Page 32 of Breeding Clinic

“What sort of wine would you pair with mac and cheese?” Gabriel asks.

“I guess it would depend on the cheese?” She looks to me for help.

“There are six,” I answer. “Sharp and mild cheddar, monterey jack, shaved provolone, parmesan, and cubes of gouda.” The cheese alone was a hundred dollars from the bougie grocer down the street. But I like shopping locally when I can. And it was too short notice to go to a farmer’s market. Also, if I’m honest, I wanted to impress her.

“Maybe a chardonnay,” she says.

“Excellent.” Gabriel finds a bottle of chardonnay from our rack and searches through the junk drawer for our bottle opener.

The oven beeps and I ask her to step aside for a moment so I can pull the mac and cheese out to do the topping. I crushed the cracker and herb mixture in advance. While the butter melts, I sprinkle the topping on. When that’s done, I pour the melted butter all over and put it under the broiler to crisp. I glance at the broccolini and decide it’s cooked enough to start the plating.

“That looks done to me. Let’s get it off the heat,” I tell her.

“Okay.” She reaches for the handle, and I realize too late that she doesn’t expect it to be hot. She must be used to nonstick pans where the handles don’t heat up. “Fuck! Oww.”

“Are you okay?” I grab her wrist to look at her hand. There’s a red mark, but it’s not bad. Not yet. “We should put some ice on that.”

“Not ice,” Gabriel says, intervening to peer at her burn. “It’ll make it blister. Let’s stick your hand under cool water.”He brings her over to the sink and puts her hand under the cool tap.

“I’m ruining dinner. I’m sorry,” she says while I take over the food prep and Gabriel tends to her injury.

“This little thing?” he says, pulling her hand out of the cool water to inspect it. “Hmm. No, you’re right. We might have to amputate,” he deadpans.

I glance over my shoulder at him, horrified, but she laughs. “You’re kind of ridiculous.”

“See?” Gabriel says, putting her hand back under the water. “You get us so well already.” He winks at her. “I’ll set the table.”

He grabs a stack of plates from the cabinet and goes to set the dining table. We cleared it off and I put a tablecloth and fresh flowers on it this morning before work.

The front door closes and Liam calls out that he’s home. “In here,” I answer.

He comes into the kitchen. “Well, this is a pretty sight. And that’s a lovely smell. Hello, handsome,” he says, prowling toward me and pulling me in for a kiss. “Hello, beautiful.” He does the same to Kat.

After he pulls away and says he’s going to change out of his work clothes for dinner, she glances at me shyly. As if checking to make sure that everything’s okay. I like that.

I smile at her and nod to the drawer to her left. “The silverware is in there if you don’t mind taking to the dining room.”

“Of course.” She turns the tap off, dries her hand, then gathers up four sets of knives, forks, and spoons. Kat takes them to the dining table, and I hear her and Gabriel talk in low voices.

I take the macaroni and cheese out of the oven, turn it off, and transfer the broccolini to a nicer dish. Carefully I take both out tothe table and set them on two wooden trivets next to a basket of fresh sliced bread. I got it from the bakery down the street. I get the crock of butter from the fridge and put that next to the bread.

“Are you sure?” Gabriel asks, holding the bottle of wine and a wine glass up.

Kat waves him away from her seat. “No, I’m fine with water. But don’t let me stop you.”

I like that too. She’s easygoing.

More at ease now, I slide into my seat and give into Gabriel’s insistence that he pours me a glass. He sets down filled wine glasses for him and Liam too. Liam joins us. He’s changed into slacks and a black button-up with the sleeves rolled up. He takes his position at the head, then takes the first scoop of dinner, loading up his plate.

“How was work?” he asks me.

I tell him about the new person they hired at the bank. They start next week for training. Gabriel catches us up on some of the latest drama at the hospital. One of the overnight staff got caught sleeping in a supply closet.

Liam passes the serving spoon to Gabriel. We all take turns filling our plates. Once we’ve all been served, Kat looks between us. “Did you want to say grace?” she asks.

“Hmm?” Liam looks up from his forkful of mac and cheese. “Do you want to?”

“Didn’t you say you’re Catholic?” she asks.

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