These Paths We Tread (Autobot x OC)

XXXVI. Little Talks

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“I see you had a good time last night,” Sarah Lennox grinned, a twinkle in her eye while she wipes baby food from Annabelle's mouth. She then picked up a plate next to her and spooned scrambled eggs onto it before handing it over to the welcoming hands of the redhead, whose face was lit brightly with a smile. Catherine gave loving thanks as she sat down and took her first bite. As usual, the blonde-haired woman was the embodiment of perfection when it came to cooking.

“Yes, I did, actually. More so than I’ve had in a very long time,” she laughed, taking another bite. “Sorry I missed dinner by the way. You know I always love your cooking—it’s the best.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Although, I was hoping maybe Sam was your boyfriend. Oh, don't give me that face—Sam explained things and I’m happy you two finally made up. He didn’t say what exactly happened, but it seems like things are alright, so I suppose it doesn’t matter all that much anymore,” the older woman hummed, shuffling the last of the eggs onto the other plate and picking up her own fork.

Catherine nodded with a mischievous look to her eyes, “Yeah. I’ve forgiven him, but if he plans to make it up, I don’t plan on stopping him. Oh, by the way, is it okay if he comes tomorrow?”

“Sure! He’s welcome here any time he wants. A friend of yours is a friend of ours.”

“Thanks!” the redhead laughed, but paused as she glanced around, noticing the absence of a certain father figure. “Where’s Lennox, by the way? I figured he’d be eating with us.”

“Ah. Well, someone has to take care of the horses, and it’s not going to be you or his cousin who’s off for the break, so that leaves my husband. He’s to make up for when you were last here, anyways.”

The redhead snickered, “Sweet revenge! Don’t be too hard on him. This is his break, too, after all.”

“Oh, I know. He always finishes up pretty early, and we figured we might go out shopping around lunch.”

“Nice. Wait—how about you guys go on a date or something?” Catherine spoke up, and Sarah looked at her curiously. “Yeah! You and Lennox should go out to a fancy place tonight. I’ll look after Annabelle and everything! I’ve taken care of three of the most annoying dogs ever, so she shouldn’t be too hard. She goes to bed around eight anyways, right?”

Sarah paused to think, “Well… A date would be nice… What kind of dogs were they?”

“Huskies. Friggin’ Huskies. I don’t know if you’ve ever had any, but they’re basically little kids.”

“Hmm… What do you think Annie?” the blonde woman smiled, lifting up her little girl and rubbing their noses together. “Would you like Catherine to watch you tonight? I think she’ll be up to it if I show her exactly what to do.”

Annabelle giggled happily, flailing her arms with bright eyes, and both women couldn’t help laughing with her. Sarah then settled the baby on her hip and, turning toward Catherine, nodded.

“Alright. It’s a deal. She honestly doesn’t need all that much to get her to sleep, so I’ll just give you the rundown before Will and I leave.”

“Alright! You get a nice date with your husband, Annabelle gets bonding time with me, and I get the house to myself. Tonight is going to be fantastic!” Catherine grinned, winking mischievously and getting a laugh from the older woman. “Naw, but seriously; I’ll keep everything nice and tidy. I mean, with Lennox doing all the chores, I’ll just have to put Annie to bed and just listen for if she wakes up, right?”