The Freshman Tease ✓

18. Goodnight

Katie

I realize we don't have any pet supplies for Glitter, "Alright Belle, let's take a trip to the pet store so Glitter has everything she needs for tonight, It's her first sleepover!"

"Ok!" she says excitedly. I help her put on her coat and we head to the nearest pet store.

After we get back to the penthouse, I plop everything onto the living room floor. Toys, food and water bowls, a bed, litterbox, and a playpen. I was a bit lost at first but the person at the store was really helpful.

"Alright Belle, what shall we do for dinner?" 

"Mac and cheese!" she shouts excitedly.

I chuckle, "Sounds good."

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"Mixy mixy mix," Belle sings to herself.

She's standing on a kitchen chair, using a big wooden spoon to mix together the sauce and macaroni noodles. "You're really good at cooking for someone your age," I praise.

She beams.

I help scoop the contents of the pot into a casserole dish. Belle sprinkles breadcrumbs on top, and I put it in the oven. "Ok, 20 minutes," I tell her.

We go into the living room. Belle takes out a colouring book and some crayons from her backpack. She flops onto the floor on her stomach and starts colouring. I put together the playpen and place Glitter in it, and set out food and water for her.

Soon the timer on my phone goes off. I grab some oven mitts and take the dish out of the oven. I bring the food to the dining table.

"Katie?" Belle asks quietly.

I look at her and try not to laugh, "Oh my gosh."

She's so tiny her chin is barely above the table when she sits. She's surprisingly small for a four year old. "Hm, do you know if Jason happens to have any booster seats?" I ask, hopefully.

She shakes her head.

I improvise and stack firm cushions onto her chair, and tie them to the chair to avoid risking her toppling over. I pick her up and place her onto the stack. "It's like a throne for a princess right?" I laugh, silently praying she doesn't manage to fall off.

We talk while we eat. Her manners are good, she never talks when her mouth is full, and she says please and thank you. To be fair, the bar is set pretty low for 4 year olds. "Jay Jay doesn't have a lot of not girlfriend girl friends," she says.

It takes me a second to decipher what she meant. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, he always just has new girlfriends."

"Do you know how many he's had?" I ask. I don't know if I really want to know the answer to that.

"Hm, I'm not good at counting yet but I remember Sarah, Megan, Leah.."

Her list continues, I count six. It doesn't seem like a ton, until I remember Belle is only four and she probably only remembers a year or two of girls. I try not to show too much of a reaction, I don't want to think about it too much, even though it hurts a little.

After dinner, Belle and I go into the theatre room. We watch a cute animated movie, the plot and characters are kind of ridiculous. I suppose that's why it's meant for kids.

After the movie, I bring Belle into the bathroom and help her with her bath. I fill the tub with bubbles and she has a blast. As I'm supervising her, I get a text from Jason.