Full Count

five

"You don't live far from me at all." AJ says following me to my front door.

"Never said I did, but you never asked." I say walking into my house. "Just warning you my mom is home though."

"No really? I just thought your dads car was sitting in the driveway and he was home."

I look at him and for a second he looks like he regrets what he said, but then I laugh and he lets out a sigh of relief.

"Holy shit." I say between breathes trying to calm down. "That's probably one of the funniest things you've said."

"I really thought you were gonna get mad."

"Yeah I'm not as sensitive as the girls you get with."

"Eventually you're gonna be a girl that wants me so stop attacking yourself."

"Yeah okay bud."

I look at Annabelle and smile. "You ready to make some cookies?"

She smiles. "Are we making them right now?"

"Yes right now. Come on cookies can't wait another second." I grab her hand and lead her into the kitchen while AJ follows us both.

"So while me and Annabelle make cookies here," I start as I'm turning towards AJ. "You need to sit at the table and finish that third paragraph."

"Yes ma'am." He says walking over to the table and taking a seat.

If there wasn't a child around I'd have a few choice words to say, but I keep them to myself and turn my attention back to Annabelle. "So you wanna make chocolate chip cookies?"

She shakes her head yes really fast.

"Well lets see if I have all the the things to make cookies." I start looking around in the cabinets and pantry to see if we have everything to even make the cookies and happily we do.

I eventually have everything on the counter that we need, well almost.

"Katie you're missing the most important part?"

I look at Annabelle. "What do you mean?"

"There's no chocolate chips out silly."

"I think they're in the pantry. Why don't you go look." I tell her. I remember my favorite part of making cookies with my dad was carrying the chocolate chip cookies from the pantry to the counter and then putting them in the batter so I thought I'd let Annabelle do it.

Before Annabelle comes back from the pantry with the chocolate chips as my mom walks down from upstairs for the first time. Her hair is up in a tight ponytail and she's wearing work clothes which means she's probably doing a double at the hospital which is completely normal since dad died. "Katie, I didn't know you had company over." She says.

"Yeah it was last minute, but they're here." I respond as Annabelle walks up to the counter with chocolate chips.

"Here you go," she says handing them to me.

"Well are you going to introduce me to them or are you gonna make me do it myself?" She asks.

I sigh and point at AJ. "Mom that's Alexander James Wilson, but everyone calls him AJ. And then this," I say pointing at Annabelle. "Is his little sister Annabelle."

Something in moms head clicks and she goes, "AJ Wilson I've heard that name before somewhere."

"John and Jones have talked about him for years because he plays ball."