warren and Garrett were situated.
“You were out of vegetables, or there would be some green on the table right now.” Poppy put the ladle back in the pot of cheeseburger soup and picked up her spoon.
“What can I say? Vegetables are the most exciting thing in the grocery store, and when I bring them home, I eat them right away.” West’s mouth didn’t even twitch. He put a spoonful of soup in his mouth and chewed like he hadn’t said something so totally outrageous that Poppy wanted to sputter soup out of her mouth.
“Really? You’re telling me you actually did have vegetables in this house, but you ate them all?”
“Yep.”
“Even the ones in the freezer?”
“Those too.”
“The children need vegetables,” she finally said, not sure how to present any evidence that he didn’t actually have vegetables in the house, ever, and he hadn’t actually eaten them all. There hadn’t been a single orange or green thing in his refrigerator, pantry, or freezer.
She was pretty sure it had been years since such a color existed inside these walls.
“Well, next time you go grocery shopping, you get whatever you want to, bring it back, and cook it, and we’ll eat it.” He looked around the table at the children. “Won’t we, boys?”
“I don’t like peas,” Warren said.
“Me no like peas.”
“Maybe you just never had them cooked correctly,” Poppy suggested, wiggling her brows at the boys, but that didn’t alleviate their scowls.
“I like potatoes. Those are vegetables. Mashed potatoes are particularly good.” West gave the boys a conspiratorial grin.
“Potatoes are not a vegetable. They’re...” Poppy couldn’t remember what they were called, so she decided, since West was being irrational, she could be too. “They’re roots. And you shouldn’t be teaching these boys things that aren’t true.”
“I think I’m going to have to challenge you on that one. Pretty sure they are.”
“Challenge accepted. You prove it.”
“I have to prove it? If you’re challenging my statement, you should be the one to prove that they’re not.”
Poppy sighed. Maybe it would be best to change the subject. The man could be infuriating.
“Garrett was dry and clean all day.” She gave Garrett a thumbs-up over the table, and his little face beamed. “And he had clothes on all day too.” Garrett nodded solemnly, his smile never slipping.
“Wow.” West truly did look impressed. “How did you do that?”
“I promised him you’d play hide-and-seek with him tonight if he was dry and clean all day.”
“Oh really?”
Poppy definitely considered