“Whoa, little man. That’s gonna hurt your face. Careful.” He leaned forward and cupped the back of Ike’s head in his enormous palm, letting the baby lay back against his forearm. “I didn’t wake him, did I?”
She dried her hands on a dish towel and took her son from Isaac. “You did not. His stomach the size of a chicken’s egg woke him. He’s hungry.”
“Oh!”
In what was already old habit, she snagged a new burp cloth off the clean and folded stack she kept in a basket on her kitchen counter and made her way back into the living room. Only instead of taking a seat on the couch, she went to the chair that Isaac had been sitting in. “You’re okay if I nurse?” she asked, settling in and resting a rooting and whimpering Isaac on her thighs.
He’d followed her into the living room but didn’t sit down. His hands in his pockets and the gentle shrug to his shoulders said he didn’t mind, but the deer-in-the-headlights look on his face spoke otherwise. “I can go … get the plates organized if you want,” he said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder back toward the kitchen.
She shook her head. “You don’t have to. I set the timer for the nachos, so when the oven beeps, just go pull them out. Unless you’re uncomfortable being around a woman nursing?” She made sure to hit him with a lifted eyebrow and challenge in her eyes. As nice of a man as he was, if he couldn’t handle being around a nursing mother and child, then the man had to go.
He cleared his throat and took a seat on the couch. “I’m not uncomfortable at all.” For good measure, he cocked an ankle on his knee and tucked his hands behind his head. “Go for it.”
She rolled her eyes but proceeded to get her breast out and begin feeding her son. She didn’t whip it out though. She discreetly maneuvered her clothing in such a way that only a small part of her breast was revealed, and that part was instantly covered by her son’s little head. Once Ike latched on and began to guzzle, she sat back in the chair and closed her eyes. “You left your beer in the kitchen.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
She heard him get up from the couch but didn’t bother to open her eyes. “Grab my wine while you’re in there, please.”
His deep, throaty chuckle faded as he headed to the kitchen.
Moments later, the stemless glass was placed into her hand, and she opened her eyes. “Thank you.”
He nodded and sat back on the couch, taking a swig of his beer. “You’re allowed to drink wine while nursing?”
As she took a sip of the delicious merlot, she nodded. “Yeah, thank God. Like I can’t get shit-faced or anything. But I can have a glass or two. It takes a while to work through your bloodstream and into the milk. Two glasses of wine over the course of a few hours shouldn’t have any effect on him.”
He took another pull on his beer, his head bobbing in earnest. “So how’d you get into the voice acting stuff?” The genuine curiosity and eagerness to listen and learn that he came by so honestly was refreshing. He was probably a good three or four years older than her, maybe more, but the way he gave her his full attention and seemed to hang on her every word lent him a boyish charm she found equal parts endearing and attractive.
Letting another mouthful of wine sit on her tongue for a moment, she closed her eyes, inhaled deep through her nose and swallowed. “I was in college and in need of some extra cash. I used to sing in the choir in high school and was always told I had a nice voice.”
“You do. Particularly your laugh. But your voice is nice too.”
She opened her eyes, her cheeks growing warm from his compliment and the way he was studying her like she was some rare painting hanging on the wall.
With her head tilted down toward her son, she peered up at Isaac through her lashes. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “Do you still sing?”
“Not much. Only in the shower, when I clean the house or to Ike.”
“Not for your jobs?”
“Not really. I have, but I prefer not to. I make enough just speaking. Anyway, I was in my sophomore year of college, doing a communications degree, and I was perusing the help-wanted bulletin board because I was getting close to living on an all-ramen diet. Things were tight.”
“Shit. Been there.”
“Yeah, well, I saw a notice for voice actors needed. I did up a demo recording, sent it in and started making money. It was slow going at first. I didn’t get many contracts, only worked when I had time in between classes and my part-time job as a cashier at a drugstore. But then I started doing voices for video games, and that’s when things really took off. I moved into audiobooks and started making even more money, and then radio ads. I mean, I do ads for radio stations all over the world now. Not just here in Seattle. They send me the script. I read it, record it, send them the bill, and they use it.”
His head shook slowly in bafflement. “That’s really cool. And Captain Fantastic, how did you get that gig?”
“I’ve made enough of a name for myself now that my agent came to me with the offer. I actually read for a smaller part in the movie, but they liked me enough they gave me the role of Penelope the Magnificent.”
“That’s so cool. I’m going to have to tell my colleagues that I met the Penelope Magnificent. They’re not going to believe me. Mel and Sid are enormous animation nerds. And they own them all. Like buy the DVDs and watch the director’s commentary. Huge nerds.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I have to say, I’ve never actually met a fan. I don’t go to premieres. I prefer a low profile and my privacy. And my friends’ kids can’t wrap their heads around a human voicing a cartoon. Either that or they don’t want to ruin the magic. What about you? How’d you become a—”
She was about to say cop when the timer in the kitchen began to beep and Isaac stood up.
At the same time, Ike popped off. A small dribble of milk ran down the side of his cheek out of his tight pout, and once again, his eyes were glued shut. She lifted up one of his arms to do the noodle limb test Bianca taught her, and sure enough, it flopped right back down. He was full, content and out.
Propping him up on her shoulder, she began to pat him at the same time she headed into the kitchen.
“We can eat in the living room if you want to grab plates, three bowls and three spoons. Sour cream, salsa and guac are in the fridge.” She grabbed a couple of hot pads to protect her coffee table and a handful of napkins. That was all she could manage, and she made her way back out to the living room.
Isaac followed her and placed the big casserole dish of chips and melted cheese on the hot pads before he retreated back to the kitchen to grab the rest of the stuff. Before long, they were sitting side-by-side on the couch, with Isaac snoozing in the bassinet beside her, It’s a Wonderful Life on the television and nachos in their mouths.
“This is a really great Christmas Eve,” Isaac said, leaning back into the couch and finishing his beer. “I was just going to go home and go to bed, as I have to work at 5 a.m. tomorrow. But this is way better. Thank you.”
She had to agree. She was content to spend Christmas Eve with just her baby, but having another person around who was actually awake and could hold a conversation was nice too. She smiled with nachos in her mouth, chewed and swallowed before speaking. “Thank you for staying, but don’t feel like you have to. If you have to work so early tomorrow, I understand if you want to get home to bed.”