Page 14 of The Kitchen Contract

“Short for Eleanora. I’m just giving it a try.”

“Nora is already short for Eleanora. Why do I need another nickname?”

He stops in front of the French doors, his hand resting on one handle. “You can never have too many nicknames.”

“What if I don’t like that one?” I put my hands on my hips

“I won’t call you that if you don’t like it. Do you?”

I frown. “I’m not sure.” Something tells me I wouldn’t like it coming from anyone else, but for some reason, it seems kind of cute when he says it.

He smirks like he knows what I’m thinking. “How about you let me know when you decide?”

“And you’ll stop calling me that if I hate it?”

“I promise.” He holds a hand over his heart.

“Maybe I should give you a nickname.”

He grins. “I wish you would. But while you’re coming up with one, how about we take that backyard tour?”

I follow him as he twists the handle and steps outside. Pulling the door closed behind me, I survey the large gazebo-covered patio. The concrete floor is stamped and stained to look like stone and a set of navy-colored outdoor furniture makes the space look cozy and welcoming. A slight breeze swirls around us, fluttering the filmy curtains tied at each post and making the ceiling fan above us spin lazily. Beyond the concrete, I can see a flat, green yard and a stone walkway leading away from the house.

“Where does this go?” I don’t wait for him to answer, opting to follow it and find out for myself. As soon as I step out of the patio, I have a clear view of the rest of the yard, including an in-ground pool, sparkling blue in the early summer sun. A tall privacy fence lined with a variety of well-kept plants surrounds the entire yard which is very generously sized for this part of Nashville.

I pause at the edge of the pool and shoot a glance at Alex trailing behind me. “Wow. I can see why you like it out here.”

“Yep, my own little piece of paradise.” For an instant, I think I detect a hint of melancholy on his face, but it goes away so quickly I think I must have imagined it. “You want to go for a swim?”

“Um, no. Not in this outfit, and I don’t have any extra clothes.”

“Maybe next time?” His expression is hopeful.

“Maybe next time,” I concede. The pool does look awfully tempting. I pull myself away. “We’d better get inside and make that last recipe.”

As we cross the patio to go back inside the house, I notice a grill in one corner and remember what Alex said about grilling. I can see why he’d like cooking outside in an outdoor oasis like this. We definitely need to record a grilled meal soon.

11

ALEX

As soon as I reach the end of the last of the three videos Nora emailed me, I pick up my phone and text her.

They look amazing! You did a great job with the editing.

Do you really think so? What about the music at the beginning and end, too corny?

Nope I liked it. It’s upbeat and catchy.

She really did do a great job. The finished episodes look smooth and professional. You’d never know she hasn’t done anything like this before.

When are you going to upload the first one?

If you think they look good then I guess now?

Do it! Let me know when it’s live and I’ll start sharing it.

A few minutes later, she sends me the link. I peruse the caption and the logo she designed, impressed by her creativity. The logo features a spud wearing sunglasses and lounging on a couch with the name of our show circling the image in purple lettering. I copy the link and send it out to all my immediate family members, telling them to watch it, share it on social media, and subscribe to her channel. I post it myself and take a screenshot that I send to Nora.

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