How Sweet It Is

14

There were a million things she could be doing right now. She could be doing laundry, studying procedures, watching her mother's old surgery tapes or doing something girly, instead she had gotten into her car and driven down the street to drop off the cake dish that Mrs. Shepherd had loaned her for the chocolate cake she had made for Meredith to take home.

She had washed the dish and placed it in a shopping bag, making sure that it was perfect before she opened her car door to get out. She looked around, noticing that Mrs. Shepherd's Buick was not parked in its usual spot, but that the garage door was open. "Mrs. Shepherd?"

"She's not here!" Derek called, not yet aware it was Meredith who was there.

"Oh...." Meredith stopped, standing in front of the open garage.

"Can I help you?"

"No I just wanted to drop her dish off."  Meredith replied, raising the bag a bit.

"Okay...you can leave it with..." Derek stood up from behind some cabinets, stopping what he was saying as he saw Meredith.

"I washed it." Meredith replied.

"You can put it in the kitchen if you want." Derek said.

"Right....okay." Meredith bit her lip, walking past him to get to the doorway to the house.

"Thanks for washing it."

"Your welcome." She whispered, walking into the house. He was such an ass, even in just a few words exchanged, he managed to be such an ass. She put the dish on the counter, before walking back into the garage.

"She should be back tonight around eight." Derek said, wiping sweat off of his forehead as Meredith game back into the garage.

"Okay..." Meredith sighed, coming down the small set of steps.

"Is there anything else?"

"No." Meredith replied.

"Okay." Derek sighed.

"Okay." Meredith replied, her hand on her hip.

"Are you staying?"

"Does it look like I am?" Meredith glared, holding her keys up.

"It was just a question." Derek replied.

"I was just answering."

"Thanks."

"What are you doing?" Meredith asked, looking around the messy garage.

"Cleaning...or attempting to clean." Derek answered.

"Attempting is right."

"Seriously? You want to insult me right now?"

"Seriously?"

"If you think you can do a better job...go right ahead."

'You want me to do your chores for you?"

"I didn't say that." Derek groaned.

"I see."

"I don't know the last time someone cleaned in here. And I got the job of doing it now." Derek sighed, looking at the mess.

"To snap your ego to reality." Meredith mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Slobs...My whole family is a bunch of slobs."

"It's a garage not a bedroom."

"Thanks...I didn't know that."