Perfectly Adequate(20)

Dorothy bites her lips to keep from smiling. I blame Julie for his constant, “listen, listen, listen.” She always shushes him and tells him to listen. And in the process, she’s created a defiant little monster that tries to get his way by always interrupting me and telling me to listen, even when he has no follow-up to his chanting “listen.”

“I’m listening.”

Roman opens his eyes, and just as I anticipated … nothing.

“Do you have another bib?” Dorothy asks.

I nod. “It won’t matter which bib, he just doesn’t want any bib.”

“I want a bib. I want a bib like little Romeo’s bib.” She removes his bib and fastens it around her neck. It never would fit around my neck, but Dorothy is petite. And cute … and sexy.

Gah!

Yes, she’s sexy. And it’s the last thing I should think about with my son sitting just inches from me.

Roman studies her for a few seconds. “Daddy, I want a bib!”

Dorothy … Dorothy … Dorothy …

The girl with an old lady name, an uncensored tongue, and the most contagious grin has managed to flip my world on its side. Only, she thinks she’s here for a possible babysitting position, not a date. Things are complicated.

After retrieving a bib and serving up the pasta and salads, I take a seat on the other side of Roman. “So you live with your parents?”

“Yes. But it’s not like you probably think,” she mumbles over her food.

Dorothy eating with a Cookie Monster bib around her neck … I can’t stop grinning. It shouldn’t surprise me. After all, she abandoned a patient, risking her job, just to tell me she’s a vegetarian. My mind stopped speculating anything about her long before she arrived at my house.

“I have no thoughts on the matter.” I twirl spaghetti around my fork while eyeing her.

“My uncle died. Left me a lot of money. Since I lived at home well into my adult life, I decided when I got a place of my own the right thing to do would be to let my parents live with me. I bought some land with an existing house on it and added onto it so they could live with me without actually living with me. We share a kitchen and laundry room. That’s it.”

“More, Daddy! More sketti!” Roman reaches for my plate.

I dish part of my spaghetti into his bowl. “You like it?” I smile at him before shifting my focus to Dorothy. “I hope our guest likes it.”

She pats her mouth with her napkin, cheeks puffed out with a mouthful of pasta, and she nods. After she swallows, she takes a drink of her water. “It’s good. Not chunky or too spicy. And the water is good too. It doesn’t have a funky taste to it … just how I like it.”

I tap my bottom lip with my fork, eyeing her for a few seconds, holding back the full shit-eating grin I can’t seem to control.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing.” I shake my head, forcing myself to return my focus to my food. It’s hard to do because I love staring at her, waiting for her next look, her next smile, her next words.

We finish dinner and popsicles with Roman interrupting all attempts at conversation. Dorothy entertains his every murmur with enthusiasm. I expect nothing less from the woman who wears a bib for dinner.

“Little man, you can watch one show while I clean up the kitchen and talk with Dorothy.”

“Kratts! Dorfee, wanna watch Kratts?” Roman squirms as I wipe his face.

“Sure.” She grins while removing her bib.

“You don’t have to watch—”

“I love the Kratt Brothers. Show me the way, little Romeo.” She follows Roman as he runs to the living room.

“The remote is complicated. I’ll be in to turn it on in a—” Before I finish, the Kratts are already playing.

“I know my way around a remote, Dr. Hawkins.”

I nod, stealing a few more seconds to just … look at her. “Dorothy Mayhem …” I whisper on a content sigh as I collect the dirty dishes from the table.

Thirty minutes and one Kratt Brothers episode later, the kitchen is clean and Roman is ready for bed.

“Goodnight, Dorfee.” Roman yawns as I scoop him up and carry him up the stairs.

“Night, Romeo.”

“Dorfee has super pow-wows.” Roman’s smile beams, much like mine.

“Super powers? Really?” I tuck him under his covers.

“Yes! She can see my bones!”

“X-ray vision?”

Roman nods.

“That’s pretty cool.” I kiss all over his face until he giggles. “Night, buddy. I love you to the moon.”

“Night, Daddy.” He yawns again.

“Bye, Dr. Hawkins! Thanks for dinner,” Dorothy calls before I even get out of Roman’s bedroom.

Bye?

I run down the stairs, catching her just as she slips on her white shoes. “Whoa, wait! Leaving already?”

“Yeah. Did you need something else?”

Yes. I need more than five minutes alone with her that doesn’t involve cooking or Roman interrupting.

“We never discussed your emus.” I slip my hands into the front pockets of my jeans and lean against the cherry banister.

“Oh. Yeah.” She rests her hand on the front door handle, ready for a quick getaway as soon as the emus are explained.