He already knew what she sounded like when she whispered his name as she came, which was a pretty good indicator that she wanted him. All those things considered, he should’ve made more progress.
“I’m sorry, Lydi.”
Lydia smiled at him and brushed her fingertips over his lower lip. “It’s not only me that needs time, Clayton. You do, too. There’s nothing wrong with waiting. Is this all the canned goods?”
“Yes, this is all of them. What else can I do to help?”
“I need potatoes peeled, vegetables washed, and the table set for thirteen people. Can you handle that for me?”
“Sure.”
Clayton washed the vegetables and laid them out for her so she could get started and then set to peeling the potatoes. Once he was done he placed them in the huge pot of water that she had boiling on the stove.
She fiddled with the radio installed in the wall under one of the kitchen cabinets, and music began playing in the room.
Clayton watched with a little awe as she set to work in her kitchen. She prepared an aromatic marinade and placed skirt steaks for fajitas in it, then began preparing a hearty-looking vegetable side dish. She hummed along with Sugarland’s “Stuck on You” as she checked her bread dough resting in a large bowl on the back of the stove. He enjoyed watching as she sang along and danced to the beat, shaking her hips to the music. She was so “into” her tasks, Clayton wasn’t sure she was even aware of being observed. Once everything was rising, soaking, drying, or boiling, she went into the dining room to get the dishes they would need for supper.
“Clayton?” She called to him in the kitchen.
“Yeah, Lydi?”
When he came in the dining room, she was standing between the china cabinets. “Are these sets for special occasions? Who did they belong to? They are all vintage china and I don’t want to take a chance on using and possibly chipping dishes that are special. I didn’t think about this when we were in town.” She seemed concerned, and he wanted to put her mind at ease.
“Lydi, Grandma and Mom both believed in using the good china all the time. The women in my family didn’t stand on ceremony with possessions like that. They would want you to use them.”
“But if they are old and one of them gets chipped tonight I’d feel awful.”
“It wouldn’t be any big deal. That’s what Grandma would tell you. See?” He squatted down and opened up a cabinet door that concealed a large set of dishes stacked carefully inside. They were chipped and worn. “These were my great-grandmother’s. Once they got too chipped they were put away and new ones used. I want you to suit yourself.”
Together they removed the set of newer white-and-floral-trimmed dishes that had been his mom’s, and he began setting the table as she said, “I own a set of dishes that belonged to my grandma. Ace is storing them for me because I didn’t want to part with them when I went to school.”
“Planning on contacting him to get them?”
Lydia smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, just as soon as I figure out how to—”
The timer went off in the kitchen, and she hurried back in to check the oven. She moved efficiently from task to task, and he admired the way she took charge. She sighed happily as she put the hot bread inside its old-fashioned metal warmer on the table. The fajitas were sliced and resting in the warming oven, and everything else had just been removed from the heat to cool.
Lydia leaned back against the island in the center of the kitchen and smiled at him when he handed her an ice-cold beer from the fridge. The kitchen had heated up while she’d been working. She held the bottle to her neck and smiled at him as he leaned against the island next to her.
“You’re a good helper, Clayton. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Lydi.” The pleasure in watching her work her magic had definitely been his. She’d seemed very happy and in her element, and he’d drawn a lot of enjoyment from observing the efficient and energetic way she worked.
He also admitted to himself that he liked that she seemed to have taken to their home so easily. He hoped she didn’t retire immediately after supper like she’d done the night before but stayed up with them for just a bit instead. Besides meals, the three of them had not had any “downtime” since her arrival.
She placed her beer on the butcher-block island and, after a couple of seconds of hesitance, surprised him by putting her arms round him. He grinned and returned the gesture. He didn’t like clingy women, but he enjoyed very much that she was a hugger. Kissing the top of her head, he caught the lavender scent of her shampoo as he stroked her outer arms and her back.