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For the first twenty minutes of the drive Charles sat next to Craig in the truck making noises. It was very distracting to Craig. He found himself looking over at him constantly. It wasn't distracting in a bad way, though, Craig thought those little noises were extremely cute. He had a smile on his face. They were like the sounds Mandie made when he made love to her only on helium! He had to giggle at himself. Once he launched onto the expressway towards his home town the baby went to sleep. Craig flipped on the radio but kept it low so as not to wake Charles. He turned on the radio station where Mandie worked and listened to a Destiny's Child song playing. He made a face and held his hand on the tuner, about to turn it off but decided to wait it out to see if he could hear anything said about the 'guests' in the studio that day. Sure enough once the song was over they played an interview with them -- Craig stared, unbelieving at the radio for the interviewer was Mandie! A huge cheesy grin spread over his face when he heard her voice and he smacked the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Baby Charles jumped but didn't wake up. Craig turned towards him quickly and checked to make sure he hadn't woken him. He hadn't.
"Well Goddamn!" He said outloud softly. He wondered why Mandie hadn't told him that she was doing the interview with the group. Maybe she didn't know, he reasoned. Maybe it was a last minute thing. He listened to his woman interview the boy band. He couldn't believe how great she sounded, so confident, so friendly! It was as though she had been interviewing stars all her life! Well, he laughed to himself, you couldn't consider four unknowns from some boy band 'stars' could you? He listened as Nick, the lead singer chatted Mandie up. He was flirting greatly with Mandie and her giggles told Craig she was thoroughly enjoying it. He, again, felt the sting of jealousy and his lips tightened into a straight line in response. He hoped Mandie had told this guy that she was engaged -- and pregnant with his child! Not that it would have made any difference. These types of rocksters didn't care what you were as long as you were willing. He wondered, again, what this guy looked like. He was probably like most of those guys in the boy bands, thin, wiry, short stature ... the 98 in the name probably related to how much they each weighed! The group should be called 98 pound weaklings! He laughed to himself feeling a little better. Once the interview was over Craig pulled out his cell phone and dialed Mandie's number at work. Robin answered.
"Hey, Robin! It's Craig. Let me talk to Mandie please." He said not wishing to engage in a lengthy conversation with Robin.
"Hi Craig! I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been hiding?" He rolled his eyes.
"I haven't been hiding Robin, just busy is all. Is Mandie available to talk?" He asked, getting to the point.
"Uhhhh, no. Sorry. She's out of the office." He sighed. She was stalling and it was getting annoying.
"Where did she go?" He asked tightly.
"Out to lunch." Robin replied not seeming to notice his irritation. "Why don't you try her cell phone?" "Thanks, I will." He said and hung up. He quickly dialed Mandie's cell. She answered on the third ring. "Hey! I heard your interview." He said trying not to sound disappointed that she hadn't told him about it.
"Craig! I'm so glad you did. The person who was going to interview them couldn't so they asked me to do it instead. I didn't even have time to call you and tell you!" He felt a flood of relief that she hadn't just not told him about it.
"Well, I'm glad I turned on the radio and suffered through Destiny's fucking Child to hear it!" There was a lot of noise in the background where Mandie was and he heard male voices very near her. "Where are you?" He asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm having lunch with the group." She said.
"The group?" He asked feeling anxious again. "Like 98 Degrees?"
"Mmm hmm." She said. He frowned. Well, what the hell? She never had lunch with bands before! "Why?" He asked and then felt stupid for asking. He heard Mandie sigh.
"What do you mean 'why' Craig?" She asked. He heard the irritation in her voice.
"I'm sorry for asking that! Well, call me when you get done, okay?"
"Okay, I will." She said softly. She held her hand over the mouthpiece and said something.
"Where are you?" He asked.
"At the Firehouse." She replied dryly. He felt a shot of fear flood through him.
"Do you see ..." He hadn't even said her name when Mandie answered.
"No, I don't. And, hopefully I won't." She said, snapping. He felt relieved. "But I'll call you later, okay? I've got to go, it's too loud and distracting here." He didn't want to let her go.
"All right. Later baby."
"Right." She said and was gone. He turned off the phone feeling a little downcast. He stared straight ahead while he drove. He was very thoughtful. He mentally spanked himself for feeling jealous or angry that Mandie was doing her job. But she was having lunch with four guys from some band! He didn't even know what they looked like! 'Well, you are taking some woman's baby to your mom's house!' He chastised himself. He suddenly felt like an idiot. How could he treat Mandie that way when she didn't even know what he was doing! He frowned. The silence was deafening and it just made him think more. He flipped back on the radio and changed the station. He turned on a hard rock station and then turned down the volume out of courtesy for the baby. He drove silently for a while and then noticed Charles waking up right before he was to exit for his mom's.
"Hey, baby." He said in his best Elvis voice. He glanced over at the bundle in the seat next to him. The baby yawned. "Glad you could join me here for the last leg of our journey." He made a few turns and then stopped at a red light. "Hey, over there is where I worked once for a short time while I was in high school." He said pointing. The light changed and he drove on. "Oh, and there is my old high school. It will be famous some day." He said, a little melancholy. "Did I ever tell you that my brother's famous?" He said looking at Charles who's arms were flailing slightly. "Well, he's not that famous, but somewhat well known. I never really told anyone but I'm secretly a little jealous." The baby pursed his mouth into an 'o' shape. Craig smiled, it was as though Charles was responding to what he said Craig thought it was cute. "I should be the famous one! Brent was a dork in high school. Me, I had all the girls! And look, there's the old house of one of my girlfriends!" Craig pointed to a house fully decorated for Christmas. "I think they've had those same exact decorations up there since I was little." He muttered. He chatted on and on to the baby as he drove. Finally he pulled into the driveway of his childhood home and turned off the truck. Mom came out of the house in nothing but a sweater moments later. Craig got out of the truck and hugged her. "Mom, get back inside, it's cold out here!" He said pushing her towards the house. She turned around and headed for the passenger side door.
"I want to help you with this baby." She said opening the door and looking in at the baby. She had no clue how to unhook the carrier.
"Here, let me help." Craig said pushing a button and unsnapping it from the base. Mom went to take it from him and he held it away from her. "You get the diaper bag, it's not as heavy." He said pointing to it sitting there on the floor of the truck. Mom grabbed it and followed Craig into the house. Once inside he set the carrier down on the floor and pushed back the handle. Mom set down the bag and knelt down beside the baby on the floor. She unwrapped the bundle and picked him up. She set him down on the floor and proceeded to take off his bunting. It was like she was unwrapping a gift, Craig thought. Once mom had him completely undressed down to his pajamas she set Charles down on the floor and looked him over. Craig knelt down next to her. He wanted to ask her what she thought but was afraid to. He didn't really want to know. It wouldn't matter anyway because until he had rock solid proof that this baby was his he wouldn't acknowledge it. Mom looked over at him and then back down at the baby. She looked back at him.
"Craig," She began. He felt himself get very warm and then begin to sweat a little. "This is your baby." Craig swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Why do you say that Mom?" He asked, annoyed.
"This baby looks very much like you." She said tight lipped. He got up and walked over to the hall closet and took off his coat.
"I don't know how you can say that! Babies don't look like anything, they just look like wrinkled up pink flesh!" Mom picked up the baby and then stood up.
"Don't you think I know what you looked like when you were this age? Do you think I have forgotten? Well, guess what? I remember it as if it was yesterday." She held the baby out to him. "Look at his eyes!" Craig looked down at the baby and felt sick to his stomach. He didn't see anything in Charles' eyes that made him change his mind.
"Nope. Don't see it." He said and wandered out to the kitchen for a soda. He poured himself a cup of coffee instead. Mom went over to the kitchen table and indicated something she had lain upon it.
"Look, I pulled out your baby pictures so you could see." He glanced down at the pictures on the table and smiled. There were pictures of him and Brent as small children. They were so cute! There they were in their little suits, hair combed to perfection, posed together for a professional shot. He pointed to a picture and laughed.
"Ha! Ha! Look at that, Brent is a cowboy!!" He picked up the picture and went to stuff it in his pocket. Mom frowned.
"Put that down!" She snapped. He set it back on the table.
"I want to give this to Andrea." He said, dejected. "Or a magazine!"
"I'm saving all these pictures and then going to separate them and give them to each of you. But for now, just leave them alone." She looked at them with Craig. "Well, do you see it now?" She asked. He turned his attention to the stove.
"What did you make for lunch, I'm starving?" He asked, changing the subject. Just then the baby started to cry and fuss. "Ohhh! I'll bet he is too!" Craig said. "You should stop talking about this horrid subject and feed us before I start crying too!" Craig grabbed the diaper bag and came back into the kitchen.
He pulled the bottles of milk out of the bag, set one aside and put the others in the refrigerator. He pulled the top off the bottle he kept out and handed the bottle to his mother. She just looked at him.
"Oh, I'm feeding him am I?" She asked. Craig nodded.
"I don't know how. You said you remember everything like it was yesterday!" He pushed the bottle towards her again.
"Craig you have to warm it up a little!" She snapped. His eyes grew big at her response.
"Well, I didn't know!" He retorted. "How do I do that?" She nodded towards the cabinet.
"Get out a small pot, put some hot water in it and stick the bottle in there to warm it up." She headed back to the living room grabbing the diaper bag first. "Keep an eye on it so it doesn't get too warm. I'm going to change his diaper. You just want it to be a little warm!" She said loudly setting the baby down on one of his blankets that was in the carrier. She undressed the baby and took off a wet diaper. She looked at his little naked body. She turned him over and found the last bit of proof she needed to confirm that the baby was, in fact, Craig's. He had a little brown birthmark right on his left butt cheek. Craig had the very same mark in the same place. She turned Charles back over and put on a fresh diaper. She got him dressed and went back out into the kitchen for the bottle. The baby was really fussing now! "Bottle!" Mom said. Craig pulled it out of the water, dried it off and held it out to her. She rocked the baby and frowned at Craig. "How warm is it?" She asked, knowing he hadn't even checked. He wrapped his big hand around the bottle and felt it.
"It's warm." He said thrusting it out to her again.
"You need to feel the milk. Open the top and stick your finger in it." Craig shook his head.
"Unh unh." He said. "No way! That's breastmilk!" Mom shot him a look.
"Drip some out onto the inside of your arm them." Craig, again, shook his head adamantly.
"I don't want some shit that Charlotte squeezed out of her tits on my body!" He knew the minute he said it he shouldn't have.
"Dammit, Craig! This is your baby, now take some responsibility for him!" She snapped. He frowned and stared at his mom. He took the bottle, turned it upside down and let some of the milk drip out onto his forearm. He wiped it off on the leg of his jeans and then handed the bottle to Mom.
"It's okay." He said with no tone inflection at all. The room was silent save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the dining room. Mom turned and headed towards the living room motioning for him to come with her. He followed behind. She indicated an overstuffed chair.
"Sit." She ordered. Craig sat down hesitantly. She handed him the baby. He looked down at him and then up at his mom, pleading.
"Please don't make me do this." He begged, his eyebrows furrowed together. She held the bottle out to him. He made no move to take it. "I can't, Mom, I just can't." She thrust the bottle at him again without saying a word. "Can't you just do it?" He implored. She shook her head.
"No Craig. You will have to learn to do it sooner or later. Better you should learn it now. Take the damned bottle." He took it from her, his hand shaking a little. The baby, seeing the bottle so near began to flail his arms and legs and opened his mouth responsively. He stuffed the nipple into the baby's mouth. The baby instantly settled down and began to suck. Craig felt nerves tingling all over his body. This was so strange, so foreign to him. Mom looked down at her son, sitting there in the very same chair she sat in to feed him and his brother, feeding his own son. She felt an odd sense of getting old. It nearly brought tears to her eyes. She sat down across from him in another chair. He looked down at the baby and then over to his mom. His eyes were wide, cheeks sucked in, and he was pale. She smiled at him. He smiled weakly back at her and then looked down at Charles again. "You see, Craig? Not so hard, is it?" He shook his head.
"I guess not." He said quietly. After a few minutes he noticed some milk dripping from the side of the baby's mouth. "Get a towel, Mom, it's leaking!" Mom got up and went to the linen closet in the hallway.
"What's leaking, the bottle?" She asked coming back into the room and handing it to him.
"No, the baby!" He said stuffing the towel underneath Charles' chin. Mom smiled. She thought about taking a picture of this and wondered where was the last time she saw her camera. She dismissed the thought when she thought about Mandie and the baby she and Craig were expecting together. Yes, it was priceless this picture of Craig and his first baby feeding experience but she couldn't help but think that it would be hurtful to Mandie. Mom sat back down across from Craig and watched him. Craig regarded Charles as he took long pulls off the nipple and swallowed the milk hungrily. Mom noticed then how Craig had grown so big and handsome. He had a beautiful face for a man. His was the profile of a Greek god. She felt tears well up inside her eyes and tried to blink them away but one slid down her cheek unnoticed. The baby was engulfed in his big, strong arms. She, again, wondered where her camera was. This was a picture to be had. The whole house was silent while the baby ate. After a few minutes, the grandfather clock in the other room chimed softly.
"I think you should try to burp him." Mom said. Craig looked at her quizzically.
"Burp him? What is he Tupperware?" He joked. Mom chuckled.
"When he's eating he's swallowing air and you have to get him to burp so he doesn't throw up what he just ate." Craig swallowed hard.
"Oh, you are so gonna have to do this! If this baby throws up on me then I'm gonna throw up!" Mom closed her eyes and nodded to him.
"No, you are SO gonna have to do this dear." She got up and knelt down beside him. "Take that towel I gave you and put it on your shoulder like this." She took the towel from under the baby's chin and set it on Craig's shoulder. "Now put the baby on your shoulder and pat his back gently." Craig handed the bottle to his mom and set the baby on his shoulder and patted his back like he had been instructed.
"It isn't working." He said after a few minutes.
"Give it time." Mom said, soothing. The baby burped and Craig lay him back down and took the bottle Mom held out to him. Just then the front door blew open and Dad breezed in pulling with him a blast of cold air. Mom stood over the baby.
"Shut the door Chuck!" She said loudly. He turned and slammed it shut.
"Why?" He demanded seeing his wife and son huddled in the chair. "What the hell are you two up to?" He took off his coat and hung it up on the coat rack behind him next to Craig's.
"It's a baby." Mom said. Dad looked at Craig who smiled weakly. Dad frowned.
"What?" He said coming over to them and looking into Craig's lap. "Where did you get that baby?"
"It's a long story Chuck." Mom said with a sigh.
"I got nothing but time here so spill it." He said heading out to the kitchen to get some coffee. Mom followed and explained the situation. "Oh good grief!" Craig heard Dad roar from the kitchen. He blew back out and into the living room moments later, coffee in hand. He looked down at the baby in Craig's lap and pursed his lips. "Doesn't look like you." Dad said. Craig breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad someone other than me thinks that!" He said. Dad shrugged.
"I don't know how anyone thinks babies look like their parents. They don't look like anything until they get a little older." Dad said flopping down on the couch. Craig chuckled.
"I agree with you." He said quietly while the baby suckled.
"Well, Craig, now what are you going to do? You got one baby and another on the way ..." Craig sighed.
"I don't know Dad. I just can't seem to get my life together." Dad sipped the hot coffee and looked over at his son.
"You will, son, you will. It's a matter of getting your head out of your ass ..." Craig looked over at his dad quickly. Dad saw Craig's head crank around and then laughed. "I always said that's why you had brown hair!" He laughed again, louder, making the baby jump.
"Hey! Settle down Dad, you scared the baby." Dad sighed heavily.
"Sorry!" He said. "So, how does Mandie feel about this?" Craig looked away and out the picture window.
"She's not happy about it. And she doesn't know I'm here right now with Charles." Dad's eyebrows shot up.
"Charles? She named the baby Charles?" Dad asked. Craig nodded.
"After you." Dad grinned proudly.
"How about that!" He said loudly making the baby jump again. Craig pulled the baby close to himself.
"Dad! Can you stop shouting?" Dad covered his mouth with his hand.
"Did I do it again?" Craig nodded.
"Yeah." Dad turned to the TV, grabbed the remote and turned on the set.
When the baby was finished with the bottle, Craig burped him again. He got up off the chair and went over to his Dad. He set the baby down in his dad's lap. "Will you keep an eye on him while I eat lunch with Mom?" Dad looked down at the infant in his lap and then up towards the kitchen.
"Lunch?" He asked.
"Just let me eat and then I'll take him and you can eat, okay?" Dad sighed.
"Go ahead." He said and Craig turned and went into the kitchen by his mom. She had set the table and Craig sat down. Mom made tomato soup and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. He started eating right away.
"Baby all finished eating?" Mom asked sitting next to him and draping a napkin across her lap. Craig nodded and kept eating. "Well, where is he?" She asked, blinking.
"Dad's got him." He said.
"Oh, okay." Mom said and began to eat her lunch. "Craig," She began, placing her hand over Craig's free hand that sat on the table. He took a bite of his sandwich and looked over at her. "I just want you to know how hard things are for you right now. And, I want you to know that Dad and I are always here for you. This whole 'baby' thing has got to be a strain ..." He sighed and nodded.
"It is but I'm more worried about Mandie. She doesn't need this kind of stress while she's pregnant."
"I agree. Just try to be gentle with her when she isn't patient with the idea of you having another baby." Craig nodded in understanding.
"I know." He said, his mouth full of food. "I'm trying. Uhh, I didn't tell her I was coming here today with the baby, sooooo ..." He gave her a look. She rolled her eyes.
"Craig, you need to be honest with her or the trust you two share will go right down the toilet." He nodded.
"I know, Mom! It's just that we had such a great day together yesterday, I just didn't want to spoil it by telling her I was bringing my ex-girlfriend's baby to see you."
"I understand Craig, just be cautious." They finished eating and then Mom and Craig took the baby from Dad while Dad ate.
When the grandfather clock chimed two, Craig grabbed the diaper bag and started gathering up all the baby's stuff.
"I gotta get going!" He said nervously. "I wanna get the baby to the sitter's before Mandie leaves from work." Mom took the baby from Dad and began to dress him in his bunting. He took the baby out to the truck and snapped him into the car seat base. Mom and Dad walked out with him to say goodbye. Mom set the diaper bag on the floor of the truck and kissed her son.
"You're a good boy, Craig." She whispered into his ear as he hugged her tightly. "You've got a good conscience. No matter what happens to you in your life just deal with it like you always do." He pulled back from her and smiled. Then he leaned forward and kissed her again.
"I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything." She smiled and touched the tip of his nose with her finger. He hugged his Dad and then climbed into the truck. He started it, backed out of the drive and then pulled away. He got almost to the expressway when he remembered that he hadn't gotten the rest of the bottles of milk out of the refrigerator.
"Dammit!" He swore to himself and then looked down at the baby. "Sorry, baby." He said turning around and heading back to his parent's. He gave them a call on his cell phone and Dad was waiting outside for him, the bottles in a little plastic grocery bag. He handed them in the window to Craig and then Craig was off again. As he got close to Nashville he dialed the number for the babysitter that Charlotte had given him. Oddly there was no answer. He hung up and dialed again. Again, no answer. "Well, what the fuck!" He said, annoyed. He decided to just drive on over to the sitter's house. When he got there, he left Charles in the warm truck while he went up to the door. There was no car in the driveway and no one came to the door. He pulled out his phone again and dialed the number. No answer. Anger flared through him. "Motherfucker!" He spat. He got back in the truck, shivering. Well, what would he do now? He thought about taking the baby to the Firehouse and handing him to Charlotte but he worried that maybe Mandie would still be there. He wouldn't want to run into her there with Charlotte's baby in hand! He sat in the driveway of the house for a while, waiting. It was 3:30 already. He began to panic slightly. Just then his phone rang. He answered it quickly.
"Hey hon." It was Mandie.
"Hey. How was your lunch?" He asked, not caring, much too worried about the sitter being absent.
"It was great! How was yours?" She asked.
"It was fine. Dad came home early and ate with us."
"Craig, you sound funny. Where are you?" He cleared his throat and looked around.
"I'm on my way home. Where are you?" He asked. She giggled.
"I'm at the radio station! Where else would I be?" He shrugged, put the truck in reverse and backed out the drive.
"I don't know, some hotel somewhere with some 98 Degree dude." She clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"Shut it!" She snapped. "You know I would never do that!" He sighed.
"I know, sweetie, I'm sorry. When will you be home?" He asked turning onto Liberty Parkway, heading towards the Firehouse.
"The usual time, or a little earlier if I can sneak out of here. I want to grab a bottle of champagne on the way home ..."
"What for?" He asked. He heard her sigh.
"In honor of my first real interview! How soon we forget ..." He felt bad that she'd had to explain.
"I'm sorry Mandie. I can't wait to see you." He had the Firehouse in view. "I'm gonna go now, about to get off the expressway." He lied.
"Okay, see you in a little while. Love you Craig." She said.
"I love you too, Mandie." He said softly into the phone before hanging up. He grabbed the baby from the truck and headed into the restaurant. The hostess approached him and was about to ask about seating him when he spied Charlotte, caught her attention and nodded in her direction. She came right over stuffing her notepad and pen into the pocket of her apron. She knelt down next to Charles in the carrier and pulled back the blanket.
"How was he?" She asked looking up at Craig.
"He was good but we have a problem." Craig said impatiently.
"What?" Charlotte asked nervously, standing to face him.
"Your babysitter isn't home. She did know I was dropping off Charles today, didn't she?" He said, anger seeping into his tone. Charlotte's eyes grew big and her mouth opened.
"Oh no!" She said. "Yes! She knew! I'm sure she knew ..." She looked into Craig's eyes pleading. He sighed heavily and looked away.
"Damn it Charlotte! I cannot keep this baby until you finish working! You will just have to find someone else to come and get him." She stared at him, unblinking.
"Oh my God, Craig, you can't leave the baby here! I can't have him here while I'm working! My boss will have a cow." He set the carrier down on the floor.
"Well, I'm not taking him with me." He said crossing his arms over his chest. Panic spread over her face, Craig was unaffected.
"Craig!" She looked around then grabbed the carrier in one hand and pulled him by the sleeve of his jacket with the other to a corner. "You can't leave the baby here. Take him home with you and I'll pick him up when I'm finished." He shook his head adamantly.
"Oh no, no, no, no!" He said. He held up his hands, palms facing her. "I'm done with that baby today. I had him all afternoon, feeding and changing and burping. I'm more than done here Charlotte." She stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Craig, you can't just leave and leave Charles here! How the hell can I work and watch YOUR baby at the same time." He cringed at the emphasis she put on 'your' baby. His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at her.
"Listen, you chose to have this baby. You could have chosen not to. I am not acknowledging that baby is mine until I have solid proof. Now, I have done my babysitting duty today and it's over. I have to get going, I have things to do. Things that don't involve babies ..." As he spoke he watched her eyes fill with tears. He looked away and sighed. "Charlotte, I can't take him with me. I have appointments. Can you understand that?" He said gently. She closed her eyes and nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. He put his big hands on her small arms and squeezed. "I would like to help you but I can't." He whispered. She looked up at him. He was too close, his hands were too warm. His eyes were too blue. She ached for him. She wished he would kiss her but it would be over with. She would throw him down on the floor right there and ... He looked very tired.
"I, uh, can ... I try calling my cousin again before you leave?" She asked moving away from him. He held his hand out.
"Go right ahead." He said. Charlotte went over to the hostess stand and dialed her cousin's house. Beth picked up breathlessly on the third ring.
"Where the hell were you?" Charlotte snapped.
"I had to run out to the store. What's wrong?" Charlotte's cousin, Beth, asked.
"Well, Craig went to your house to drop off Charles and since you weren't home he brought him over here. He was about to leave when I thought about calling you again. I told you he was dropping him off!"
"Yeah, but you didn't say what time! I just had to run out to the store. I'm home now, send him over." Beth said, irritated. Charlotte sighed relief.
"I will. Thanks. And, Beth ..." She added. "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just tired, you know?" Beth smiled into the phone.
"I know, honey. Send him over." She said and they hung up. Charlotte walked quickly over to Craig who was pacing back and forth in front of Charles.
"She's there now! She had gone to the store briefly. Would you please drive him over there for me?" She asked, smiling. He picked up the carrier.
"Yeah, sure." He said. She stood in front of him and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Craig. I really appreciate it." She said, leaned up and kissed him lightly. This time, not expecting it, Craig let her kiss him. Their lips touched briefly before he pulled back. He coughed and then headed for the front door not bothering to say goodbye.
He dropped the baby off at the sitter's and then drove maniacally back towards the apartment. He noted the time on the clock, it was quarter to five. He pulled into KFC, grabbed a bucket of chicken along with some mashed potatoes and baked beans and then headed back to the apartment. He threw the truck in park, grabbed the bags from off the seat and flew up the stairs. He made it into the apartment not five minutes before Mandie ambled in, a bottle of Asti Spumante in her hand. Craig was setting the table and smiled when he saw her. He indicated the bucket of chicken in the center of the table.
"Look honey, I made dinner!" He joked. She giggled, took off her coat and approached him. He kissed her warmly on the lips and held her in his arms. "I missed you today." He whispered into her ear.
"Me too." She said. He let her go long enough to change out of her work clothes and into her PJs before sitting her down at the table and handing her a glass of champagne. He held his glass up to her, she did the same.
"To you! To a fantastic, informative interview! Even I was interested ..." She giggled. "And to many, many more. I love you, Mandie!" They touched glasses and then sipped.
