Read Online Losing the Ice (Ice Series #2) by Jennifer Comeaux - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Comeaux
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onto chairs at the kitchen table.
“Dinner will be ready in a minute,” I said loudly to clear the shakiness in my voice.
“You go feed the little ones,” Mrs. Cassar said. “And keep your chin up. You’ll hear from Joshua soon.”
“Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”
“Of course. I’d do anything for you two.”
I thanked her again and put the phone on the granite island. After straining the noodles, I mixed the cheese powder with butter and milk and tossed everything together. Em had left meals in the freezer for me to heat up while she and Sergei were in China, but I had run out, so I’d made one of the few dishes my limited cooking skills could handle.
Alex dove into his bowl, but Quinn just stared at hers.
“This don’t look like Mommy’s mac and cheese,” she said.
That’s because Mommy is a gourmet cook who makes the pasta from scratch and grates the cheese herself.
“It’s different, but it’s still yummy,” I said.
She wrinkled her nose and peered closer at the bowl. “Why it orange?”
“Just try it. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“It’s good,” Alex said with a mouthful of noodles.
“See? Trust your brother,” I said.
Quinn shook her head, bouncing her blond curls. “I don’t like it.”
“You haven’t even tasted it.”
“I don’t wanna taste it.” She folded her arms. “It’s yucky.”
I dropped my fork into my bowl with a loud clatter. I had enough problems in my life without dealing with a four-year-old’s stubbornness.
“Quinn, you’re not getting anything else to eat unless you try it, so either taste it or go hungry.”
She continued to pout, not moving an inch. Meanwhile, Alex couldn’t get the food into his mouth fast enough.
“If you don’t eat, you’re not watching the movie later,” I said. “Alex and I will watch it together, and you’ll be up in your room all by yourself.”
Her bottom lip began to quiver.
“Uh-uh,” I said. “The waterworks aren’t going to get you anywhere, Missy. You know your mommy and daddy wouldn’t fall for it.”
The doorbell rang, and I kept an eye on the table as I went to answer the door. I didn’t trust Quinn not to shovel some of her dinner into Alex’s bowl to make it look like she had eaten it. I’d caught her doing that once. I looked through the front window, and my heart leapt at the sight of Josh on the front porch.
I opened the door, and he greeted me with a quiet, “Hey.”
“Josh!” Quinn cried before I could get a word out.
Her chair scraped the tile floor, and I whipped around. “Do not move from that table until you start eating.”
“Bad time?” Josh asked.
I looked back at him and motioned for him to come inside. “Quinn’s insisting her dinner is yucky without even trying it.”
He walked into the kitchen and leaned over Quinn’s shoulder. “You don’t want mac and cheese? That’s the best.”
I observed him closely. He looked and sounded more relaxed. More like himself.
“You want some?” I asked. “I have extra.”
“Sure.”
He sat beside me with his bowl, and Quinn watched as he chewed and hummed with satisfaction.
“You don’t know what you’re missing, Quinn,” he said.
I smiled at hearing him tease her. Whatever he’d been up to the past week, it had definitely helped.
Quinn picked up her fork and poked at the noodles, and I reminded her, “You just have to try it, and you’ll be able to watch the movie with us.”
“You stay for the movie, Josh?” she asked.
He turned to me with expectant eyes, and I took that as another good sign. A week ago he would have avoided hanging out with the twins.
“You’re welcome to stay if you feel up to it. We’re watching WALL-E ,” I said.
“I’d love to,” he said.
“Yay!” Quinn scooped up a few noodles and put them in her mouth. “Now can I watch the movie?”
“Chew and swallow, please,” I said.
She did as I asked and went back for more.
“Not so yucky, is it?” I said and
“Dinner will be ready in a minute,” I said loudly to clear the shakiness in my voice.
“You go feed the little ones,” Mrs. Cassar said. “And keep your chin up. You’ll hear from Joshua soon.”
“Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”
“Of course. I’d do anything for you two.”
I thanked her again and put the phone on the granite island. After straining the noodles, I mixed the cheese powder with butter and milk and tossed everything together. Em had left meals in the freezer for me to heat up while she and Sergei were in China, but I had run out, so I’d made one of the few dishes my limited cooking skills could handle.
Alex dove into his bowl, but Quinn just stared at hers.
“This don’t look like Mommy’s mac and cheese,” she said.
That’s because Mommy is a gourmet cook who makes the pasta from scratch and grates the cheese herself.
“It’s different, but it’s still yummy,” I said.
She wrinkled her nose and peered closer at the bowl. “Why it orange?”
“Just try it. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“It’s good,” Alex said with a mouthful of noodles.
“See? Trust your brother,” I said.
Quinn shook her head, bouncing her blond curls. “I don’t like it.”
“You haven’t even tasted it.”
“I don’t wanna taste it.” She folded her arms. “It’s yucky.”
I dropped my fork into my bowl with a loud clatter. I had enough problems in my life without dealing with a four-year-old’s stubbornness.
“Quinn, you’re not getting anything else to eat unless you try it, so either taste it or go hungry.”
She continued to pout, not moving an inch. Meanwhile, Alex couldn’t get the food into his mouth fast enough.
“If you don’t eat, you’re not watching the movie later,” I said. “Alex and I will watch it together, and you’ll be up in your room all by yourself.”
Her bottom lip began to quiver.
“Uh-uh,” I said. “The waterworks aren’t going to get you anywhere, Missy. You know your mommy and daddy wouldn’t fall for it.”
The doorbell rang, and I kept an eye on the table as I went to answer the door. I didn’t trust Quinn not to shovel some of her dinner into Alex’s bowl to make it look like she had eaten it. I’d caught her doing that once. I looked through the front window, and my heart leapt at the sight of Josh on the front porch.
I opened the door, and he greeted me with a quiet, “Hey.”
“Josh!” Quinn cried before I could get a word out.
Her chair scraped the tile floor, and I whipped around. “Do not move from that table until you start eating.”
“Bad time?” Josh asked.
I looked back at him and motioned for him to come inside. “Quinn’s insisting her dinner is yucky without even trying it.”
He walked into the kitchen and leaned over Quinn’s shoulder. “You don’t want mac and cheese? That’s the best.”
I observed him closely. He looked and sounded more relaxed. More like himself.
“You want some?” I asked. “I have extra.”
“Sure.”
He sat beside me with his bowl, and Quinn watched as he chewed and hummed with satisfaction.
“You don’t know what you’re missing, Quinn,” he said.
I smiled at hearing him tease her. Whatever he’d been up to the past week, it had definitely helped.
Quinn picked up her fork and poked at the noodles, and I reminded her, “You just have to try it, and you’ll be able to watch the movie with us.”
“You stay for the movie, Josh?” she asked.
He turned to me with expectant eyes, and I took that as another good sign. A week ago he would have avoided hanging out with the twins.
“You’re welcome to stay if you feel up to it. We’re watching WALL-E ,” I said.
“I’d love to,” he said.
“Yay!” Quinn scooped up a few noodles and put them in her mouth. “Now can I watch the movie?”
“Chew and swallow, please,” I said.
She did as I asked and went back for more.
“Not so yucky, is it?” I said and
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