Page 45 of Second Chance At Love

Henry and Cora’s eyes met and Cora wished she had told Henry what had happened. She had been too embarrassed to, and now it was likely that was what Nick would want to talk to him about. She bit her lip, wondering if she should say something now.

“Sure,” Henry said easily. “We can go to the living room if you want.”

“Could we sit on the deck outside in the backyard?” questioned Nick.

Henry nodded. “Let me grab my coat.”

Cora carefully transferred a sleeping Adam to the bassinet as she kept an eye on Nick and Henry who headed out onto the back deck. They settled on the patio furniture. She could see Nick talking while Henry listened.

Nick looked so serious.

Working on getting something quickly together for dinner while occasionally glancing at the two outside, Cora was surprised when Daisy nudged her thigh.

“Hey mom, we’re back,” said Oliver a little unnecessarily as he put away his coat and shoes. “Is Nick talking to Henry yet?”

Cora looked at Oliver in surprise. “You knew your brother wanted to talk to Henry?”

Oliver nodded. “He wanted to talk to Henry because he had more to talk about. I get to talk to you.”

Cora was surprised. She set aside what she was doing to give Oliver her full attention. “You can always talk to me.”

“I know I can,” easily said Oliver. He leaned against the counter. “It’s okay, you know.”

“What’s okay?” asked Cora, trying to follow her ten-year-old’s conversation.

“If you want to date Henry, it’s okay. Nick and I talked about it. So if you want to date each other, it’s okay with us,” blithely said Oliver.

Cora stared at her son in shock. She knew they had overheard Susan, but she hadn’t realized Nick and Oliver had discussed the possibility of her and Henry being in a relationship. “You and Nick talked about this?”

“Yup,” replied Oliver before going to the silverware drawer and starting to set the table.

“Do you have anything else to add to the conversation?” wondered Cora. Nick and Henry seemed to be taking a long time outside.

Oliver screwed up his face, thinking. “Oh yeah! We think he makes you happy. You smile more and since Henry makes you happy, I’m happier.”

“Oh.” Cora didn’t really know what to say. She didn’t know how she felt about her sons discussing her love life. Focusing her attention on finishing supper. She didn’t even look up as Henry and Nick returned. Cora couldn’t decide if she was more embarrassed to look at Henry or Nick.

Fortunately Adam decided to cry and take up her time so she didn’t have to worry about blushing in front of either of them. Cora took Adam to her room to feed him in privacy. She lingered, listening to the soft voices down the hall, Oliver giggling over something, then the boys cleaning up after finishing their meal.

Adam looked up at her, puckering his lips and frowning.

“I know. I’m avoiding the situation. It’s probably not a good thing,” whispered Cora.

Adam decided he was bored and closed his blue eyes on a happy sigh.

Giving the baby a kiss on the cheek, Cora carefully set him down to sleep. Heading to the kitchen she found Henry wiping the table down, the dishes already running in the dishwasher.

“The boys didn’t have any homework. They went upstairs with Daisy,” mentioned Henry as he went to the sink to rinse out the washcloth. “I kept a plate out for you. You might want to warm it up a little.”

Cora leaned against the counter, wrapping her arms around herself. Henry seemed calm and measured. Whatever he and Nick had talked about, it didn’t seem to upset him.

Henry looked at her in amusement. “So, three hundred cupcakes?”

Cora shook her head as a smile graced her lips. “Homemade from scratch with dietary considerations. Susan is out of her mind.”

“We could always hire a chef for the day. They could use your kitchen, bake up a storm, and you can submit them as your own,” replied Henry. “Homemade from scratch. Those were the requirements. No one said you had to bake them. Besides, isn’t it a little ridiculous to ask the woman who just had a baby to bake copious amounts of cupcakes?”

“Susan is ridiculous,” dryly responded Cora.