Our Life, Our Girl

POV Dean:

I leaned against the hood of my first love. She was all shiny and gleaming from the wax I gave her earlier. A 1967 Chevy Impala was the only car I drove and planned to drive. I've made it clear to Cas a million times that no matter what, I will drive her. She had been the first car my dad owned and by some miracle, he handed me her keys on my 18th birthday. He told me she was my responsibility now and if I damaged her in any way he'd kill me and sell my organs to pay for repair. I still believe he would.
"You're scaring the moms and minivans," Jo said leaning against my baby. I glanced around at the other parents waiting for their children. Some were definitely eying my car, but in more of a jealous way.
"If she truly scared them there wouldn't still be one in my driveway," I told her and she laughed. I'd met Jo awhile back and she'd been the one to convince Cas and I to move here. Her boys were now 8 and 11.
"I bet you secretly drive it," she joked and I rolled my eyes.
"Wouldn't be caught dead," I repeated. "You don't know how much I've begged him to get rid of it." She laughed again as the dismissal bell rang.
"Sure, sure Dean," she said and scanned the sea of kids. At least I knew Clea didn't charge out here like a bat out of hell like Jo youngest, Charlie.
"You coming to the restaurant tonight?" I asked still debating on whether or not I was going to end up cooking, even for just Cas and Clea.
"Of course it's pie night!" Charlie shouted appearing out of nowhere and launching himself into Jo's arms. She groaned as she lifted him. Pie night was every other Tuesday. Cas, and sometimes I would too, make seven different kinds of homemade pie. Served while supplies last and it was always a surprise what kinds were going to be made. Although I knew one was key lime because Clea had been begging for it. Now I kind of wanted to go in and make a good blueberry and black raspberry mixed pie or maybe an orange cream.
"Yeah we'll be there for dessert," Jo said and I nodded. "Come on Alex!" she shouted to her other son who was chatting with his friends. He eventually started approaching us.
"Clea!" Charlie shouted and waved as she zoomed into view smiling.
"I've been waiting all day daddy!" she exclaimed and I opened the door for her and helped her in.
"See you later Jo," I said and she waved as she dragged her sons off to their house. They lived close enough to walk. I shut the car door and then went about shoving the wheelchair into the trunk. Luckily the wheelchair was small enough to fit in the trunk capable of holding a body or two. I finally got in and laughed at Clea who was lounged across the backseat.
"This is much better then the other car," she said and I smiled.
"Damn straight," I said starting the engine.
"Language daddy," she giggled and I laughed and turned on the radio filling the car with Eric Clapton. The blaring music earned me more stares as I pulled away from the school.
I took the long route to the restaurant. It was nice to drive around on a nice day with music blasting and the windows rolled down. Cas and I used to do it all the time. We took many road trips and planned to take our first with Clea this winter. I parked in back of the restaurant and waved to Taylor as I got Clea out of the car.
"He's being a madman in there," Taylor laughed.
"Isn't he always?" I asked. It's been two years and I still think it's weird that we happened to find Taylor out here after all that time.
"No he seems tense today," he laughed and I nodded. I could tell that earlier.
"I'll check on him," I said holding the door for Clea. She immediately went in and to her spot behind the bar when she kept all sorts books and markers.
I checked the clean kitchen which was where we cooked all peanut-free and gluten-free foods, and the the regular kitchen and found him flipping through his recipes. He was running his fingers through his hair and chewing on the end of a pen. In his apron covered in sweat and spices, it reminded me of the Cas I fell in love with. All that was missing was the paint.
"Hey Cas," I murmured wrapping my arms around his waist.
"Mmm," he greeted me not taking his eyes off the recipe book but he did reach back to run his fingers through my hair. I kissed his neck.
"Baby girl seemed happy when I picked her up," I said and he relaxed a bit.
"Sam called," he said and I perked up.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah they'll be here Friday for the long weekend," he told me and I hugged him. Sam rarely got time off from being a fancy lawyer to come up here and visit. We usually went to him.
"Does that mean I've got to clean out the guest room?" I whined.
"Unless you want to sleep on the couch again," he said and I grumbled. We had the biggest couch we could find and it still was uncomfortable for decent sleep. And there was no way Sam would fit comfortably on it, him being a Viking or a moose in a past life or something. "Get Clea to help you. It's mostly her toys in there anyway." I snorted and rested my chin on top of his head.
"And whose artwork is stacked along the walls?"
"Who didn't hang up nails when I asked?" he countered and I smiled.
"Who knows how to use a hammer himself like a big boy?" I asked.
"Who would rather watch his lover do it?" he asked and I kissed the top of his head.
"Fine, if I remember then I'll do it tomorrow. And make banana creme," I said as he flipped past the page.
"Jo coming in?" he asked. She always complained that we never made banana creme pie enough.
"Yeah saw her at school," I said. "I'll go find out how Clea's day was," I told him and tilted his head back so that I could kiss him. "Then I'll make us some dinner and help with pie," I added and he smiled.
"Thank you Dean," he said and I headed out into the restaurant to get Clea to come back into the office.
Taylor and Cas ran the main kitchen and most of the time I would and our friend Michelle worked part time. In the special kitchens we have Emily and Tom. When Cas had come to me with the whole restaurant idea I was on board, but I'd been skeptical about having the special made food without peanuts or gluten. Much to my surprise it was one of the best things about our restaurant. Most of our customers were tourists from nearby ski resorts or regulars, but then there were the people from the hospitals both in our town and the city nearby. I hadn't been counting on those customers.
I got Clea set up in the office, which was more of a break room with a plastic dinner table and matching chairs, a couch, and the doors to the filing cabinets and staff bathroom. Most of the financial business stuff Cas did at home. His art and pictures Clea had made decorated the walls making it feel more like home.
"What are you going to make?" Clea asked for the third time and again I shrugged.
"It's always a surprise Cleabee," I said. She frowned and I smiled. "So how was the first day? Better then you thought?"
"People liked my shirt and my friend Bree told me all about how she went to Disney Land over the summer," she said and I nodded. "Can we go there?" she asked.
"We will make it there one day soon I promise, but Cas might not make it back. I went to Disney World with him once, you've seen the pictures," I told her and she nodded.
"And he didn't want to leave," she giggled.
"He was like a giant child and afraid of the water rides," I recalled with a smile.
"I want to go though. Bree got to meet all the princesses," she said flipped open a coloring book.
"We will go don't worry. Now what'd you do in school?" I asked and she shrugged.
"We have reading buddies and they are in seventh grade. We get to meet them tomorrow. And my friend Jeremy sits by me in class. He went to Texas in the summer too. We got to each tell the class what we did in the summer and I talked about how we went to visit Uncle Sam and all of daddy's brother's, even Uncle Balthazar and how I got to meet the horses and ride them," she said. Sam had horses, three of them. We'd gone to stay with him the whole month of July, leaving the restaurant to Taylor, and stayed with Sam and seen each of Cas' brother's.
"Sam's coming up here for the weekend. We've got to clean the guest room," I said and she scrunched up her face.
"I don't wanna clean. That's your job," she said and I laughed.
"If you help we can work on the car in the garage together," I offered and she lit up.
"Okay I'll help you," she said and I smiled.
"Now I've got to go cook because someone asked me to make them dinner," I said and she giggled. I headed to the kitchen, grabbing my apron. I had cooked a lot for Sam growing up, but Cas taught me even more. He was the good cook though. I was just mediocre.
"She wants to go to Disney Land or World," I told Cas as he purposely brushed by me trying to see what I was cooking.
"Let's go Dean! We said we would," he said and I laughed.
"You can't be a crazy person again if we go," I warned.
"Then don't take me on water rides!" he snapped and I caught him around the waist and turned pulling him against my chest.
"But I was right there holding your hand and keeping you safe and then when we got off and you were soaked and pumped with adrenaline well, that was adorable and amazing," I told him and kissed him quickly. He narrowed his eyes at me and then smiled.
"We almost didn't make it back to the room," he murmured.
"You almost didn't make it back to the room," I laughed and turned back around. "Now go finish what you were doing so that you can come eat with us and we can hear more about Clea's day."