coffee cups

“Jane, how’s the sink repair going?” Teresa asked as she pulled the last batch of cupcakes from the oven. “We can’t let the bowls with batter sit overnight.”

“It’s-” Patrick started, tightening one last bit, “-done.”

Patrick sighed and stood up, patting away the invisible dust on his jeans. Teresa couldn’t help but do a once over Jane in his white t-shirt and dark denim jeans. He decided to ditch the suit as his every-day outfit once their toddler decided it was fun to run away from their parents at the age of eighteen months.

Teresa finally looked up and saw a smirk plastered to Patrick’s face.

“Like what you see?” Patrick half joked.

‘Two can play at that game.’ Teresa thought.

“How much do I owe you?” Teresa asked, with a smirk of her own.

Patrick hummed in response, turning around to check the water was flowing from the tap without any leakage from the pipe below, before turning back around. “I was thinking… five?”

Teresa furrowed her eyebrows, “Five?”

“Yeah.” Patrick responded wiping his hands dry on a cup towel hanging from the oven door, standing close to his wife.

“Five what? Five hundred?” Teresa laughed at her own joke. “What do you want with five hundred dollars? You would just spend on the girls anyway.”

“No. Not five hundred.” Patrick started, before smirking, “Five dozen.”

Teresa blamed their youngest, Emilie, keeping them both up all night lately for not understanding a word out of Jane’s mouth.

“What are you on about, Jane?” Teresa asked.

“And they have to be sugar with those little dehydrated strawberries I like.” Patrick continued.

“Patrick, what are you—” Teresa started.

“And.” Patrick interrupted, taking a step closer to Teresa, Lisbon standing her ground. “I get to eat every-” Jane takes another step towards his wife, pressing Teresa against the counter, “-last-” Jane puts his hands on the counter on either side of Lisbon’s hips, “-one.”

Teresa furrows her eyebrows at her husband’s words again, “You want me to bake you cookies?”

“Yes.” Patrick nods, leaving a soft kiss against Teresa’s cheek.

“We just made 3 batches of cupcakes; eat some of those.” Teresa said, lightly pushing Jane back so she could cover the cupcakes.

Teresa watched as Patrick silently left the kitchen, keeping an eye on him as he rounded the corner, knowing he was up to something.

Lisbon started washing the dirty mixing bowls so Jane could make dinner in a semi-clean kitchen that night, when their youngest, Emilie came toddling into the kitchen.

“Mama.” Emilie stated.

“Yes, sweetie?” Lisbon asked, crouching down slightly to be eye level to her daughter.

“Staw-bewie cookies?” Emilie asked.

Teresa glanced to the archway of the kitchen to see Patrick “hiding” behind the wall watching the interaction, quickly moving back behind the wall when he caught Teresa’s eye.

“Pweese?” Emilie asked, looking at Teresa with eyes that matched her own.

Teresa pursed her lips before replying, “Daddy will make some tomorrow, and you can have one then.”

Teresa listened to the juxtaposition of Emilie cheering and Jane groaning as he walked towards them, trying to hold in her own laughter.

“Go on.” Jane chuckled, lightly tickling his daughter as her cheers turned into giggles. “Go ask Charlotte to come down and help with the cupcakes.”

“Okay!” Emilie replied, jumping from her dad’s hands to run across the house to her older sister.

“I can’t believe you told her that I would make strawberry cookies tomorrow.” Jane faux pouted.

“I can’t believe you sent our toddler in here to manipulate me into making cookies.” Lisbon started, “No wait, I actually can.”

Jane responded with an exaggerated gasp, “I never!”

“Jane, I worked with you for several years, it is exactly the thing you do!” Teresa laughed, not actually mad at her husband, then asking hopefully, “But you’ll make the cookies once we get back tomorrow?”

“Yes, dear.” Jane responded, knowing that he signed himself up for that when he got Emilie in on his little plan.

“Em said you needed me?” Charlotte asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Can you help ice the cupcakes for your class bake sale tomorrow?” Teresa asked her step daughter that she loved as her own.

“Is it the-?” Charlotte started to ask.

“Yes.” Teresa interrupted, setting down the plastic containers of pre-made cupcake frosting.

“Perfect!” Charlotte smiled, grabbing a couple of piping bags from the pantry. “Dad, are you helping?”

“Hand one over.” Jane replied, watching as Emilie sat in the living room playing with her toys. “Bet that I can do this dozen faster than y’all.”

“You’re adapting to the Texas language well, Patrick.” Teresa laughed.

“Howdy.” Jane said, tipping an invisible cowboy hat.

“Kind of.” Charlotte giggled to Teresa.

The three spent the next several minutes removing the cupcakes from the pans and frosting them, while joking around with one another. After they were done, they packed the cupcakes up in the carrier bin to bring to the bake sale the next morning.

Once they were done, Teresa took Emilie to get cleaned up after noticing how her daughter was dirty in only the way a toddler can be. Charlotte washed the piping bags, only making the mistake once to let frosting sit in them overnight, while Jane was preparing a casserole for dinner.

“Go wash up, I just need to heat up dinner and then it’ll be ready. Say, 20 minutes?” Jane told Charlotte, as he put the last of the toppings on the casserole.

“Sounds good to me.” Charlotte shrugged, as a hyper Emilie ran up to her sister asking to play blocks with her, Teresa trailing back into the kitchen.

“We’re not going to buy anything at that bake sale tomorrow, right?” Teresa asked, eyeing their own cupcakes.

“Oh no. Already have a check wrote out with a donation.” Jane responded, leaning against the island counter as Teresa walked towards him.

“Good.” Teresa sighed with relief, playing with the fabric of Jane’s t-shirt between her fingers, “I didn’t know how we would have those strawberry cookies you promised to make tomorrow along with a bunch of baked goods from the sale.”

“I promised?” Patrick laughed.

“Yep. You can’t let Emilie down.” Teresa reasoned. “And Charlotte likes those dehydrated strawberries too.”

“Okay. Only because I love you.” Jane said, kissing Lisbon once on her lips.

“I love you too.” Teresa smiled, returning a small kiss to Jane.

“Gross.” Charlotte laughed as Emilie shrieked, “Eww! Cooties!”

Teresa turned to look at the two girls with faux astonishment while Patrick laughed and grabbed Emilie, peppering her face with kisses while she laughed.