Page 4 of Whispering Waves

Tono shrugged. “Two hours?”

“Okay, can I get in there to help?”

A head of lettuce came hurtling toward her. She caught it, darted around them as they put groceries away, and got the lettuce rinsed and torn into a salad bowl. Then she got a carrot, some tomatoes, and half a head of red cabbage. She learned the kitchen fast and had the salad ready in about half an hour. She had also gotten her steps in.

Drake grinned and said, “Do you want to do the mushrooms?”

She lifted the knife. “Do I have to cut a bitch?”

He laughed, and she got the potatoes into a pressure unit, sliced the mushrooms, and got them into a huge skillet with some butter and coconut oil.

She got everything going, and the guys were taking turns monitoring equipment. She would be nosey later.

Drake asked, “Do you want to grill for me?”

“Sure. What is everybody’s preference?”

“Rare.” “Rare.” “Medium rare.” Drake grinned. “We will have to ask Kimo. I think it’s rare, but I am not sure.”

“When will he be getting here?” She checked the twenty minutes on the pressure cooker and started making sides for the potatoes. It was a very back-home selection, but it was just what her stomach was after.

She paused. “Shit. Dessert!”

Drake laughed, and she shoved him away from the kitchen. She found a ready-made pound cake, and it was a familiar brand.

Nina turned to him. “You ordered this stuff for me.”

He shrugged. “You have been having a hard-enough time without having familiar food.”

She got out instant pudding, whipping cream, and fruit.

Tono looked toward her and opened his mouth.

She held up a hand. “Make a comment about this looking like a fun night off and I put your tongue through the egg beater. If that is your thing, I don’t wanna know.”

She had a multilayered trifle ready in ten minutes and then headed out to the grill and turned it on. This reminded her of her family hosting Drake’s football team and his hockey team and the debate team. Her brother was popular, smart, and athletic. Nina was average but competent.

When he became a marine biologist, the jokes had been plentiful, but aside from asking him to necropsy her can of sardines, she had tried to be supportive and help him study until he hit the tropics, then it was video chats and pictures of jumping whales.

She got the grill going and watched the temperature rise. Humming to herself, she got the steaks lined up and lightly seasoned.

She oiled up the grill and had three curious alphas following her. She put Drake and hers on first, and then she heard approaching footfalls.

Drake called out to the man climbing the ladder. “Kimo, how do you like your steak?”

“Medium rare.” He had a good voice, a really good voice.

She nodded and threw a steak on next to Drake’s. It was a good thing the grill was huge.

“So, this is the little sister?”

“Big sister. Age-wise anyway. My name is Nina.”

Drake chuckled. “It actually isn’t, but she doesn’t like to be called Nerina.”

“Shut up, or you are going to be diving for your steak, Ducker.”

“Geez, Nina.”

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