Just a Kiss

Chapter 9

Idina awoke to the smell of French toast and bacon. She looked down and realized she was in her bed. Rolling out of the queen sized bed, she went into the bathroom and got ready for the day. Still in her pajama pants and tank top she walked downstairs. As she walked into the kitchen she saw Tracie cooking. Tracie looked up at her and smiled, handing her a cup of coffee. Idina took it from her and smiled, taking a drink. She looked over into the living room and saw Chelsea and Shelby still passed out on the floor. Shaking her head, Idina took another drink of her coffee.

"Good morning, Idina," Tracie said cheerfully.

"Morning, Tracie," Idina replied and sat at the island. "You didn't have to cook, you know. I was planning on doing it."

"Eh. I thought I could do you a small favor for bringing us out here. Oh, by the way, here." Tracie handed Idina her iPhone. "It hasn't stopped ringing since I woke up."

Idina took her phone and saw that she had ten missed calls from Tom and one from Dawn. She closed her eyes in frustration, counting to thirty. She loved the man to death but he knew she wanted her space at the moment so why did he keep calling her? The dark haired woman unlocked her phone and decided to call Dawn back. Her oldest daughter answered after three rings.

"Hello?" Dawn answered.

"Hey, sweetheart, you called?" Idina took another drink of her coffee.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you were okay," Dawn said, stifling a yawn.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Just a little stressed. Is everything okay at the house? Is your father mad I just walked out?" Tracie looked over at Idina with a confused look on her face. Idina's facial expression was enough to tell Tracie she'd explain later.

"Everything's fine. And I think dad was shocked more than anything when you walked out. But I think he's also sad. He was watching RENT last night after dinner." Dawn explained.

"He was?" A small twang of guilt sudden built on her chest.

"Yeah. It was really weird. During dinner he didn't say a word to me then he cleaned up the dishes and watched RENT when he was done. I think he's mad at himself for whatever he did to you," Dawn said, unable to hide her yawn this time.

"Did I wake you up, Dawn?" Idina asked.

"No. I've been up for a while," Dawn lied quickly, not wanting to make her mother feel guilty.

"Dawn," Idina's voice was stern.

"Okay, yeah. I didn't get much sleep last night. I was worrying about you and dad. I don't want you two to get a divorce... I want you to fix whatever happened and I think Shelby does too," Dawn's voice turned shaky, which didn't go unnoticed by her mother.

"Oh, sweetheart," Idina spoke softly. "Don't worry about your father and I. Everything will be alright between us. Every relationship has its ups and downs. This will blow over soon."

"Promise?" Dawn's voice was a whisper.

"I promise, honey. Now get Loki and go back to sleep. You can wait a while before doing your chores. If your father asks, which he probably won't, just tell him that I told you that you didn't have to do them," Idina said, looking out the window at the lake.

"Yes, mom," Dawn said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dawn. Now go back to bed. I'll see you at the end of the weekend," Idina said before ending the call.

She proceeded to finish the rest of her coffee and got another cup. What was with her children thinking she and Tom were going to get a divorce? Well, they had never fought this much in a short amount of time before. But that was mostly because Idina wasn't home often due to being at the Gershwin or recording songs or being out in Colorado with her sister and mother. Usually she was levelheaded and easy to talk to but apparently being hormonal because of her pregnancy had changed her attitude dramatically. It also didn't help that even though her husband knew she was stressed, he didn't make things easier. Yes, he was a goofball and yes she loved him for it but he needed to act his age sometimes. Idina groaned and put her head in her hands.