Morphine

Chapter Forty Three

Marceline Anne preheated the oven and pushed her sleeves on her sweater up.

Malcolm leaned against the island lazily. "Do you need help?"

She said nothing at first. "I did say that we should cook together."

He nodded. "You did."

"Do you know how to make breadsticks?"

He shook his head. "No."

"We can make it together. The dough has to rise so we should make it first."

He smiled.

She chewed on the inside of her bottom lip to keep from smiling back but little did she know, light entered her eyes and the corners of her mouth turned up.

They stared at each other for a long while before the beeping from the oven letting them know it was fully preheated startled them.

She sniffed and turned from him. "I left out everything we're going to need for everything. Can you hand me flour, yeast, water and eggs?"

M-

Malcolm sniffed the air. "That smells really good."

"Thank you." Marceline Anne added cream to her sauce.

"Can I try it?" He really wanted to try it.

"It's not cooked yet. It's not even fully mixed." She gave him an amused look.

He pouted.

She eyed what she was doing but smiled widely. "I think it's time for you to go get Maddie."

"She loves that name."

"So does your mom."

He liked that she could please his family by just being her. "I'll go get her. Am I picking up Karen's sister?"

"No. Karen's bringing her."

"I thought Karen was taking driver's training?"

"DT is only a semester long. She's done. Besides, she's sixteen. She's going to take her driver's test to get her license Monday."

"I hate that I have to wait all the way until October."

"Youngin..."

He lifted a brow.

"Get on, whippersnapper." She eyed him defiantly.

He maintained eye contact as he straightened.

Her eyes lightened but also seemed to change shades completely. They looked more aquamarine than straight green.

He wondered what emotion that was. "I'll go. But I'll be back."

Her left brow lifted.

He left, wondering how soon they could put the kids to bed and have their own sleepover.

She chewed on her bottom lip before tending to her sauce. She put the chicken thighs and breasts back into the skillet and spooned sauce from the edges onto the chicken.

The whole time she was thinking that she couldn't wait until the girls went to bed that night.

M-

Malcolm closed the door behind himself. "So what do you think you should do?"

Madeline unbuttoned her peacoat with a pout. "Ignore her."

They had been discussing her bullying problem on the way to the house.

He wished he had something to tell her. He'd dealt with his bullies with violence but then again, he was male and so had been his bullies. "Have you told Mom or Dad?"