The Sauna Part 92

Monday morning came in like a lion, with a loud, thundering rainstorm pelting the house and rattling the windows. All the cats were in the bed with us, except for Zeke, who I was sure was snuggled in with Richie. I snuggled next to Jon myself and I felt safe and secure as I listened to the steady sound of his breathing beside me.

I had every intention of going back to sleep, but the aroma of fresh coffee reached my nostrils and I inhaled deeply. Richie must be up early I thought, a little surprised, and I decided to get up. I slid to the edge of the bed carefully so that I didn’t disturb Jon who was snoring softly, still asleep.

I slipped on my robe and padded out to the kitchen where Richie was sitting at the table with his coffee and Zeke at his feet. I noticed there was fresh water in the cat bowl and it was full of food.

“Did he get you up to feed him?” I asked, smiling at Richie as he turned towards me.

“Awww, him? No, I just couldn’t sleep while I’m waiting to hear from Elaine. Actually, I’m surprised the little sleepyhead got up at all” Richie laughed amiably, patting Zeke’s head as he rubbed against Richie’s leg.

“Well, he certainly has taken quite a shine to you. I wish he liked Jon half as much” I laughed.

“He’s my little buddy. Guess he just has good taste as well as good sense” Richie joked and we both had a laugh at Jon’s expense.

“Well, Elaine should be calling anytime now, it’s nearly noon there” I said as I glanced at the clock.

“Yeah, her last plane should be touching down soon” Richie nodded.

“Hey, Richie, I need a favor. Do you know how to bake chocolate chip cookies? I’d love to make some for Jon on such a dreary day, but I’ve never been able to get them to turn out. Wanna help me?”

“Sure, they’re easy, hon. Have you got the ingredients?” he asked as I poured a cup of the fresh coffee.

“I think so. Let me check” I said as I rummaged in the cupboards and read the ingredients on the back of the chocolate morsels package.

I laid out the ingredients on the kitchen counter and set the temperature in the oven so it could warm up. Richie came round behind me and looked at the package and the assembled ingredients and frowned.

“No Crisco?” he asked.

I nodded no and pointed to the butter instead. I’d never made anything with Crisco since my mother had never used it, so it wasn’t something I had on hand. I grabbed a measuring cup and spoons and a large mixing bowl as I looked expectantly at Richie.

“We should let the butter soften a bit so it’ll be easier to mix” he said.

“Do you want me to melt it in the microwave?”

“Jesus, no! It’ll soften at room temperature by itself” he laughed and I began to wonder if that’s what I’d done wrong before. “Why don’t you just watch this time, Trish” he added indulgently.

I nodded and went to sit down, feeling about as useful at the moment as Jon was in the kitchen. Richie looked at me and laughed, shaking his head.

“Come here, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. But you can’t melt the butter. It’s just supposed to be soft. That’s why I usually use Crisco” he explained patiently.

“But it melts when you bake it, right? What’s the difference?” I asked a little petulantly.

“The batter will be too thin and if you add more flour, they’ll end up hard” he said continuing the baking lesson.

What a pair, Richie thought in his own mind. They really do deserve each other. It’s a good thing Jon can pay for a chef he thought as he smiled to himself, watching as I measured out the ingredients. He put the butter in the microwave for fifteen seconds to soften, not melt it, so we wouldn’t have to wait and then added it to the mix as he began to stir.

“I have a mixer” I offered.

He politely declined, hiding his amusement as he mixed the batter and had me grease the cookie sheets. He dropped dough onto the sheets by spoonfuls and let me do the second cookie sheet. We popped them in the oven just as his cell phone rang. It was Elaine and I excused myself to give them some privacy. I took a quick shower and came back to the kitchen as Richie pulled the bottom tray out of the oven, explaining the other one needed a bit more time.

“How’s Lainie? How were her flights?” I asked as we sat back down at the table.

“She’s great! I mean her flights were long and she’s tired and going to bed, but she sounded good” he said happily.

Jon walked in then, yawning, as he tied the belt around his robe. He looked like a little kid as he wandered over to the stove and saw the tray of cookies fresh from the oven.

“I thought I smelled cookies” he announced gleefully as he stuck a finger into one of them before either of us could warn him.

“Ow! That’s hot!” he said, licking his burned finger and we laughed.

“They have to cool. They just came out of the oven. Jesus, Jon, you’re worse than Ava and she’s only eight!” Richie reprimanded.

“But I love cookies” Jon said apologetically.

“Well, thank Richie. I never could make chocolate chip cookies, but I think Richie figured out what I’ve been doing wrong” I giggled.

“You made the cookies?” Jon said, astounded as he looked at Richie. “You never made me cookies before” he pouted.

“You never asked me” Richie retorted.

Jon smirked and poured himself a coffee and sat down to wait for the cookies to cool. Richie checked the remaining ones in the oven and decided they were done now and pulled them out, setting them aside to cool.

“Shit, bro, you’re making me look bad again, aren’t you?” Jon teased.

“Sure you wanna stick with Blondie here? Maybe you might wanna consider a visit to the dark side first before you decide?” Richie grinned at me engagingly.

I looked at Jon and then at the cookies and then at Richie as I pretended to mull it over before I spoke.

“A man who can cook? Now that’s tempting, but …”

“Hey! I can make cereal, remember?” Jon protested and I reached over to ruffle his hair.

“Aaahhhhh, yes. And you do have other talents I appreciate” I said reassuringly.

Jon took a quick shower while the cookies finished cooling and Richie and I were sampling them as he rejoined us. They were still warm and gooey, just the way I liked them. Jon reached over to the plate and grabbed one, stuffing it in his mouth.

“Damn, Richie. These are good” he mumbled, reaching for another one.

And so we breakfasted on cookies and coffee as we made our plans for the day.