“Baby, what’s a Kool-Aid house?” she asked, batting the lashes of the big brown eyes that reminded him of liquid pools of swirling lattes.
“The Kool-Aid house is the one house in the sub-division where all the kids go to hang out. Usually the mom sold things like Kool-Aid freeze cups, chips, and candy. The Kool-Aid house also had two or three pretty daughters, which brought all the drone bees over in search of the queen,” he said, scowling and leaning back to look out the door at Skylar Malone.
A soft patch of fur grazed his ankle, making him jump nearly a foot in the air. “What in the hell? Is that a kitten? Where in the hell did you get a kitten? And why is it wearing a hat?”
“Daddy! Careful or you’ll scare him,” Karli said. “That’s Daniel Craig.”
“Daniel Craig?” he asked with his eyes wide.
“Yes, because he’s got blonde fur with that one blue eye. Mommy showed me movie covers of the James Bond movies she said were your favorites, and that man is blonde with blue eyes, so I named the kitten after him,” Karli said, grinning at her father, who smiled back.
“Willow, a word please,” he said, looking at the ball of fur sitting in the middle of the floor staring up at him. “That carpet under the dining room table is Persian. My mother flew to Iran to buy that rug. The rug itself had airfare back to the US. That cat is not going to use that vegetable, hand dyed rug as a scratching mat.”
“Relax, he doesn’t have claws. He’s also gotten all his shots, and we have an adoption certificate for him as well,” Willow said with a smile.
Before he could argue any further, he heard a squeak of a bark and a beagle ran into the living room, bounding onto the couch next to Karli. Raphael pointed at the dog wearing a red and blue striped necktie with his index finger. His eyes were wide as he opened his hands in a What the hell is this Willow? expression.
“That’s Pierce Brosnan,” she said with a warm smile. “The good news is he’s housebroken. He’s a loving animal, and thus far Dusty has been pretty great with him.”
“I was only gone two and a half days,” he said, flopping down in the large recliner, only to sit on the dog’s squeak toy. The sound made the beagle snap to attention, bound to the floor, and wait for the object to be thrown at him. Raphael tossed the toy and Pierce ran after it, securing it in his teeth and bringing it back. One paw touched the leg of the expensive pants he wore and Raphael’s eyes went to Willow. It was then that he noticed all the touches around the living and dining room.
Pops of color adorned each and every nook and cranny. It no longer felt like an empty Vacation Rental By Owner, but a home; a home with a dog and kitten who seemed to get along. The kitten had perched itself next to Karli as she read. A few scratches behind the ears under the lid of the hat and the kitten was content. The ball of fur curled up and began to snooze.
“Please, Willow explain this to me,” he said.
Instead of simply explaining, she walked over, slipping her hand into his and pulling him to his feet. “Wash your hands first then come to the table,” she urged.
He did as he was told, noticing the bathroom towels in the water closet for guests had been changed out to a warm color scheme, adding a new feel to the bathroom. It felt cozy and he liked the alterations. Raphael relieved himself, washed his hands, and entered the kitchen. New placemats were on the table with a centerpiece that screamed Martha Stewart on a bored binger with a bag a sea shells. Evidently Willow had located a glue gun and some old holiday candles and created, well, he didn’t know what the hell that thing was, but it worked with the décor. His stomach growled as he took a seat at the table.
“I found some lamb chops in the freezer,” Willow said, placing the plate in front of him. “The asparagus was on its last leg, but I think I did pretty good with it along with a bit of jasmine rice. Also, there is cake for dessert. Chocolate cake. I really hope you like chocolate.”
“I enjoy the taste of chocolate,” he said, staring straight into her eyes.
“I just bet you do, Mr. Hoyt,” she said with a wink. “Now before you fly off the handle about the animals, children need pets to teach them responsibility and non-selfishness.”
“Where did you get them? Again, I was only gone two and a half days,” he chuffed.
“Monday afternoon we walked down to the beach, and they were doing adoptions by the pier. I told the woman we didn’t have any money to buy an animal and Pierce was the last puppy. I think the lady was ready to go and she wanted the dog to have a good home, so he has a good home,” she told him.
“And the kitten?”
“Well, see what had happened was...Skylar told us about the Rec Center, so on Tuesday we walked down there, talking Pierce for a walk. The same damned people were back and they had more animals, and that darned kitten jumped out of the box and went straight for Karli,” Willow said. “She fell in love with him and now we have a kitten.”
“You just let her bring home a kitten?”
“Raphael, Karli disappeared for a day and a half and came back with you, so who am I to question the talents of that child?”
He burst into laughter. All of it was so nonsensical that he couldn’t help but laugh. He cut into the chop and shoved a piece in his mouth. In less than three seconds, all the blood in his body had rushed to his crotch. The meat was flavorful, tender, and melt in his mouth delicious, making him rock hard in delight.
“Dear Heavens, woman, this is amazing,” he said to her.
“I wanted you to come home to a good meal and happy family,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulders. Willow gave his shoulders a bit of a massage and then a gentle squeeze. There were other things she wanted to say, but Karli interrupted them.
“Daddy, I don’t mean to be ungrateful and pushy, but did you bring me anything back?” she asked, looking at him with those big brown eyes.
“I did, Pooh Bear. I’ll get it for you after dinner,” he said.
Willow leaned down, whispering in his ear, “Did you bring something back for me too, Raphael?”
“Oh yeah,” he said, dropping the napkin across his lap. He knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were staying permanently. Any woman that could make lamb chops like that needed a red-blooded male to appreciate her talent. “Anything else I need to know before I swallow more of this delightful food?”
“Yes,” she said, letting her hand roam down his chest, “there is a Father Daughter Dance Friday night at the Rec Center and Karli signed you up. She really wants to go.”
“What?” he asked, trying to look up at her over his shoulder. A Father Daughter Dance. They were supposed to stay in the house out of sight. Now he had a necktie wearing dog and a cat in a bleeping felt hat, and his patio was loaded with teenagers playing rap music by monosyllabic people mumbling euphemisms for sex.
“Dancing. You and Karli. Rec Center. Six in the evening,” she repeated.
“Can she even dance?”
“Doesn’t matter, she just wants to be your little princess,” she told him, coming around to take a seat at the table next to him.
“And what about Dusty. Does she want to go to this thing too?”
“No, there’s a Sock Hop on Saturday night at the Rec Center, and she is going to that with Skylar,” she said. “Dusty has a date.”