Behind Blue Eyes
Copyright© 2025 by DB86
Chapter 19
Robert woke up early. He found Janice was already up. She was in the kitchen.
Other than running the local newspaper, cooking was her go-to stress reliever.
“I put the kettle on to make cocoa,” she announced. “We can have cocoa and cookies for breakfast.”
“You cook?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course, I cook.”
“All I remember is your burnt offerings. Burnt eggs, burnt pancakes, burnt beans, burnt meatloaf.”
Janice giggled. “Oh, the meatloaf. Do you remember how hard it was, and you kept saying it was fine.”
They both laughed.
“You’re up early. That’s new, too,” Robert murmured.
“Hardly. I have been running The Gazette all by myself for the last twelve years. I have to wake up early if I want everything done. I told you, Bobby, I’m not the same person you knew.”
He just nodded. Janice was wearing a sexy nightgown. Low cut at the neckline, and a little too high at the thigh.
“You are still gorgeous,” Robert complimented her. Janice was a beautiful, sexy woman. He was feeling like a coward for not kissing her last night.
Janice surveyed herself and blushed. She looked like a prostitute on the loose.
“I’ll change before Benji wakes up. He wants to show me his favorite places in New York.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Would you like to join us?”
“I’d love to if you don’t mind me intruding in your time with Benji.”
“Of course, not,” Janice said, waving Robert’s concerns away.
Robert smiled. Everything just seemed brighter with Janice around.
“What smells so good?” a yawning Benji asked, coming into the kitchen.
“Chocolate chip pecan cookies,” Janice announced.
“Can I have one?”
Janice glanced at her son with surprise, “That’s why I made them.”
Benji took one and lifted it to his mouth to try a big bite. “Mmm! They are good,” he said, with a mouth full of cookies.
Janice made a quick visit to her room to get a robe.
Benji finished the first cookie, took a second one, and glanced to where Janice was hovering over the cups of cocoa. “What can I do to help?”
“Well, everything’s ready except for the water, I’ll pour the water in when the kettle boils. But you can give me a hug,” she said, and her son gladly complied.
Janice offered Robert a cookie; he took it but didn’t offer her a hug in return to her disappointment.
The rest of their time in New York was a dream.
The three of them spent the day together and had a great time visiting the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, and some historic neighborhoods.
“New York is great, isn’t it, Mom,” Benji asked Janice.
“I haven’t been here in years. Not since...” Janice interrupted herself. “It’s still an incredible city.”
She looked at Robert and he understood what she meant. The last time Janice had been in New York they were an item and had all the future ahead of them.
“What have you planned for the holidays, Mom?” Benji asked oblivious to the exchange.
Thanksgiving was less than two months away.
“I have nothing much planned, Benji. Work will keep me busy.” Her finger found its way to her hair where it began its nervous twirl. “Holidays are a big deal in Middletown, and I have to cover every single event.”
“But you meet with your parents for Thanksgiving or Christmas, right, Mom?” Benji asked, pressing ever so gently.
Janice cleared her throat nervously, her eyes gazing down toward the ground. “No, I don’t,” she said softly, in a hoarse voice.
“Why not, Mom?”
“Benji,” Robert cautioned. He didn’t want Janice to feel uncomfortable.
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