Chapter 11

Kitchens and Baths

For AbbeyCat, who has love to spare.

Your love is better than ice cream
Better than anything else that I’ve tried
And your love is better than ice cream
Everyone here knows how to fight

Sarah McLachlan

When Karen looked out the window over the sink, the clouds were breaking up. It was still gloomy and gray, but it would brighten soon. The thermometer outside the window hovered at eight above zero. Laci pranced over to Karen on her tippy toes. Her robe fell open. She was wearing the same cami top and panties as she had on before her shower.

It didn’t matter that she’d seen Laci like this no more than two minutes ago. Turning around at the sink and seeing the girl coming to her for love, Karen drew a sharp breath. Is this girl ever going to stop taking my breath away? Laci raised her arms, wrapping them around the woman’s neck, and laid her cheek on Karen’s chest.

Karen slipped her arms around Laci’s waist and sighed, “My precious, beautiful baby.” She laid her cheek atop Laci’s head and inhaled the scent of her freshly shampooed hair. Laci’s hair was still damp, and her natural curls were beginning to assert themselves. Karen rocked her lover side to side, humming a nameless tune. “I just love you so much,” she cooed.

Laci looked up, her emerald eyes sparkling, silently asking for a kiss. Karen smiled and gently laid her lips on Laci’s; no tongue, just kisses, once, twice, three times. Karen looked at Laci before stealing one more kiss. “Are you still hungry?”

“Uh huh,” Laci nodded.

“Still want an omelet?”

“Yeah, it sounds yummy. Can I help?”

“Sure, if you want.”

“I wanna learn how to cook, and you’re the best cook I know.”

Karen laughed and released Laci. “All things considered, that may not be saying much.” She took out four eggs. “Do you know how to whisk an egg?”

“You mean swish them with the wire thingy?”

“Yeah,” Karen nodded with a chuckle. “It’s called a whisk – clever, huh?”

Laci selected one from the crockery jar of utensils on the counter. “This thing, right?”

“That’s the one.” Karen pulled out a heavy glass bowl. “Crack the eggs in here – don’t worry about breaking the yolks, no need to be careful, just try not to get any pieces of shell in there. Give them a good tap on the countertop to crack the shell, then voila! Open them up.”

Laci pushed her damp hair back behind an ear and took an egg. She didn’t want to look like an idiot and make a mess, or do something stupid. What? You think she just woke up one day knowing how to crack open eggs? She gingerly tapped the egg against the countertop, and – nothing.

Karen laughed gently. “Don’t be afraid to give it a good tap. Don’t smoosh it, but – tap!” She indicated with her hand what she meant.

Laci took a deep breath and tried again. Success! The shell cracked but didn’t break open in a mess of egg white.

Laci looked up, beaming. “See?” Karen said. “You did it right.” She came up to Laci and planted a firm kiss on her mouth. “You’re learning kitten. Today cracking eggs, tomorrow osso bucco and duck comfit.”

Laci glowed inside. How could the simple act of cracking an egg make her feel so good and so valued? She repeated the process with a little more grace each time, until four yellow orbs stared up from the bowl, and there weren’t any shards of shell. She picked up the whisk and paused. “Is there a special way to do it? You see them on TV and it looks like some do it one way, others do it another way.”

“It doesn’t matter baby, whatever way works best for you to get the job done. You want to swish fast and get everything mixed together nice and smooth. Toss in a pinch of salt, yeah, just about that much. Then start swishing until you find the best way for you to hold it.”

Laci furrowed her brow in concentration and began whisking. She paused every few strokes until she found a comfortable rhythm. “Look Karen!” she cried. “Like this?”

“Perfect,” Karen said, hugging her quickly. “Now what would you like in the omelet?”

“I dunno,” Laci shrugged. “What can we have?”

Karen looked in the refrigerator and opened the deli drawer. “Pretty much whatever you want. My basic rule of thumb is anything you’d like in a sandwich. Except PB and J maybe.” She heard Laci giggle. The sweet sound never failed to send a thrill through her. “How about something simple, some prosciutto and provolone cheese.”

“Sure, why not? What’s pro-shoe-toe?”

Karen laughed again. “An Italian deli meat, kind of a cross between ham and bacon. I’ve snuck it into a couple of your sandwiches before and you came out of it alive and in one piece.”

“Karen,” Laci chuckled. “How’s this looking?”

Karen set down the packages of meat and cheese, and a carton of light cream, and looked. The eggs were a uniform pale yellow with bubbles floating about. “Perfect, that’s exactly how they should look. Now we’ll add a little bit of cream, just whisk it like you have been.”

“Why cream?” Laci asked as she resumed whisking.

“Cream gives the omelet a little body and richness. Use just a bit, maybe a quarter of a cup. OK, once that’s all whisked in, we can stop for a few minutes, give everything a chance to come up to room temperature so it’ll cook a little more evenly.” She shifted over to the pots and pans cupboard, squatted down, and brought out an ancient black cast iron skillet.

“Am I good student?” Laci said playfully while gliding over to Karen.

Karen kissed her and had to resist the urge to let her tongue go play. “A plus. So, I guess I’m not cooking dinner alone anymore now that I have my very own sous chef. I’m going to have a cigarette and a cup of coffee while things warm up a bit. What about you? Are you ready to try coffee yet?”

Laci scrunched her nose. “Umm, no. Maybe a sip of yours -- someday. Cigarette? Some of yours.”

Karen poured her coffee, added cream, and lit her first cigarette of the day, while Laci got herself a glass of orange juice. She secretly glanced at Karen leaning back against the island, smoking her cigarette and idly staring at the stove. I’m her lover, Laci thought with a thrill. She loves me, not someone else, she could love anyone else, but she loves me, I make her happy, I make her feel wonderful things, and she loves me. She never ceased to be thrilled and amazed when she pondered those truths.

Laci took a swallow of juice, and then took the cigarette from Karen for a quick drag. “That’s an old frying pan,” she observed, handing the cigarette back.

Karen glanced at it. “Yes, it is. My Grammy gave it to me when I got married, and I think it belonged to her Grammy. She used to use it to make pancakes and eggs when I’d stay at her house as a girl. It must be at least a hundred years old, probably older.” She snuffed her cigarette and used the island’s sink to wash her hands.

Laci leaned on her arms atop the high part of the island. “Is your Grammy still alive?”

“No kitten, she died a few years back. God, she’d be in her 90s if she were still alive.”

“Did she love you?”

Karen smiled as she set the skillet on the burner and put the flame on high. It wasn’t hard to see where Laci’s priorities lay. Karen plopped a square of butter in the pan. “Yes she did. At least she always told me she did. Giving me this skillet told me I was pretty special to her.”

“Did you have a Grampy, too?”

Karen hefted the skillet and swirled the butter around. “You want to pour the egg in?” Laci popped up quickly, grabbing the bowl. “Pour it in,” Karen coached. “Not all at once, there, just like that.” The custard made a merry sizzling sound. Karen put the flame on low, and then turned her attention to the fillings.

Laci came around to watch, leaning her elbows on the counter while Karen dug out the cutting board and a heavy chef’s knife. “So, did you have a Grampy?” She didn’t forget her question, and for some reason it felt important to her.

Karen smiled as she rolled up slices of meat to chiffonade. Yes, Karen thought, Laci wore her priorities openly – family, love, security. It was best not to dismiss the girl’s inquiries. “Yes, I sure did. Two in fact, but the one I’m thinking of, my Dad’s Dad, was the one I saw the most. He was quite the rare bird. He and Gram lived in an old farmhouse up in Hopewell, but he wasn’t a farmer. He was kind of a handyman, fixing tractors and trucks, and he built houses.” Karen smiled to herself. “He used to give me rides on his old tractor and it drove my mother crazy, she thought sure I’d fall off and get crushed by the big tractor wheels. But he was all country, he smoked a pipe, and he always wore this old timey baseball cap cocked off to the side, and Dickie work pants held up by suspenders. He was all crooked up by the time I came along, he could hardly stand straight, but he worked every day.”

Laci laughed. Her eyes sparkling, she said, “No way! Did he really give you rides like that?”

Karen nodded. “Mmmm hmm, he did. Come baby, let’s finish this omelet.” Laci watched closely, as Karen indicated the nearly set omelet. “When it’s just a little bit runny on top, sprinkle on the filling stuff over half the omelet like this. Hand me that spatula from the holder. Yes, that flexible one. You really need a non-stick pan to cook an omelet or it sticks and turns into a mess. Now work the edge of the spatula under the top half of the omelet – like this, see? Then give it a quick – flip! Voila! Now we turn off the heat and give it a minute for the cheese to melt.”

Laci it all in with fascination. Haute cuisine in her old life was hamburger mixed with boxed macaroni and cheese. Karen made it all look so effortless. Was there anything her lover couldn’t do? “You make that look so easy,” Laci said, straightening up.

“It is easy once you’ve done it a time or two. You can do the next one we have and you’ll see. Now, get us some plates and silverware and we’ll eat in the breakfast nook. How many toasts do you want, one or two?”

“One’s OK. Can I have grape jelly with it?”

Smoke rose chaotically from the glowing tip of Karen’s cigarette as she leaned back and watched Laci do the dishes. The girl insisted on doing them herself by hand in the sink. She seemed to take great pleasure in doing small day-to-day household chores, as if they gave her a sense of belonging.

Laci shrugged off the robe, saying it was too big and got in the way. Now she moved about in her cropped cami top and her skimpy Hello Kitty undies. She had a habit of prancing on her tippy-toes when she was doing something that pleased her or when she was excited. It had the effect of making her already lithe form incredibly sleek and fluid.

Karen took a final drag from her cigarette and snuffed it. She didn’t take her eyes off her lover as the girl swished about the kitchen. Karen’s chest tightened, and her breathing grew quicker. There was a sudden and pronounced surge of warmth in her pelvis, and suddenly her panties were most uncomfortably snug. Her nipples didn’t need any extra coaxing to stand out under the fabric of her tank top. Without consciously realizing it, Karen started idly caressing her inner thigh next to her rapidly dampening sex.

Karen stood up and stretched. “Are you almost done?” she said to Laci with as much casual humor as she could.

Laci smiled flirtatiously over her shoulder. “Yeah, why?”

“Because,” Karen said, gliding up behind Laci and slipping her arms around the girl’s waist. “You twitching that little ass of yours is about to drive me crazy.”

Laci leaned back, giggling. Her eyes were bright. “Karen, you are so bad.”

Karen gathered in her teen lover’s lissome body. “Why am I so bad?” she said, her voice growing heavy.

Head still leaned back, Laci nuzzled her butt back into the cup of Karen’s pelvis. Her own voice thickened. “Cause you say naughty things that make me wanna be bad.”

Karen tucked her face in the crook of Laci’s neck and tickled her with the tip of her tongue, making Laci squeal with delight. “Well maybe I like bad girls,” Karen purred. “Bad girls are so much more fun than good girls.” She skated the tips of her fingers over the thin swath of fabric adhering to Laci’s mound, making Laci draw in a sharp breath.

Laci shuddered, her body prickling into goosebumps. She could feel her sex slit puff up and open. She restlessly cocked her hips from side to side, murmuring, “I like being a very bad girl, but only for you.”

Karen, kissing Laci’s neck, used both hands to massage the girl’s taut, quivery mound. Laci’s movements grew ever more restless. She pushed her hips out in search of Karen’s touch. Karen tapped her lightly, and Laci yipped. “Karen,” she pleaded.

Karen, her own heart thudding hard, nipped Laci’s ear as she caressed the girl’s tender sex through her panties. “What?” she teased.

“Karen,” Laci whimpered. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Tease me! Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing you.”

“Yes you are! You’re making me all crazy and stuff. You know what I mean.”

“I do? What makes you so sure of that?”

“Karrrrennnnn!” Laci’s movements now were urgent and verging on frantic. Her little sex was like a living thing unto itself beneath Karen’s light strokes.

“Tell me what you want,” Karen murmured.

“Karennnn! You know what I want.”

“Tell me.”

“I want you to – fuck me, make me come.”

Karen slipped the fingers of one hand under the waistband of the girl’s panties. “I love it when you talk sexy to me like that.”

Laci moaned and put her own hands atop Karen’s, trying to direct the woman’s touch to her honey pot. Karen used her middle finger to open Laci and dive into her juicy confines. A stream of nectar drizzled out. Karen squeezed Laci’s sex, and a fresh squirt settled in her cupped palm. Laci was gasping.

Karen spun Laci around firmly, almost roughly. She pushed the girl back against the low tier of the island. Laci was trembling and whining softly, but she knew what was coming and it was exactly what she wanted.

Karen dropped to her knees before Laci, feeling almost as if she were genuflecting. She trembled as she slid Laci’s panties down. The countertop was right at the level of Laci’s bum. Gasping, she was able sit on the edge and open her legs. Karen let out a soft groan at the sight of her lover’s engorged, shining sex, from the intricate corrugations of her vagina to the tumescent gleam of her sugarplum. Karen dipped her head and feasted.

The touch of Karen’s tongue sent a sharp jolt through Laci, then everything came bubbling out like an over-boiled pot of pasta. She was dimly aware of the sound of Karen’s tongue lapping at her like a kitten at a bowl of milk, but mostly her consciousness morphed into a mass of inchoate, kaleidoscopic inner eruptions.

Laci did not come quietly.

Laci was animated and bubbly as she and Karen walked through the cold parking lot to the car after the last shopping stop of the day. She was chattering like a magpie, her hands fluttering like little birds while bags dangled precariously from her arms.

Karen herself glowed with delight. Shopping with Laci was simply a joy. The girl always appreciated everything without so much as a hint of entitlement. Today’s haul of loot ran the gamut from undies and sneakers to outfits, a laptop to a Smartphone, yet none of this seemed to matter a whit to the girl.

Laci piled all her bags in the back seat except one. Karen slid behind the wheel and Laci bubbled into the passenger seat with the one bag that seemed to interest her. “Ohmygod Karen! I couldn’t even believe it, I mean really.” She opened the bag, pawed around, and came out with a treasure. “Oh Karen! Look at this!” She held up a frilly floral dress for a doll. “It’s so cute! The bear is going to love it, I know she’s going to love all the outfits, I couldn’t believe we found that place, ohmygod! She needs a name, don’t you think? I call her Paddington sometimes, but that’s stupid, ‘cause Paddington is a boys name, I was thinking, maybe her name should be Bearyanne? Is that a good name?”

Karen chuckled. Laci was simply priceless, and her childish delight was infectious. Karen found herself caught up in the moment. “I think Bearyanne is a wonderful name honey, very clever and appropriate.”

Laci pulled out another outfit. “Oh Karen, isn’t this one so cute? See the pink sleeves and the little ruffles, it’s just like people clothes, oh we’re going to have so much fun dressing her up in these outfits. Did you have a name for her when you were little?”

“No,” Karen smiled. “I just called her teddy bear, so yes, I think it’s about time she had a proper name.”

“Oh Karen, I hope they fit, do you think they’ll fit?”

“They should, they’re cut for a fifteen inch bear, and that’s what she is. If they’re off a little, I’ll try to take them in or let them out, whatever they need.”

“Really? You can do that?”

“Should. They usually leave behind a little extra fabric, the seams are pretty straightforward.”

Laci was beginning to wonder if there was anything Karen couldn’t do.

“I’m hungry,” Karen declared. There were half a dozen chain restaurants within reach. “Let’s eat. Anything special you’d like?”

Laci looked around. “I really don’t know. I’ve never been to any of them.”

Karen pondered the various signs. What sounded good? “Ah,” she said at last. “The Blue Goose.” Known as The Goose, it was a regional chain with an eclectic menu fit for both the daring and the squeamish. “How about there?”

Laci shrugged. “OK by me.”

Once parked, Karen took a quick look around the parking lot and saw it was clear. She grabbed Laci’s coat lapel and pulled her close. “Quick,” she said, “While the coast is clear.” Her lips grabbed Laci’s and she kissed the girl, groaning happily. She gave the inside of Laci’s lips a quick swipe of her tongue before releasing her lover.

Laci, her eyes suddenly alive and glittering, giggled. “Karen, what if someone sees us?”

Karen just looked Laci over from up close. “Did you know you’re beautiful?”

Laci blushed. “Not as beautiful as you,” she countered.

Karen chuckled and said with a smile, “You’re full of doo doo.” She darted in and gave her beautiful lover a final quick kiss. “Come, let’s go.”

Laci slipped on her new sunglasses when they stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, suddenly self-conscious about her appearance. Karen dropped her own sunglasses down from atop her head, and shouldered her purse. When they reached the shade of the building, Laci wrapped her arms around Karen’s free arm and hugged it. It was an acceptable public display of affection, and she jumped on any chance to show how much she loved Karen. “I love you,” she sighed.

Even with sunglasses, the sunlight reflecting off the snowpack left them blind when they stepped into the reception foyer. It was busy, with at least two parties ahead of them. Karen stepped up to the hostess’ podium. The hostess, an attractive woman around Karen’s age, smiled and said, “Two?”

“Yes, two.”

“It’ll be about 10 minutes if that’s OK.”

“That’s fine. I’m not surprised it’s busy, this the first really decent day we’ve had in ages.”

“Winter can go away any time now,” the hostess smiled. She handed Karen a vibrating pager. “You can go to the bar for a drink if you want.”

Laci looked around, not quite sure what to think. She tried her best to look and act as mature and adult as possible. She removed her knit hat, something she was sure looked childish, and shook her hair out. Karen came back to her. “It’s going to be about 10 minutes before we can get a table. Give me your coat so I can hang them up.”

Laci unbuttoned and shrugged off her coat, giving it to Karen. She left her scarf on, thinking it looked stylish. She straightened her pastel pink sweater top. Karen handed her the pager. She took it and frowned. “What’s this?”

“It’s a pager. When they’re ready for us, it’ll vibrate and the lights will flash.”

“Cool,” Laci said, looking the device over. She glanced up to watch Karen glide toward the coat rack. She decided to grab a sitting spot to on one of the benches. She spun around and as she did, she ran hard into someone. The pager flew from her hand and went skittering under a bench.

She looked to see who she’d run into. It was a boy, about her own age, one she instinctively thought of as a geeky nerd. His pants weren’t quite long enough, he wore a long-sleeved blue sweater over a white button-down shirt secured to the very top, and he had prominent glasses. In the second it took for this to register, her irritation rose until it escaped her. She scowled just as the boy, who was as shocked at realizing he’d run into a girl like Laci as she was irritated, bent over to get the pager. “Will you watch it, kid?” She snapped. “Don’t be so clumsy!”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Karen coming back from the coat rack. An inner pang burst over her. Several thoughts flashed through her brain in quick succession. First, she realized Karen had almost certainly seen and heard the brief encounter, and she was very likely to be disappointed at the way Laci spoke to the boy. Then, Why am I talking to him like that anyway? He looks like a very nice boy, he’s out with his parents and stuff, it’s probably his birthday or something, and I’m being rude, talking exactly like the way Jenna would talk. That is so disgusting, I’m not like Jenna!

When the boy straightened, pager in his hand, he was blushing furiously and looking away from Laci. Laci took the pager from him with a “Thank you.” Then she put her hand on his and said, “Listen, I di’n’t mean to be so rude. I’m really not a mean person. I’m really sorry.”

The boy was nonplussed. He blushed harder and fidgeted, trying to say something but unable to make his mouth work. Girls of Laci’s stature rarely deigned to acknowledge boys like him, let alone speak to them. Not only was she talking to him, she put her hand on his while she apologized for something that surely was his fault. The natural order of his world was shaken.

The adults with the boy stood up and one said, “Alex, come on, it’s our turn.”

He continued to blush furiously and look up and down, trying to make his mouth work. At last, after an irritated “Alex! Come on,” from one of his adults, he managed to stammer, “Sorry, my fault.” And he was gone.

Karen slid up to Laci. “What was that all about?”

Laci sighed. “Oh, I wasn’t paying attention, and when I turned around I ran into that boy, and this pager thing went flying. I, um, wasn’t very nice at first, I kinda snapped at him when it was my fault. I, um, ‘pologized for bein’ a klutz and bein’ so mean. I don’t want to be like Jenna and them.”

Karen chuckled. “Honey girl, I don’t think anyone is ever going to mistake you for Jenna or one of her minions.”

The pager started blinking and vibrating. “Look Karen,” Laci said, holding it up.

“That’s us,” Karen nodded in the direction of hostess podium. “Good timing,” Karen said in a low voice. “I’m hungry enough to eat you. Oh! Did I just say ‘horny’ or ‘hungry’?”

Laci covered her mouth and laughed. “Karen,” she whispered. “You are so bad!”

Karen smiled at her and winked, and the hostess led them to their table.

Laci followed behind. She loved watching Karen walk into a crowded place. She didn’t so much walk as stride onto the scene. She stood erect, her eyes taking in everything, her gait extremely but unconsciously self-confident. Everything about it proclaimed strength, and Laci found it very arousing, arousing enough that her sex started getting squirmy and tingly.

Laci on the other hand worried that she appeared lame or immature. She grew quite self-conscious with the awareness that most of the people they walked passed, especially men, were looking at her, and often doing obvious double takes. It provoked a sensation that was at once uncomfortable and exhilarating. She was relieved when they reached their table.

She and Karen set their purses at their sides and slid into their chairs simultaneously. The hostess, the same woman who’d greeted Karen, handed them their menus. “Good afternoon ladies. Your server will be Nancy, and she’ll be right with you. Can I take your drink orders in the meantime?”

“Sure,” Karen without looking at the menu. “I’d like a glass of your pinot grigio, with an Evian on the side.”

Laci looked at the menu. “Karen, I know what Evian is,” she said, confident Karen wouldn’t tease her, “but what’s pee-noh grih-zio? Is that, like, a wine?”

Karen and the hostess both smiled. “Yes honey, it’s a wine so you can’t have it.”

“Oh. I don’t think I’d like wine anyway,” she shrugged. “You know what I would like that I haven’t had in a really long time?” Laci said, the idea coming out of left field somewhere. “A root beer.”

“A root beer,” the hostess said, noting it. “In a frosty glass?”

“Yeah, that’d be cool.”

When the hostess left, Laci looked at her menu. As at D’antonio’s, most of the menu was foreign to her. Why do I have to be so stupid, she thought. It’s so dumb I don’t know this stuff, Karen must think I’m such a baby, but I can’t help it, I never went to places like this before. She looked up at Karen, a pained expression on her face.

Without looking up, Karen smiled and said, “Do you want me to order for you?”

How did she know? Laci marveled. “Do you mind?”

“How daring do you want to be? Have you had seafood?”

“You mean like fish and stuff? I’ve had tuna fish plenty of times, and like when they have fish sticks at school and stuff.”

“You’ve never had scallops. How about you try scallops, nice and mild but excellent tasting.”

Laci shrugged. “I trust you to not gross me out. They aren’t like octopus or something gross like that?”

Karen laughed heartily. “No, scallops aren’t the seafood version of stewed bunny rabbit sweetheart.” Her eyes sparkled and the affection on her face was deep and genuine. God, I love this girl! “You know, baby girl, I’m really proud of you, very, very proud of you.”

Laci blushed but she wasn’t sure what Karen was talking about. “You are? Umm, why?”

“Back in the lobby a few minutes ago, when you and that boy bumped into each other. I saw and heard the whole thing. I heard you get angry and snap at him, and then apologize. That was pretty awesome, but then, when I asked you, you came right out and told me the truth, that it was you who bumped into him and then snapped at him, and that you apologized to him without being told you should. That’s not behavior anyone would expect from a girl your age. It was very mature, and I’m very proud of you for acting that way on your own. You probably made that boy’s ... day.” Day? That brief little encounter would stay with him a lot longer than it would Laci. Just by looking at him and touching his hand, Laci probably gave him a year’s worth of late night and long afternoon fantasies.

Laci’s chest tightened and she felt hot and tingly in a way that felt good but not sexual. She didn’t know how to respond. “I don’t like it when people feel bad, Karen,” she said at last, toying with the saltshaker. “‘Specially when it’s because of me. There’s no need for it. He looked like a nice kid, maybe it was his birthday or something, an’ I almost ruined it.”

Karen continued to look at Laci with bright, sparkling eyes and a pleased smile. “I don’t think you have to worry about ruining his day honey. But that’s one of the things that have always made you so special, and why I’m so proud of you.”

Laci was relieved when the server came to the table with a tray bearing their drinks. As she set them down, she said, “Good afternoon ladies, my name is Nancy and I’ll be your server. Have you had a chance to look over the menus, or would you like a few more minutes?” Laci felt babyish having Karen order for her, but she knew these things, so it was for the best.

“I think we’re ready,” Karen said as she watched Laci wrap her lips around her drink straw. It was a sight that unconsciously made Karen’s tummy clench and her heart speed up. She looked up at the server before she lost herself in her lover’s unconscious sensuality. The server looked like she might be a cute girl from the local liberal arts college working her way through school. “I’ll order for her,” Karen said, indicating Laci. “She’ll have the butter sautéed scallops, but go light on the garlic. And she’d like fries with that – we don’t want to push the culinary limits too far in one day.”

“OK,” Nancy said with a chuckle. “I get it.”

“I think we’ll share a roasted vegetable medley for our side. For me, I’ll have the veal Marsala. That comes with the mushroom risotto, correct?”

“Yes it sure does. Did you want an appetizer?”

Karen hesitated. “No, I think we’re all set.”

Karen sipped her wine and watched Laci drink through the straw. “What do you think of your root beer?” Karen asked. “Do you like it?”

“It’s different from the kind you get in the store, not as sweet, but I like it better.”