Page 15 of Healing of the Heart

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Amory says, but she gives Blake a small smile.

“Okay,” Blake says with a laugh as she walks to the kitchen area, “come over here and I’ll show you how it’s done.

The two of them work on making the fried chicken, and Amory is conflicted. This is the woman she’s supposed to hate, who slept with her girlfriend, and made her life miserable for years. But now, as Blake shows her how to make fried chicken and the two of them make small talk, she can’t help but think how easy Blake is to get along with. Honestly, Amory thinks, if the two of them had met like this and not all those years ago when both of them were at their worst, she can easily see the two of them becoming fast friends.

That thought terrifies her. She feels so conflicted around Blake, but she decides she needs to get over herself and make the best of things. After all, the two of them are working together and sharing a cabin. She can’t just be miserable the entire time. Her grudge against Blake begins to dissolve little by little as the other woman patiently shows her how to bread and fry chicken.

“And now you know how to make fried chicken,” Blake says, using tongs to take the last piece out of the frying pan. “It wasn’t that hard, was it?”

“No,” Amory agrees. “Now we just have to see if it’s as good as you say it is.”

“It is,” Blake promises, “and if it’s not, I’ll just blame you.”

“Hey,” Amory exclaims at the joke, giving Blake a playful smile and a pout, “that’s not fair.”

“I think it’s very fair,” Blake says, tousling Amory’s hair.

Amory fixes her hair and laughs at the attention. She’s having a good time with Blake right now, and she kind of hopes that doesn’t change.

Blake puts two plates of fried chicken on the small table and takes a seat. She motions to Amory to sit down. “Come on,” she says, “don’t just stand there looking all pretty. Let’s eat.”

Amory blushes a little at being called pretty, but then curses herself for it, for being affected positively by something Blake said. She probably didn’t mean anything by it, and besides, Amory reminds herself, changed or not, this is still the woman who helped destroy her love life.

But Amory can’t help liking being called pretty or being affected by it. It’s been so long since anyone’s said anything like that to her.

“Okay,” Amory says, trying hard to stop blushing as she sits down, but Blake notices.

“Aw, you’re blushing.”

“Shut up,” Amory says, her lips in a straight line as she tries to hide behind her hair. “No I’m not.”

“Don’t worry,” Blake says, “it’s cute.”

“It’s not cute,” Amory counters, “it’s annoying.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s nothing new.”

“What do you mean?” Amory asks.

“People must call you pretty all the time,” Blake says.

“They don’t, actually.”

“Really?” Blake asks.

“Yep.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Blake says, “because you’re really very beautiful. People should tell you that more.”

Amory blushes again.

“What? It’s true.”

“Shut up,” Amory says.

“Why?” Blake asks. “Don’t you think you’re pretty?”

“Not really,” Amory says.

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