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

us. We’re neighbors. That’s all.”
    Mitchell’s eyes narrowed as he studied her.
    She couldn’t resist teasing him as she dished up a helping of the pie into a plastic container. “I love having a new stepmother.
     You’d get used to a stepfath—”
    “Mom!”
    “I’m kidding,” she promised. After his recent divorce, Charles wasn’t likely to want to marry again anytime soon, if ever,
     no matter his reason for joining the class. “I’m just bringing this to the community center where Theresa, Kim, and I are
     working on lesson plans. I know you two won’t save me any.”
    As she hoped, mention of the class distracted Mitchell. “You really signed me up for this thing?”
    She nodded.
    “It better work,” Mitchell said, as he headed down the stairs to convince his brother to attend the classes.
    Millie watched his curly head disappear from view and silently agreed. It had better work. For him and Steven.
    With Steven, she had a family to reunite. With Mitchell, she had a tiara to retire.
    S o where do we start?” Millie asked Kim as they waited for Theresa to join them in the community center kitchen.
    “Start what?”
    “To teach me how to teach a class.” But she had a feeling Kim was starting something else. Through narrowed eyes, Millie studied
     her friend. Kim’s face was flushed, nearly as pink as the fuchsia tracksuit she wore. Her brown eyes sparkled, and her breath
     came fast and hard. If Millie didn’t know better…
    “So just how close are you getting to your new neighbor?” she teased, as she settled onto a stool at the island. She pushed
     up the sleeves of her green knit shirt and propped her elbows on the granite counter, her jean-clad knees bumping against
     the white cupboard below it.
    Kim grabbed a water bottle from the stainless steel fridge, twisting off the cap and taking a swig before answering. “A wall
     away…”
    “And he’s got you this flustered.” Too bad he wasn’t able to attend their class. Millie would love to meet the guy who could
     fluster Kim, especially since Theresa swore he was really good looking.
    Kim shook her head. “It’s not him. It’s the cat—”
    “Your cat?”
    “His
cat. I just dropped it on his doorstep, rang the bell and ran like—”
    “Kim!” Theresa exclaimed as she joined them in the kitchen. “You didn’t!”
    “I felt it was the neighborly thing to do, giving him a welcome gift.” She laughed. “I left it in your basket, Millie, with
     a bow on top.”
    Now Millie knew why she’d borrowed the picnic basket, and she wondered if she’d get it back. She might need it… someday… for
     a picnic. Once she retired her tiara, she’d have time for stuff like that.
    “I thought he worked second shift,” Millie said.
    Kim nodded. “But he has tonight off.”
    “So you know his schedule already?” Millie asked, trying to control a smile.
    Kim’s face flushed with bright color, totally matching her tracksuit now. “No… he mentioned it this afternoon… when he caught
     me coming back from a run. He just got done with a long shift and has the night off.”
    “So he’s probably sleeping, and you left the cat in a basket. What if he didn’t hear the bell?” Theresa asked, obviously concerned
     about the cat.
    Millie wasn’t so sure she wanted the basket back anymore.
    “Then he’ll hear the cat,” Kim said. “That thing loves to howl.”
    Theresa laughed. “Boy, Kim, I guess it has been a long time since you’ve flirted with a man. You’ve forgotten how it’s done.”
    “I’m not flirting,” Kim protested. “I’m getting rid of that fleabag.” But her hand trembled so much she could barely screw
     the cap back on her water bottle.
    Millie took it from her and completed the task. “Oh, no,” she said, catching herself. “I can’t stop myself from doing this.”
    “From doing everything for everybody else. From taking care of everybody else,” Theresa said, adding a sigh of her own.
    Millie