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My Secret Ingredient
He was glad he was sitting down. “Wow.”
“You like?”
“I think you need to pinch me.”
“I do?” She looked down at her attire.
“I’m either dreaming or I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“That’s very nice of you to say.” She skipped over to him and pinched his furry cheek. “How’s that?”
“Well, I’m not asleep, but I’m not counting out the heaven angle. Wow, you look incredible. Are those sneakers autographed?”
She twirled and kicked her foot up to where she could grab her ankle. “It’s a factory stamp. The pair I have that she actually autographed for me are at home in a display case. Whoa!” She lost her balance and tumbled into his lap.
He caught her in his thick arms. She was splayed across this gentle giant, breathing in his cologne, feeling his warmth.
Their eyes met.
“Whoopsie daisy.” He said, lifting her to her feet as he stood. “That was a little awkward. Are you okay?”
‘Okay, points for gentlemanliness, but you could have given me a few more moments in the awkward embrace.’ She straightened her jersey. “Yeah, I guess I forgot to warn you I failed out of ballet class.”
He smirked. “Important safety tip. I’ll keep it in mind.” He looked around the room for her coat.
“Ready to go shopping?”
“Huh? Oh, sure. I heard that Dad is on some kind of pecan pie kick. That saves us guessing.”
“Pecan? I haven’t had that in quite a while.” She ducked into the bathroom to retrieve the stack of folded clothes, which she slid into a laundry bag. “Let me grab my coat and we’ll get going.”
“I’m with you.”
“I’m glad.” She said. ‘Did I say that out loud?’
“So am I.” Toby said over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
‘Oh, wow. This is big. This is huge. We’re actually here.’ Meredith focused on her breathing. It wouldn’t take much to tip her into a full-blown panic attack. “Is that your house?”
“Well, not mine exactly, but it’s where I grew up. I’ve got money stocked away for a down payment, but…”
“But what’s a house without someone to share it?”
“Exactly. I’m not as brave as you.”
She turned to see him looking at her. “Brave?”
“Well, yeah. All by yourself in the big city. Exciting career.”
“Believe me, it’s not half as glamorous as you make it sound.”
“If I’m being honest, I can’t imagine there’s anything about you that isn’t glamorous.”
“Even after I fell on you?”
“Okay, that wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it wasn’t horrible.” He smiled.
The cold of this little mountain town had been creeping into her bones throughout the trip, but the sight of that cherubic smile warmed her to the depths of her soul. “That’s good because, if I’m being honest, I did it on purpose.”
“Why would you do that?” He seemed to be studying her.
“Better not keep them waiting. They might think something’s going on in here.” She grinned impishly and bolted out of the car.
He shook his head in amazement and got out. “Hey, don’t forget the pie.”
“Whoopsie daisy.” She said with a giggle. “I’ve got the whipped cream, silly. You bring the pie.”
He pulled the pie from the floor behind his seat and locked the car. “Ready?”
She looked up the path to the front door apprehensively. “Will you hold my hand?”
“Gladly.” He switched the pie to his left hand and reached out to her.
Her heart was pounding. She could lapse into a complete meltdown over a situation like this. She’s crumbled under less intense conditions too many times before.
She took his big, warm hand and forgot about the stress and fear. She finally felt as brave as he said she was.
The front door opened and his mom beckoned them in. Her blonde hair was fading to silver, but she had a round face like Toby’s.
“Mom, this is Ivy’s friend, Meredith Blake.”
“Nice to meet you, dear. You can call me Irene. This is my husband, Stan.” She shook Meredith’s hand and pulled her gently into the house. “Can I take your coat for you?”
“Hey, kids.” Dad waved from his easy chair.
“Hey, Dad. We brought pecan pie and whipped cream.”
“Wow, looks, manners and good taste. Please marry her.” He turned the page of his newspaper.
Toby’s blush spread from his cheeks to his neck and ears. “Okay, Dad. I’ll check with her later. We’re going to go package up some of my collection to show at Frank’s house?”
“Frank who?”
“Hannon. He’s going to be Ian’s brother-in-law.”
“He’s into all that stuff?”
“Seems like.” Toby shook his head. “Oh, Mom, do we have any of those storage totes?”
“Sure, honey. There are some empty ones in the attic, I think.”
“That meatloaf smells incredible.” Meredith said.
“Ah, you noticed my secret ingredient.” Irene said with a smile every bit as cherubic as her son’s. “Meatloaf isn’t meatloaf without shawarma seasoning in it.”
“Mom’s got the best meatloaf in Wyoming Pass. Let’s go find that box.” Toby said. ‘Before my dad embarrasses me to death.’
Meredith followed him up the stairs as she listened to his mom light into her husband. “Stanley Belzer. What kind of thing is that to say?”
“Is he always that direct?”
“Yeah, that’s Dad all over. I love him to death, but he’s got no filter whatsoever.”
“Honesty is an appealing trait.”
“Agreed, but it’s a case of too much of a good thing. That’s my room. That’s their room. Here’s the attic entrance.” He opened the door and ascended another flight of stairs with her tight on his heels.
“Do you want me to turn on my flashlight?” She asked.
“No, I can see them. Let me grab one quick and we’ll go take a look at my collection.”
She stood a few stairs down from the top, waiting for him to wrestle a plastic box free from the stack. “Toby?”
“Ooh, got it. Meri?”
‘Do you want to marry me?’ She descended a few steps. “Can I give you a hand?”
“No, it’s pretty light. Watch out, so I don’t bonk you in the head. We’ll both have dumb-looking bandages on for the wedding.”