Page 144 of Under Her Skin

I open the door and find Peyton and Pax standing at the door with a bag full of something. “Morning.”

Peyton comes in as I stand back and Pax grabs my leg and hugs it. “Hewo, AuntChewi.”

Pax’s little Elmer Fud speech impediment is too cute. I pick him up and hug him tight. “Hello to you too, Mr. Paxie Poo!” I leave a kiss on his chubby cheek and hegiggles.

Peyton is unloading the bag of breakfast on my little table. “I picked up omelets for us and pancakes for my bigboy.”

“How sweet,” I say as I take Pax and place him in a chair at the table and grab us some orange juices out of the fridge. “What’s theoccasion?”

Peyton gives me a look that tells me to cut the bullshit. “Duh! The big date. I want details,Shell.”

I sit down and open the Styrofoam lid and check out the food. Presentation is appalling, but the green and red bell peppers are yummy looking. I take a bite and grab a little cup of the salsa to add toit.

“Not much to tell,” I finally say as Peyton stares at me. “I won’t be doing that again for a long time. If everagain.”

“The guy an ass or what?”Peyton asks as she cuts up Pax’s pancakes and he runs his fingers in the syrup and licks them. “Really Pax? You couldn’t wait for Mommy to helpyou?”

He shakes his little blonde head and smiles as he continues to lick his chubby, little fingers. “Mmmmm,” hemoans.

“The guy was nice. He’s great really. I’m not ready, that’s all,” I say and take another bite of myfood.

“Call him, Shell,” Peyton says then takes a bite of her eggs and makes a face then grabs three cups of salsa and some cheese and dumps them all over the omelet. She takes another bite and nods. “Not nearly as good as yours, but what can I do? You won’t come work for us, so I’m forced to eatcrap.”

“I’ve had worse. Thank you, by the way. And call who?” I ask as I get up and get a wet cloth to de-sticky youngPax.

“Don’t act as if you have no idea who I’m talking about. You don’t fool me. So, if the date went bad, why not callBlake?”

“Because I didn’t tell you this because it’s humiliating,” I sit back down and take Pax’s hand and try to clean it as he tugs it, trying to place it back in the syrup. “I texted him, telling him that I was sorry and he never responded. I messed up too bad this last time. He’s done withme.”

“I can’t believe you kept that a secret, Shell. I could’ve asked Kip to make sure Blake got the message. There is a chance he didn’t get it, you know.” She takes another bite and makes a face. “Please come work for us or at least teach me tocook.”

“I’ll teach you to cook,” I say and she frowns. “I know you’d rather pay me to do it, but you should learn anyway. Never know when you may need the skill of cooking to take care of your growing little family youknow.”

“Well, text him again. Just say you wanted to see if he was having a nice day or something like that. It doesn’t have to be any more than a friendly reminder you still walk this Earth.” Peyton got up to get another wet cloth to clean her son up with. “Remind me to never give this child anything with syrup everagain.”

“Syrup!” Pax shouts and puts his hand back in the sticky liquid. “Yummy!”

I laugh and say, “Another real treat is how he’s going to be bouncing off the walls once that sugar hits him. You will be leaving soon, won’tyou?”

“Not a chance.We plan to hang out with you the whole day. I have noticed your eyes are a little swollen. Is that because the movie you saw was a tear jerker?” she asks me with a knowinglook.

“Sure, that’s why,” I say. “It definitely isn’t because I cried all the way home and half the night. That would be pathetic and I’m anything but that.Right?”

“You aren’t pathetic, Shelly. Stubborn, bull headed, but not pathetic. So why not give Blake a little shout out?” Peyton picks Pax up and surveys the syrupy damage. “I’m afraid I need to borrow yourbathtub.”

We make our way to clean the kid up and I say, “I can’t take the rejection again. It’s too much for me to handle. With all the emotional turmoil of last night, I don’t want another day of stomach pain and burning eyes. It’s best to leave it all alone. One day I’ll get overhim.”

“Bet you don’t. I thought the same thing about Kip. There I was pregnant and way too proud and stubborn to even let him know he was going to be a father. I thought I had it all handled. Did I cry most nights? Well, sure I did, but I wasn’t going to let him know I missed him and needed him.” Peyton strips the clothes off her wigglykid.

I turn on the water and pour some bubbles in it for him. I have some bubbles for when I babysit him on the rare occasions they need me to. Pax points and laughs at the bubble on the label that has a smile on itsface.

“Bubbles! Yea! I wuv bubbles!” Pax climbs into the bathtub on his own and starts blowing the bubbles off his littlehand.

The noise of the water has us shouting to be heard over it and the delighted screams Pax is making as he plays with the magnificent invention, thebubble.

“So didyou let the Brit kiss you?” sheasks.

I nod. “It was notgood.”