Rachel's Valentine Crush by Angela Darling

Author:Angela Darling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

chapter 7

“WE’RE HOME!” MR. WILSON CALLED OUT the next night as he walked through the door, carrying Robbie on his shoulders.

“Hey, Dad!” Rachel exclaimed as she poked her head out of the kitchen. She was wearing one of Grandma Nellie’s aprons. “I feel like I’ve barely seen you for days.”

“Me too, kiddo,” Mr. Wilson said, smiling at Rachel. “We’ve had a pretty rough winter so far. It’s good for the bank account, but bad for family time. Luckily, we should have clear weather for the rest of the weekend, at least.” Then he paused and sniffed the air. “Wow, what smells so delicious?”

“I can’t tell you,” Rachel said mysteriously. “And don’t come into the kitchen until I say so!”

Leaving her dad in the entryway, Rachel hurried back to the stove. “He’s home,” she said to Grandma Nellie. “How much longer until dinner?”

Grandma Nellie lifted the lid off the pot and tasted the broth. “The stew is ready,” she replied. “And it’s delicious!”

“I’m worried about the pie,” Rachel said anxiously. “What if the crust is dry? Or the apples are mushy?”

“The pie is going to be perfect,” Grandma Nellie declared. “You did a great job on it, and I should know. I’m a pie expert, after all.”

Rachel smiled at her grandmother, but she still looked a little worried.

Fortunately, all of the food was delicious, and everyone had seconds of the savory chicken stew—even Robbie. And when Rachel served up big slabs of pie crowned with creamy vanilla ice cream, she was relieved to see that Grandma Nellie was right: The pie was perfect! The Wilsons had such a nice dinner that it was twenty minutes past Robbie’s bedtime before Mr. Wilson glanced at his watch.

“Whoa, buddy,” he exclaimed. “Bedtime for you!”

Robbie opened his mouth like he wanted to argue, but a big yawn escaped instead. Everyone else laughed as Grandma Nellie helped him out of his booster seat.

“I’ll handle bedtime tonight,” she said. “Go give Daddy a big hug and kiss, Robbie.”

“I’ll get started on the dishes,” Rachel said as she began stacking the plates.

“I can do it,” Mr. Wilson said. He followed her into the kitchen.

“No way, Dad. I got it,” Rachel told him.

Mr. Wilson stood in the doorway for a moment before he said, “Well, I can put away the leftovers, at least. So what’s going on at school these days?”

“The usual,” Rachel replied. “Um, I got a ninety-two on my math test.”

“Great job!” Mr. Wilson told her. “But what happened to the other eight points?”

“Ha-ha,” Rachel replied.

“I’m just giving you a hard time,” her dad said. “You know I’m proud of you, Rach. But it’s my dad-job to push you to do better.”

How many times had Rachel heard that speech? But instead of sighing or rolling her eyes, she just said, “I know, Dad. I’ll try harder.”

“That’s all I ask,” Mr. Wilson said.

They finished tidying the kitchen in silence until Grandma Nellie joined them. “He sleeps!” she joked. “Carl, do you want some coffee? Another piece of pie, perhaps?”

“Coffee would be great,” he said.

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