Page 27 of The Kitchen Contract

“You must be Nora,” the man says, standing and offering me his hand. “I’m Grant, Alex’s brother and Annie’s husband.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, giving him a firm shake.

“Likewise. I was told to let you know that the girls are in the pool waiting for you.”

“Oh, great, thank you. I better not keep them waiting.”

I fix Alex with a glare as I walk past him. “Don’t call me Nora-Sue.”

Rounding the corner of the house, I see Annie and Maddy chatting in the shallow end beside the steps. I haven’t seen them since the book club where they introduced me to Alex. Book club takes a hiatus in the summer since most of the members have kids at home and attendance is spotty with all the vacations that get scheduled this time of year.

They both wave at me as I approach the pool.

“Come on in,” Maddy calls. “It’s so much cooler in here.”

It does feel hotter than a habanero out here in the July sun. I slip out of my shorts and tank top, draping them over the back of a pool chair, and wade in to join them.

Annie looks adorable in her turquoise two-piece with her baby belly poking out and her auburn hair trailing down her back. She wears a wide-brimmed straw hat that’s almost big enough to shade all three of us. Maddy looks very classy in a yellow one-piece, her hair in a chic knot on top of her head. She reaches out to pull me into a half hug, her other arm occupied by the adorably squishy Ileigh, who squeals and splashes like only a seven-month-old can.

“Hello, ladies. Long time, no see.”

“Maybe for you,” Annie says. “We see you every week.”

“Mmhmm,” Maddy agrees. “We watch your show as a family every Tuesday night. It’s so fun! Rowan and Seth are interested in cooking now. They made all of us quesadillas for dinner last week.”

“Really? That’s so great!” I look toward the deep end where the two boys are splashing around with Chris, Maddy’s husband, and Olivia, their seven-year-old sister.

“They think you’re a real celebrity,” Maddy adds. “They might ask you to sign a spatula or something for them before you leave.”

I laugh. “I’d be happy to.”

“They’re not the only ones you’ve had an influence on,” Annie says. “Alex wouldn’t let us bring any food today. He wanted to make everything himself.”

“He’s made a lot of progress learning to cook. I can’t wait to taste everything.” I wonder if either of them knows just how hard he’s worked this week, studying the recipes I sent and asking questions, making his grocery list, and starting the food prep last night to be ready for today.

“So the show is going well then?”

“Yeah, it really is.” I give them a brief overview of the growth we’ve experienced in the short month that the channel has been live. “We’ve almost got enough subscribers to start running ads. It’s so exciting to see the views climbing and read the comments about people cooking along at home.”

“And the comments about Alex,” Maddy adds. “Has he been insufferable knowing that he has an online fan club?”

“No, actually.” Much to my surprise, aside from that one joking comment in the driveway, he hasn’t brought it up again after our initial discussion. “He’s been pretty focused and level-headed about the whole thing. I think he takes the show as seriously as I do.”

Annie and Maddy exchange glances. “What?” I ask.

“It’s just that Alex isn’t usually the ‘takes things seriously’ kind of guy,” Maddy says as she shifts Ileigh to her opposite hip. “I mean, it’s not that he’s irresponsible or immature. I’d trust him with my kids’ lives.”

“But he tends to be the comic relief,” Annie explains. “He doesn’t take himself any more seriously than he does anything else. It sounds like he might be trying to change that.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that. “You guys know him better than I do, but he’s been this way since I met him. Maybe this is a different side of him that’s been there all along and you just haven’t seen it.”

I second guess my words as soon as they leave my mouth, fearing they might have come across as judgmental or condescending, but Annie and Maddy don’t seem offended.

“That might be true,” Maddy concedes. “But something brought it out in him. I think it’s you.”

“Me?” I cringe. This is exactly the line of conversation I was afraid of.

“Yep, I think he’s trying to impress you.”

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