Isabel asked, sitting on a chair in Leigh’s kitchen behind the table where she cut the shape of a pumpkin out of orange construction paper early the next day. Too early. Leigh hid a yawn as she nodded. “Yes, sweetie, that’s great.” She glued a set of googly eyes to a cutout of a ghost and handed it to Dylan. “Just set this on the window ledge to dry with the others and they should be ready for you to take home at the end of the day.” The oven timer chimed and Leigh grabbed her oven mitts from the counter. “Everyone stay in your seats, away from the oven, while I get the cookies,” she said, before removing the tray of shortbread and placing them on the cooling rack above the stove. “They smell yummy. Can we decorate them now?” Melissa asked, standing on her chair to peer at the shortbread cookies with interest. “They have to cool first, and chairs are for bottoms.” Leigh motioned for the little girl to sit as she removed her oven mitts and got out her decorating tools and bags of colored frosting and sprinkles.
