Couples
Chapter 116
"Maybe we should put a hold on the parties for a while," Kate suggests, handing Rick an ice pack for the fingers he pinched, reassembling the corral.
"I was thinking just family for Thanksgiving and Christmas, anyway," he shares. "But we have to whoop it up a little for New Years' Eve."
"We'll see. I could be in the middle of a new case. I'll be using what Scalisi gives Eli to bring in Calista Ford's killer and whoever else he implicates in her murder. Once I get that nailed down, who knows what could come next?"
"If another body doesn't drop at your feet, maybe a little time off," Rick offers. There's nothing like seeing the holidays through the eyes of a child. I don't know how much Lily will understand about stockings and Santa. But if I know our little girl, she'll be wide-eyed with wonder at the lights, the tree, pretty much everything. Alexis was, at her age, and I think Lily picks up on things even faster."
"How about the promotion of your books for Christmas sales?" Kate queries. "Is Black Pawn going to send you off somewhere to greet your adoring fans?"
Rick shakes his head. "Not this year. The accountants toted up what the tours cost versus book sales and figured out they can do better by sponsoring ads on social media. So I'll be giving T.V. and radio interviews, but I won't have to hop on a plane to do them. The way the figures shook out, one appearance on Kimmel is worth six weeks of touring. It's a new world, Kate."
"For better or for worse," she muses.
"Probably both. But getting to be with my family is definitely for the better," Rick declares. "Which reminds me, I need to put in an order for a fresh turkey. Auchincloss knows a great supplier. The noble bird will give its life to be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving feast. But Alexis said she and Dana will be bringing part of it. Most of the kids will be going home for Thanksgiving, so the dorm should be quiet. Mother and Craig are bringing something too. Hopefully, Craig will talk his bride into buying, not cooking. All in all, it should be a joint effort."
"Sounds great!"
Yawning, Christine hesitantly touches her bare toes to the wood floor at the side of the bed. As temperatures fall in New York, the boards become chillier. The heat in her tiny apartment works – most of the time. But the wear-worn surface is still frigid. She keeps telling herself she'll get an area rug but somehow never finds the time. Anyway, it's only recently that she can even afford one. The payscale at Imagination Patch is more reasonable than what most chefs at her level make, but very few people get rich working in restaurants. Even chef-owners often have a hard time keeping their heads above water. Auchincloss is lucky to have Mr. Castle as an investor in his start-up. He can worry more about the food than the money.
Imagination Patch doesn't open until noon on Sundays, a characteristic more like restaurants in the Midwest than New York. Still, as an eatery built around writers, many of whom are night owls, it makes sense. The late start means that the sun will actually be up when Christine starts prepping.
Christine is surprised to find Auchincloss already in the Imagination Patch kitchen when she arrives. She's even more shocked when he turns and smiles at her. If she's ever seen him smile before, she can't remember. Maybe there is something in the brownies. "One of our suppliers had a great deal on fava beans. So I've been peeling them," he informs her, referencing one of the more annoying tasks in the kitchen. For a split second, she visualizes Hannibal Lector describing an obscene meal. "I thought we could try using them in the Greek salad, the tomato bisque, and in the hummus."
"We won't need much hummus until late afternoon when the writers show up," she responds with the first thing she can think of. They love it with those new pita chips I put out."
"Yes, Mark made a note of that," Auchincloss agrees. "Good job. But the soup and salad will go well for lunch. Ready to get started with mise en place?"
"Of course," Christine replies.
"Good," Auchincloss acknowledges. "It should be a great day."
"Pink," Lily demands as Kate puts the toddler into her high chair.
Kate points to Lily's overalls. "You're already wearing pink. You want something pink to eat? I don't know if we…
"She means flamingos," Rick interrupts. "When I went to get her last night, Meryl told me that she and Belle watched an animal video with flamingos. As usual, our daughter is fascinated by weird animals."
"Pink," Lily repeats. "Bird."
Rick strokes his as-yet unshaven jaw. "You know, they have flamingos at the Bronx Zoo. It would be a great day to take her. Neither of us has anything else on the agenda, and the weather's not bad for November. We can bundle up a little, and if she gets tired, they rent strollers. That way, we won't have to drag one along if we don't need it."
Lily bounces enthusiastically in her chair. "Zoo!"
"She's also seen 'Elmo Visits the Zoo,'" Rick notes at Kate's questioning look. "So what do you say? Shall we go see the animals?"
Kate smiles, rolling her eyes. "That's what Ryan said last time we went to the holding cells. The unis arrested a bunch of frat boys who had one keg too many. The animals Lily wants to see are probably better behaved. Sure. Why not? Let's take her."
Esposito hadn't expected Bambi to want to spend a Sunday at the Bronx Zoo. He'd been thinking about a nice brunch or something and then a movie. He would even spring for an over-priced ride through the park in one of the fancy wagons with the horses. But she explained she's always checking out places the parents might allow her to take her students. So she thought she'd take a look at the facilities and decide if she'd be able to keep the kids from getting lost.
He's never been crazy about zoos himself. On the rare occasion someone was willing to take him anywhere as a kid, he preferred the ballpark. Baseball's over for the year, but staying in with beer and spicy wings and a football game would make a great day. He could do that with Ryan if he could pull his partner away from Jenny that long. But Bambi doesn't like football. She doesn't like seeing anyone hit or knocked down, even if they're willing to take the punishment. He kind of likes that about her, but it doesn't do much for game day. So, they'll be going to the zoo.
Lily pulls at Rick's hand. "I-ream!"
He surveys the concession ahead, where despite the cool weather, people are holding ice cream cones. "Kate, is that Espo?"
"It is," she confirms. "The woman with him must be the Bambi he told Ryan and me that he's been seeing. He said she's a preschool teacher."
"She looks like one," Rick offers. "She has that calm in the middle of human whirlwinds air about her. We should go say hello."
"They're probably on a date," Kate assumes.
"All the more reason to do a little snooping. Come on, Detective! You know you're curious."
"I-ream," Lily repeats more plaintively.
"And we're obviously going over there anyway," Rick continues. "So we can get this little one a kiddy cone. And then we'll see what develops."
Kate gazes skyward, shaking her head. "I guess I'm outvoted. Just don't be too obvious."
"Subtlety is my middle name!" Rick declares.
Kate sighs. "Right."