Free The Red Hat Society's Domestic Goddess by Regina Hale Sutherland Page A

one more student, the one she hoped would
     be teacher’s pet. She stammered over his name, “And Mr. Mo—Moelker.”
    “And who will Mr. Moelker be staring at?” Steven teased.
    She hoped it would be her. Just the thought had her face heating as if she’d stepped too close to the stove. And she couldn’t
     meet her sons’ probing gazes.
    “Hey, Mom? Mom?” Mitchell called out, waving the hand holding his salad fork around to catch her attention. Thick, red Catalina
     dressing dripped from it, spattering the white cloth like his cola had.
    “She’s been doing that a lot,” Steven said around a mouthful of lettuce. “Zoning out.”
    “Well, she is getting to be
that
age, you know,” Mitchell teased, his dark eyes dancing with amusement. And a little vengeance. He hadn’t missed how she’d
     manipulated him into the class.
    “You’re right,” she agreed. “In fact, I just may forget that I made another apple pie.”
    “Another one? He eat all of the last one?” Mitchell asked, reaching for his brother’s belly again as Steven slapped at his
     hand. The glasses of cola teetered on the tabletop.
    Millie flashed back to all the mealtime fights she’d refereed over the years. Too many. “Boys…”
    “I didn’t eat all of it,” Steven defended himself. “She gave some away the other night. To a
man.”
    Mitchell choked, and he hadn’t even taken a bite. “A man?” he gasped.
    “Were you spying on me?” Millie accused. And here she’d made a point to never interfere in their lives. She should have made
     them promise the same about hers.
    Steven laughed. “No, he dropped the bowl back off while you were shopping yesterday. I believe… yeah, he said his name was
     Charles Moelker. No wonder he signed up for the class. He’s already tried some of the goodies.”
    “Steven!” Millie said, her face so hot now that it had probably turned bright red, which would clash horribly with her new
     cinnamon-colored hair.
    “So I’ll meet him,” Mitchell said, then with a devilish glint in his eyes added, “Good.”
    “At least you’ll get something out of the class,” Steven said with a derisive snort.
    “He’ll get plenty out of it,” Millie insisted. “Mitchell’s very bright. He’ll catch on fast.” She hoped. She gave her youngest
     a pointed stare and nodded toward his brother.
    “Yeah,” Mitchell said, watching her eyes. “I’ll catch on fast. Faster than you would. You’re hopeless.”
    “Yes,” Steven said, rising from the table as all humor fell from his face. The haunted, sad look was back, aging him ten years,
     with lines of stress and fatigue. “It’s hopeless. You two aren’t going to fix my marriage with some little class. Audrey threw
     me out!”
    His frustration and pain hung in the air even after he fled from the room, his footsteps falling heavy on the stairs as he
     descended to the basement.
    Millie blew out a ragged breath. “I must be getting forgetful.
Steven’s
the one who catches on fast.”
    Mitchell sighed too. “I thought he was acting too normal.”
    “Acting
is right,” she heartily agreed. “He won’t talk about it. He comes home, eats, and heads downstairs to do paperwork.”
    “You really think this’ll help? A few cooking classes?”
    “It’ll be more than that.”
    “But you think it’ll make Audrey take him back?” Mitchell asked, his voice deepening with frustration.
    Millie shrugged. “I don’t know. But I promised Brigitte I’d try to help.”
    Mitchell nodded. “Okay, I’ll work on him. Save me some pie.”
    “There’s a casserole in the oven, too,” Millie said as she stood.
    “You’re leaving already?”
    “Of course.” The truth was that she was still full fromlunch, and too nervous over the thought of teaching, to think about eating again.
    “Mom, who is this Moelker guy?” Mitchell asked, his dark eyes softening with concern. “Is it serious?”
    “It’s a joke, honey. There’s nothing going on between