Read Online God In The Kitchen by Brooke Williams - Free Book Online
Authors: Brooke Williams
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asked, removing one of her shoes and rubbing her foot with her thumb.
“I mean they always give me four tickets but I only need one.” I didn’t want to admit that I never used any of the others unless my parents happened to come into town. And now, with my father gone, it was unlikely my mother would come for a rock concert any time soon.
“I don’t know…” Chloe said, a worried expression on her face.
“I have three tickets,” I tested. “You can bring someone else. Your husband…a boyfriend.”
Chloe looked at me with a shocked expression and stopped rubbing her foot. “No,” she said a little too quickly. “That’s not possible.”
I shrugged. She hadn’t exactly said there wasn’t anyone, but she had certainly made it clear that she didn’t want to invite him. If there was a “him.”
“It’s really nice of your to offer,” she said and I steeled myself to be turned down. “You’ve done so much for us already.”
“What the car?” I said. “That was nothing. You don’t even use it anyways.”
Chloe chuckled and I knew we were back on track. “If you only knew how much we really did use that thing.”
“I think I can tell,” I said, remembering that the old beater had hundreds of thousands of miles on it.
Chloe smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I asked.
“Okay, we’ll come. We might not be able to stay the whole time. Ian is probably going to be pretty tired. But I can’t pass this opportunity up for him. He’s never been to a concert.”
“Never?” I asked incredulous. It seemed preposterous to me since I attended them on a regular basis. “He hasn’t lived until he’s been to a concert!”
The sad look returned to Chloe’s face as I realized what I had said. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Chloe must have known what I was about to say. She held up her hand to stop me. “No,” she said in a quiet voice. “You’re right. He really has barely lived at all.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I left the diner that afternoon soaring and sad at the same time. I was ecstatic that I was going to see Chloe again. Not because I was interested in her, but because she really deserved a break from her everyday life. And I was excited that she was bringing Ian to the concert. I would get to see the little guy experience the bright lights and loud noises for the very first time.
As I sat in the back of the cab I had called to pick me up and take me back to the station, I thought about the arrangements I had made with Chloe. I would drop her tickets off at the will call window since I had to be inside to set up and we would meet in row 2 after I introduced the group on the stage.
It wasn’t an intimate setting. It wasn’t even a date. It was just me doing another favor for this mom, who I barely knew.
The cab driver turned on his left signal, which clacked noisily as if it needed its own muffler. I wondered why I wanted to do things for Chloe. What was it about her that brought out this side of me?
Apparently, I didn’t think it was enough to fix everything that was wrong on her car without her even asking. I had to invite her and her son to a concert as well and see if I could meddle any further.
I could still picture Ian’s wispy blonde hair and freckled face. His mother said he wasn’t going to have the second surgery he needed and for whatever reason, I needed to know why. I wanted to fix things for him. It wasn’t fair that I had gotten so many years on the planet and he had been allowed so
“I mean they always give me four tickets but I only need one.” I didn’t want to admit that I never used any of the others unless my parents happened to come into town. And now, with my father gone, it was unlikely my mother would come for a rock concert any time soon.
“I don’t know…” Chloe said, a worried expression on her face.
“I have three tickets,” I tested. “You can bring someone else. Your husband…a boyfriend.”
Chloe looked at me with a shocked expression and stopped rubbing her foot. “No,” she said a little too quickly. “That’s not possible.”
I shrugged. She hadn’t exactly said there wasn’t anyone, but she had certainly made it clear that she didn’t want to invite him. If there was a “him.”
“It’s really nice of your to offer,” she said and I steeled myself to be turned down. “You’ve done so much for us already.”
“What the car?” I said. “That was nothing. You don’t even use it anyways.”
Chloe chuckled and I knew we were back on track. “If you only knew how much we really did use that thing.”
“I think I can tell,” I said, remembering that the old beater had hundreds of thousands of miles on it.
Chloe smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I asked.
“Okay, we’ll come. We might not be able to stay the whole time. Ian is probably going to be pretty tired. But I can’t pass this opportunity up for him. He’s never been to a concert.”
“Never?” I asked incredulous. It seemed preposterous to me since I attended them on a regular basis. “He hasn’t lived until he’s been to a concert!”
The sad look returned to Chloe’s face as I realized what I had said. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Chloe must have known what I was about to say. She held up her hand to stop me. “No,” she said in a quiet voice. “You’re right. He really has barely lived at all.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I left the diner that afternoon soaring and sad at the same time. I was ecstatic that I was going to see Chloe again. Not because I was interested in her, but because she really deserved a break from her everyday life. And I was excited that she was bringing Ian to the concert. I would get to see the little guy experience the bright lights and loud noises for the very first time.
As I sat in the back of the cab I had called to pick me up and take me back to the station, I thought about the arrangements I had made with Chloe. I would drop her tickets off at the will call window since I had to be inside to set up and we would meet in row 2 after I introduced the group on the stage.
It wasn’t an intimate setting. It wasn’t even a date. It was just me doing another favor for this mom, who I barely knew.
The cab driver turned on his left signal, which clacked noisily as if it needed its own muffler. I wondered why I wanted to do things for Chloe. What was it about her that brought out this side of me?
Apparently, I didn’t think it was enough to fix everything that was wrong on her car without her even asking. I had to invite her and her son to a concert as well and see if I could meddle any further.
I could still picture Ian’s wispy blonde hair and freckled face. His mother said he wasn’t going to have the second surgery he needed and for whatever reason, I needed to know why. I wanted to fix things for him. It wasn’t fair that I had gotten so many years on the planet and he had been allowed so