The Perfect Holiday by Michael Banebrook

Author:Michael Banebrook [Banebrook, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: love story, small town, personal growth, second chances, chance meeting, Japan, mail order bride, Hawaii, Utah, romance
Publisher: CGJH Publishing
Published: 2014-11-18T05:00:00+00:00

AJ finished his chores in a rush. In his room, he showered, toweled off, ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times, and dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of dark blue sweats with a Utah State Aggies logo running down the side. Before leaving his bedroom, he brushed his teeth and pulled a pair of socks from a drawer.

In the kitchen, he removed a carton of eggs from the fridge, broke three of them into a bowl, and added milk and cinnamon. Then he whipped it all together. He dipped several slices of bread in the egg slurry which made a sizzling sound when he dropped them onto a griddle. With the smell of breakfast hanging in the air, he was just about to use the spatula when Kori appeared in his peripheral vision. Turning to look at her, he acknowledged a simple, straightforward beauty, even in her most rudimentary state, and he hoped that his admiration wasn’t too obvious.

“Feel better?”

“Much,” she said, offering an expression of renewal.

“Did you find everything you needed?”

“I did.” She rested her hand on the back of a chair. “It smells amazing in here.”

“Nothing says home like French toast.”

“Even though we live in America, right?”

AJ saw her crack a wry smile, and while he went back to his cooking, her eyes moved around the room. A sunflower ceramic tile design highlighted the backsplash. Brown-and-black specks peppered a tan marble countertop and the cookware was suspended from the ceiling over an island workspace. The cabinets and appliances were white, with two of the cabinets accented with an inlay of frosted glass.

“I love the kitchen.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Kelly wanted it to be the focal point of the house. She always thought that, as a family, we should spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else.”

“Well, it’s beautiful,” Kori said. “I’m a bit jealous. Actually, the whole house is beautiful.”

“Thanks again, but, I can’t take any credit for that either. Kelly designed it.” He reached back and turned down the stove, promising himself that he would stop answering everything with Kelly did this and Kelly did that.

“So who keeps it clean, you or Dani?”

He coughed a sigh of defeat. “Good luck getting Dani to clean. If it doesn’t have to do with horses or softball, forget it. A cleaning lady comes in twice a week. I do the in between.”

Kori nodded, and after pulling out a chair, took a seat.

AJ lowered two plates to the counter, and then using the spatula, added French toast to each and carried them to the table. Butter, syrup, milk and glasses were already out. Circling behind her, he picked up on the apricot blossoms in her shampoo, and it reminded him of walking into a flower shop on Valentine’s Day. After sitting down, he reached for the milk and suddenly realized that she hadn’t moved.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“I’ve just never seen French toast like this before.”

“Like what?”

She used her fork to poke at one. “Why is it blue?”

AJ looked at her with delayed awareness and then chuckled.

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