you liked it.” She smiled, but some of the light had faded from her eyes since they’d decorated the tree earlier in the afternoon.
“You look a little tired. Why don’t you let Nicole and me handle the dishes tonight.”
Nicole looked at him in surprise. “You never help with the dishes.”
“You’re right. And I’m wrong. The cook shouldn’t also have to do the dishes.”
“Really, Adam, you don’t have to do that,” Clare protested. “You work all day. And you’re tired when you get home. I don’t mind.”
“I didn’t work today. And I’m not tired tonight. You, on the other hand, look like you need some rest. Go climb into a hot tub with a good book or a cup of tea. Doctor’s orders.”
She managed a tired grin. “The hot tub part sounds good, anyway. Are you sure you don’t mind? Just for tonight?”
Her quick capitulation told him more eloquently than words that his assessment had been correct. But he suspected Clare’s exhaustion was more emotional than physical. “Not in the least.” He rose and began clearing the table as if to demonstrate his point.
“Well…okay. Nicole, don’t forget to finish that reading assignment tonight.”
She groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Absolutely. Promise me you’ll do it.”
“Okay, okay. I promise,” she grumbled.
Clare glanced at Adam as she passed and nodded toward Nicole.
“I’ll make sure she finishes it,” he said quietly.
He waited until the door shut behind Clare before he turned to Nicole. “How about you scrape the plates and put them in the dishwasher and I’ll work on the pots?”
She hung back warily. “I have to finish my homework.”
“It can wait a few minutes. Or I could see if Clare would come back and help. But she looks pretty tired.”
His ploy worked. “I’ll help.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes as Adam struggled to find a way to broach the subject of David.
“The tree looks nice,” he said.
“Yeah.”
Silence.
“Did you have much luck on your shopping trip yesterday?” he tried again.
“Yeah.”
More silence.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Why wasn’t there a book on how to talk to teenage daughters? None of his medical texts had ever addressed this issue.
“So did you and Clare buy some clothes?”
“I did. Clare didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“She said she has enough.”
“Well, maybe she does.”
Nicole gave him an exasperated look. “Don’t you notice anything? She always wears the same stuff.”
Adam couldn’t argue with Nicole, because he really didn’t pay that much attention to what Clare wore. He just knew that she always looked good.
“So are we going to get her a Christmas present?” Nicole asked when he didn’t respond.
Adam looked at her in surprise. “Do you think we should?”
Nicole gave a long-suffering sigh. “Of course. You’re supposed to give stuff to people you like. And she probably won’t get anything else, except maybe from her sisters.”
“Okay. What do you think we should get?”
“Clothes.”
That seemed a little too personal. “I don’t know. How about a cookbook?”
“Good grief, Dad. You are so out of it!”
“What’s wrong with a cookbook?”
“She already knows how to cook. Real good, too. If you give her a cookbook, she might think you don’t like her cooking.”
He frowned. That certainly wasn’t his intent. But now that Nicole had pointed it out, he could see how the gift might be misinterpreted. “You may have a point,” he conceded. “So what kind of clothes did you have in mind?”
“I saw her looking at this pretty blue sweater with beading around the top at the mall in Asheville. I think she really liked it, but it was kind of expensive.”
A sweater. That didn’t seem too personal. So it would probably be safe. “That sounds like a good idea. Do you want to go with me to get it some night this week?”
Nicole hesitated, and he held his breath. He knew she was debating the
“You look a little tired. Why don’t you let Nicole and me handle the dishes tonight.”
Nicole looked at him in surprise. “You never help with the dishes.”
“You’re right. And I’m wrong. The cook shouldn’t also have to do the dishes.”
“Really, Adam, you don’t have to do that,” Clare protested. “You work all day. And you’re tired when you get home. I don’t mind.”
“I didn’t work today. And I’m not tired tonight. You, on the other hand, look like you need some rest. Go climb into a hot tub with a good book or a cup of tea. Doctor’s orders.”
She managed a tired grin. “The hot tub part sounds good, anyway. Are you sure you don’t mind? Just for tonight?”
Her quick capitulation told him more eloquently than words that his assessment had been correct. But he suspected Clare’s exhaustion was more emotional than physical. “Not in the least.” He rose and began clearing the table as if to demonstrate his point.
“Well…okay. Nicole, don’t forget to finish that reading assignment tonight.”
She groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Absolutely. Promise me you’ll do it.”
“Okay, okay. I promise,” she grumbled.
Clare glanced at Adam as she passed and nodded toward Nicole.
“I’ll make sure she finishes it,” he said quietly.
He waited until the door shut behind Clare before he turned to Nicole. “How about you scrape the plates and put them in the dishwasher and I’ll work on the pots?”
She hung back warily. “I have to finish my homework.”
“It can wait a few minutes. Or I could see if Clare would come back and help. But she looks pretty tired.”
His ploy worked. “I’ll help.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes as Adam struggled to find a way to broach the subject of David.
“The tree looks nice,” he said.
“Yeah.”
Silence.
“Did you have much luck on your shopping trip yesterday?” he tried again.
“Yeah.”
More silence.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Why wasn’t there a book on how to talk to teenage daughters? None of his medical texts had ever addressed this issue.
“So did you and Clare buy some clothes?”
“I did. Clare didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“She said she has enough.”
“Well, maybe she does.”
Nicole gave him an exasperated look. “Don’t you notice anything? She always wears the same stuff.”
Adam couldn’t argue with Nicole, because he really didn’t pay that much attention to what Clare wore. He just knew that she always looked good.
“So are we going to get her a Christmas present?” Nicole asked when he didn’t respond.
Adam looked at her in surprise. “Do you think we should?”
Nicole gave a long-suffering sigh. “Of course. You’re supposed to give stuff to people you like. And she probably won’t get anything else, except maybe from her sisters.”
“Okay. What do you think we should get?”
“Clothes.”
That seemed a little too personal. “I don’t know. How about a cookbook?”
“Good grief, Dad. You are so out of it!”
“What’s wrong with a cookbook?”
“She already knows how to cook. Real good, too. If you give her a cookbook, she might think you don’t like her cooking.”
He frowned. That certainly wasn’t his intent. But now that Nicole had pointed it out, he could see how the gift might be misinterpreted. “You may have a point,” he conceded. “So what kind of clothes did you have in mind?”
“I saw her looking at this pretty blue sweater with beading around the top at the mall in Asheville. I think she really liked it, but it was kind of expensive.”
A sweater. That didn’t seem too personal. So it would probably be safe. “That sounds like a good idea. Do you want to go with me to get it some night this week?”
Nicole hesitated, and he held his breath. He knew she was debating the
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