“I will after–”
“No, go cut it now,” Peter interrupted. Unlike Kim, he refused to entertain his kid’s excuses. “You’re already two days late.”
“I can’t take a shower first?” he questioned.
“He’s dripping sweat, Peter,” Kim spoke up for her son.
“Because he’s dickin’ around at the gym instead of taking care of his responsibilities,” Peter told the room. “I’m not going to tell you again. Go cut it now.”
The eighteen-year-old high school senior huffed before digging into his gym bag to retrieve his wireless headphones. Moments later, he vanished down the hallway to take care of the lawn.
“It’s always something with him,” Peter groaned.
“Oh, give him a break,” Kim said. “Don’t act like you wanted to cut the grass either when you were eighteen.”
“Please don’t compare Nick to Dad,” Stacy told her mother. “Dad’s probably been a workaholic his entire life. Nick, on the other hand, is lazy.”
Kim turned back to the counter to start making dinner. She had no interest in listening to another second of these two speak poorly about her son. Nick was perfect, and she refused to entertain any other possibilities.
“So, about our date night,” a hopeful Stacy reminded Dad of their conservation before her brother rudely interrupted them.
“How about tonight?”
Peter’s proposal caused Kim’s head to bolt back to the kitchen table. “Tonight? I’m making dinner now.”
“Stacy deserves to enjoy a nice date,” Peter said, swiftly dismissing his wife to look at his daughter. “Isn’t that right?”
“Totally!” Stacy agreed, smiling from ear-to-ear. “A dinner date tonight would be so awesome!”
Kim should’ve known better. When didn’t Stacy get her way? Peter may have been rough on their son, but he was an absolute softie with their daughter.
“Put on a nice dress,” Peter said. “I’ll call and book us a table at Russell’s. We’ll leave when you’re ready.”
Stacy jumped out of her seat, gave Dad a big kiss on the cheek, and dashed upstairs to get ready. How could Mom possibly deny what she saw? Dad was so incredible! He dropped everything in order to make her happy, and she couldn’t wait to spend time with him tonight!
“What am I supposed to do with all this chicken?” Kim asked.
Peter left his seat and headed to the sink to fill himself a glass of water. “Put the leftovers in the refrigerator. I’ll take some to work tomorrow.”
“A little heads-up would’ve been nice. You didn’t have to–”
“Jesus Christ, look at this kid,” Peter huffed, staring out the window into the backyard. He observed Nick seated on the riding lawn mower in neutral, fiddling with his phone instead of cutting the grass like he was supposed to.
Kim watched Nick shift the mower into drive to start cutting their spacious backyard. “I don’t like how hard you are on him.”
“Someone has to be, because heaven forbid that you criticize him.”
“As opposed to what?” Kim inquired, dressed in black yoga pants and a white tank top. She retrieved the rest of the necessary ingredients from the fridge. “The way that you bend over backwards to accommodate Stacy?”
“I don’t bend over backwards for her,” Peter huffed in obvious disagreement. “I just want to treat her to the type of night that she deserves.”
She didn’t bother to argue. What would be the point? Peter could be the most hardheaded guy in the world at times, and his stubborn mindset certainly applied when Stacy was the topic of conversation. Could their daughter actually do anything wrong in his eyes? It definitely didn’t feel like it.
Peter decided to take a different approach regarding their son. “Try to talk some sense into Nick tonight. You know, when it’s just you two. He seems to respond better to you than he does to me.”
She bit her tongue to avoid speaking her mind. She just wasn’t in the mood to fight today. Nick wasn’t failing his classes, doing drugs, or disrespectful to either of them in any way. In fact, he was more than she could ever ask for from a son, and it annoyed her that Peter didn’t see what she felt. But it didn’t really matter, did it? Stacy wasn’t a perfect princess in her eyes–unlike how Peter felt about her–so maybe it wasn’t the end of the world? Nick was a tough kid, at the end of the day. He could handle his critical father.
Besides, she could use some quality one-on-one time with him.
Chapter 2 — Kim’s Dream Dinner
An Hour Later.
Nick lumbered into the house after finally finishing the grass. Cutting their huge lawn was a big enough pain in the ass to begin with, but weed whacking took the cake in regard to what he hated most in life. It was just such a hassle. Plus, he was starving! He couldn’t wait to eat!
Regrettably, he needed to take care of something before finally satisfying his appetite.
“I’m gonna take a quick shower first,” he said, hustling through the kitchen while Mom read her Kindle at the table.
“I know,” Kim nodded with a big smile. She loved how she was always on the same page with him. She’d planned for his exact announcement a half-hour ago.
Ten minutes later, he joined her in the kitchen–dressed in a clean pair of basketball shorts and a tank top–as she hopped out of her seat to retrieve dinner. She’d left the oven on low in order to keep their food hot.
“Chicken tortilla stacks!” he exclaimed, taking a seat across from his mother, all smiles. “Awesome!”
Add his love of her cooking to the long list of his qualities that she adored. It was one of those things that only a mother could understand. Bringing a smile to her son’s face warmed her heart unlike anything else.
“Um…where are Dad and Stacy?” he asked.
“They went out to dinner.”
That sounded particularly strange to him. “By themselves?”
“Yep,” she nodded.
“Why didn’t you go with them?” he asked, placing a big four-layered tortilla stack on his plate. Chicken, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream, hot sauce, and several different types of cheeses created the layers, while the fork and knife next to his plate were bypassed in favor of his hands. He was far too hungry to eat like a gentleman.
She pondered his question for a moment. Honestly, she was never invited, but she wouldn’t have accepted an invitation even if one was made. Why would she? A meal at a nice steakhouse with Peter and Stacy, or dinner at her kitchen table with her incredible son? She would take the latter every single time.
“Because I’d rather eat dinner with you,” she said.
He smiled before taking another big bite of his delicious dinner. “Well, I’d rather eat one of your homemade dinners than go out anyway. You’re the best cook ever.”
She was far from the best cook ever, but the way that he relayed his thoughts with a mouthful of food made her giggle regardless. Okay, she was ready to admit it. Peter was right. She did favor their son, and she wasn’t ashamed of it either. Someone had to! Especially since Peter spoiled Stacy so much!
“Did they go out to dinner for a reason?” he asked. “I mean, why in the world wouldn’t they want your chicken tortilla stacks? They’re literally the best thing ever.”
She decided to have an honest conversation with him as she cut one of the stacks in half for herself. She’d busted her butt at the gym earlier, so she felt entitled to a treat. “Your sister is having a hard time dating. She doesn’t like a lot of the guys her own age, and her past few dates have been a little rough.”