Bayou

Chapter 8 ~ No Sniffing

Chapter 8

Julia made a sauce from the raspberries, drizzled it across filets of steamed fish, then laid it all over a bed of rice. She used a knife to scrape kernels off the massive corn directly onto each plate and chopped up one stalk of asparagus, which was enough for everyone to have a serving.

Eve got the remaining chair at the table, while Eric sat in Julia's lap. I could hardly believe they were the same kids from the day before. They played with their food in between bites. Eve stuck two pieces of corn over her two front teeth and smiled goofily at Eric, who laughed hysterically at his sister and tried to mimic her. Julia didn't reprimand them. She laughed along, praising them as clever and applauding their ingenuity. Her word choice made me have to bite back my own laughter.

Croc didn't make a sound, but he looked ready to develop a twitch. His focus jumped about like a boxer with three opponents: cooked food, bathed Willow, giggling children. He'd dig into the fish and rice, then stare at Julia as if she'd conjured a miracle. He'd study the children, smiling wide at each thing they did. That didn't bother me. I even found him endearing in a sense. It was sweet when he admired the food. It was even sweeter when he admired the children. But when he focused on me...

As if on cue, Croc leaned over, and it wasn't the first time. He'd been doing it since we sat down. He feigned interest in Julia, shifted his body toward mine, and sniffed.

My teeth clenched, eyes narrowed at my plate. I could have ignored him. I'd have been more than willing to even make excuses for him. He's never smelled strawberry shampoo. He only knows the smell of muck. This is just as new to him as everything else. I even went so far as to pretend he had a cold.

Eric managed to get the corn over his teeth and giggled manically.

We laughed along, my attention distracted for that blessed second, before Croc leaned close again. This time, he was sneakier yet bolder. Perhaps convinced I was too preoccupied to notice. He dropped his fork on the floor between us, bent down to pick it up, then took a long sniff as he languidly lifted himself back up. He hummed low in his throat.

I gripped my near-empty plate and jumped from the table. "Thank you, Julia. I'll clean up."

Julia stood from her own chair and plopped Eric into her spot. "Good. I've got one last thing to clean before this day is over." She walked around to Croc, lifting a long dreadlock into the air by two fingers. "How do you feel about cutting some of this off?"

Croc's eyes widened and shot to the leftover fish. "Croc likes his head attached."

Julia barked a laugh. "No! Not your head!" The kids broke into giggles.

I focused on rinsing my plate, needing to distance myself. Sure, it was cute. It was more of his endearing side. But nothing about that hum had been cute. Nothing about that sound had been innocent. It was sinful, intriguing, off-putting, and more than the smell of shampoo deserved.

It took Julia a moment to compose herself. "Your hair, son. Just the hair."

Against my better judgment, I glanced at him.

Croc's eyebrows lifted. "My hair?" He fingered a dread and stretched it down the length of his nose, going cross-eyed. After a moment, he shrugged. "Okay."

Julia clapped her hands. "Good answer. Now, come with me, and we'll leave Willow to do the dishes."

They wandered to the bathroom as I focused on the massive task of cleaning up the mess. It was more difficult, doing dishes without running water, but I managed to work out a system, pouring from a jug as needed while trying to be frugal with the soap. I scrubbed the pans, then the plates, then dried them all with a clean towel and put them back where Julia had placed them earlier in the day. Eve and Eric darted off to the bedroom, and I listened to their continued fun as I finished wiping down the kitchen.