Chloe looked down at her baby bump. She tried to smile in between her stomach lurching and her need to devour food as if there was nothing more coming. Wearing clothes other than her stretched out sweat pants and Gill’s extra-large t-shirts left feeling dumpy and out of style. Not that her current outfit helped either. Her bright yellow nightshirt covered by the worn hot pink bathrobe she found in the thrift store two towns over along with her mismatched slippers left no impression of her concern with dressing up or doing more than relaxing.
She held up the huge mug of peppermint tea and inhaled. Wonderful smells greeted her as she inhaled deeper. Another batch of chocolate chip cookies baked in the oven. Three dozen in, she’d called Louie for more ingredients. An array of nuts, chocolate morsels, and other baking items littered the counter taking up the back half of the kitchen wall. The cookies sold almost as fast as she could make them. Of course, her taste testing took up a half dozen setting in her stomach, which seemed to growl with every bite. Next to the mixing bowl holding the next batch waiting to take its place on the baking pans cooling on top of the oven, sat a half-eaten sandwich. Cashew butter and peppermint apple jam. Grandma Fuller, bless her heart, sent a case as soon as word reached the relatives in California.
Cravings hadn’t started yet. Zivia offered recipes for sauerkraut and haggis stew. Chloe thanked her for the recipe. Neither she nor Gill ate meat. There was this yen for jalapenos and salsa that crept up on her late last night. Half way through the super-sized bag of tortilla chips and the second jar of picante salsa, Gill caught her munching down watching bad late night movies. So much for Sunday afternoon football game viewing with munchies unless Bettina got Louie to haul more with him.
Chloe yawned as the front door of the mayoral mansion creaked open. She didn’t need to breathe too deeply to know Gill was home. The rustle and crinkle said he carried bags. Blackie and her brood along with the male she’d taken up with needed food and kitty litter. Milk and bread along with other breakfast items topped the list she’d sent Gill out with. Maybe now she could take that nap she’d been avoiding. Gods and Goddess, the little ones were demanding and snagging up her remaining energy left and right.
Twenty minutes later, Gill tossed the afghan Miss Ellie sent home with him over Chloe. Her mismatched sleepers peaked out from under the couch. Her soft snores told him their brood to be and his bride slumbered. Gill trotted back to the kitchen and began scooping cookie dough on to the baking sheets. Setting a timer and checking the cookies doneness, he could handle. As he waited for the timer to ring, he unpacked the packet of work he’d brought from the council meeting he attended. Who knew that settling down appeared to suit him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Weekend Gang!
Gill's adjustment to domestic life continues. Chloe is facing adjustment to her pregnancy. I've heard rumors that quadruplets may lurk in the background of Gill's heritage. Either way, Chloe's baby bump is growing.
Help me decide her due date:
9 months
12 months
10 months
or your suggestion
The winner will receive a walk on role in a blog post in the future.
Until next week,
Solara
3 comments:
Brood to be, I love that!
Don't tell me Chloe's caught the "litter bug."
These quiet, domestic moments are a sweet change of pace from the usual high-energy hijinks of the rest of the cast. Excellent work.
Absolutely a wonderful counterbalance to life in Talbot's Peak, as Pat said. Family time certainly suits Gil.
And, gosh, I wish some of those chocolate chip cookies would suddenly appear in my world. For real. ~Smiles~
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