Homeless Heart

Chapter 28

Lizzie

My mother opened the door in her Kiss the Cook apron, and her long auburn hair pulled up in a bun with a little flour on her face. I loved my parents. I would show Phin what it was like to have happy parents and hoped he'd learn that not all parents were like his.

Mom's face was a little shocked when she saw Phin at first, but she recovered well. Her mouth quickly snapped closed, and her smile returned to her lips. I am not sure if she was shocked by how attractive he was, or how young. I had warned her, but he is pretty stunning. He had that effect on most women.

I broke the silence. "Mom, this is Phin. Phin, this is my mom, Eve."

Mom snapped out of it and offered him her hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Phin. Sorry, my hands are covered in flour." She stepped away to allow us to enter. "I'm just finishing baking a cake." We followed her into the kitchen as she hummed a nondescript tune.

Phin was tightly holding my hand, and I thought he was going to cut the circulation off. I mouthed at him, "relax." He winked at me as he slightly released his grip and gave me a very nervous grin—no sign of the dimple. We followed Mom through to the kitchen, and it was a mess. Flour and baking accessories everywhere, and one of the cakes sitting on the cooling rack. My mother, like me, could also be quite messy, especially when she baked.

Mom went to the oven. "Phin, would you like something to drink? I hope you like coconut because I made my signature coconut cake. Many people don't like coconut, but it's one of my specialties." Mom was nervous talking, we had this in common, so I decided to help her out.

"Mom, why don't you make us some tea? We could both use a cup. It's a bit cold outside." I walked Phin over to the stools at the end of the island in the middle of the kitchen. We made ourselves comfortable, and I hoped everyone would relax.

Phin still hadn't said much; my mother just kept talking at both of us. I was looking out the window trying to see my dad. I'm a daddy's girl through and through, so Phin meeting my dad would never be easy. Dad had always given the few men I'd been brave enough to bring home a hard time. They both hated Greg. I laughed to myself, remembering the time he was cleaning his gun when we came over for dinner.

"Mom, where's Daddy?"

Mom stopped her cleaning and motioned over her shoulder. "He's in the back garden doing some stuff I've been begging him to do for ages."

Mom wasn't dumb. She was keeping Dad busy, so she could figure out how she felt about Phin. Once she figured out if she liked Phin, she'd bring Daddy in to do the rest of the interrogation. Poor Phin, I am will have to give him the best blow job ever tonight.

Phin chirped up out of nowhere, "I like coconut cake."

Mom forgot she'd asked the question. "Lovely. Now, let's hope you like the rest of the meal."

I chimed in, "Mom, don't be modest, you know you are a great cook. Don't let her fool you, Phin, she's a fabulous cook. If I still lived here, I'd have to be forklifted to get out of the house."

Mom wasn't having any compliments today. "I'm okay. Don't get Phin's hopes up."

He smiled at her. "I am sure I'll love it. Lizzie tried to cook for me one morning, and she burnt my toast."

Mom stood in mock shock. "I know she's a terrible cook, and I think it's my fault for not teaching her. I just enjoyed cooking so much I didn't even think about it. She's the only person who could poison herself."

I smiled at my mom and looked at Phin who was trying not to laugh. "Well, I am helping the economy by keeping Mr. Tao in business."

He smiled, and the dimple appeared, and it made me warm inside. "True, but I enjoy cooking for you." Then he gave me a quick kiss right in front of my mom, and I blushed a thousand shades of red. When I looked over at my mom, she pretended to be washing the dishes, but I knew she saw it. None of my boyfriends, not even Greg, had kissed me in front of my parents. Phin gave me a wink, and we both looked at my mom, trying to keep busy. Damn, that dimple! I cleared my throat, giving her the all clear to turn back around.

Mom finally spoke up, "Phin cooks for you?"

"Yes, Mom, Phin cooks, he's taking good care of me. He cleans too."

I saw her shoulders finally relax before she turned around. "Phin cleans too. Wow, I still haven't gotten your father to clean after all these years. He's a keeper. Phin, I think I like you. What's your secret?"

Before he could answer, I tried to change the subject. "What are we having for lunch?"

Mom busied herself around the kitchen. "For lunch, I thought we'd have something light, so I've made a grilled chicken Caesar salad and some homemade bread. I forgot to ask, Phin, do you eat meat?"

"Sure, I eat meat, whatever you've got."

"I am never sure these days. So many people have allergies or are vegetarians, it's hard to get it right. Some friends of ours just went vegan, and they are in their sixties. Just seems pointless to do it at our age. Lizzie will tell you, I have always been a healthy cook, but vegan seems too far."

He squeezed my hand. "I agree. I am never giving up bacon. Life's too short for tofu bacon."

Mom smiled at him and poured our tea into her favorite teacups. "I couldn't agree more. Here's your tea. There's milk and sugar if you need it."

There was a crash outside, a slam of the door, and then my father came into the kitchen. He was stomping off his gardening boots, and we heard him taking off his gloves. Phin felt me stiffen a little as my dad came into the kitchen. "Hey, Daddy, what have you been doing out there?"

Dad could be intimidating because of his height. He was over six feet tall, quite broad, and still had all his hair, with only a little gray in his temples. He worked as a contractor, which kept him in good shape for a man of fifty-six. My mom was only five feet six, and a little pear-shaped now, but they fit together perfectly.

"Hey, Lizzie, who's your friend?"

Leave it to my dad to get straight to the point. I let go of Phin's hand and gave Dad a big kiss and hug. "Dad, this is Phin. Phin, this is my dad, Dan."

Phin stood up and my dad extended his large hand to Phin, and he didn't flinch as my father gave him a vigorous shake.

Phin gave my dad his most sincere smile, and I tried not to cry. "Nice to meet you, Dan. Lizzie has told me all about you and Eve." Phin pulled back his hand and jammed his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I hope it was all good. Sorry, Phin, my hands are dirty." My dad moved to the sink to wash his hands while my mom made herself busy frosting the coconut cake.

An enormous smile spread across Phin’s face. "Oh, yes, sir, it's all good. I am pretty jealous. You guys sound like the perfect parents."

He sat down and I squeezed his knee under the counter, trying to give him some reassurance.

"Phin, we are far from perfect, but our kid is pretty close, so that helped."