Page 30 of Zane

“You need to get a job so soon?”

“Yeah. My savings are pretty much depleted after two moves. Plus, I don’t really want to sit around doing nothing when I’m perfectly capable of working.”

Zane frowned, thinking of the size of his own savings account. How was Kelsey’s so small? Did she have a problem handling her finances?

He didn’t want to ask her about it right then since they had an audience, plus, he wasn’t sure it was any of his business. Delving into how their marriage had been might open a door he wasn’t ready to walk through just yet.

“It’s too bad Kayleigh doesn’t need a hostess at the resort,” Rori said.

“It’s what I have the most experience with,” Kelsey said, then glanced at the stove. “Do I have time to run upstairs for a minute?”

“Yep. We’ll be ready to eat in about twenty minutes.”

Kelsey nodded, then left the kitchen. Zane watched her go, then continued to stare at the empty doorway. He knew that Lee and Rori probably hoped that having them both under the same roof would help their relationship. However, Zane wasn’t so sure.

Though every day he went to bed and woke up with the prayer that his memory would return and that his feelings for Sarah would disappear, neither had happened. He knew he needed God’s help with both, and he prayed that God wouldn’t abandon him in his time of need.

At Rori’s request, Lee got dishes from the cupboard. He took them to the breakfast nook and set them out. Just four place settings.

Zane was now being faced with the thing he’d been ignoring in his eagerness to get out from under his parents’ hovering. It was going to be awkward with just the four of them in the house.

In his desire to escape his parents, he’d landed in another situation that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. But where else could he go?

Rori finished up with the food on the stove, draining the pasta and putting it in a bowl. By the time Kelsey reappeared, all the food was on the table.

None of the others took their seats until Zane had shifted himself over from the counter. Lee ended up sitting next to him while the ladies sat on the opposite side of the table.

Lee said a prayer for the food, then they began to eat.

“This is good, Rori,” Kelsey said. “Thank you for making dinner.”

Zane wondered how much cooking he’d done during their marriage. When he’d lived on his own, he’d spent a lot of time at the restaurant, so he rarely cooked when he was home.

Rori’s pasta wasn’t made fresh, and her sauce probably came out of a jar, but it still tasted pretty good. She also had breadsticks and a salad. All in all, it was a tasty and filling meal. Better than his mom’s, if he was honest. Although that was rather a low bar.

“It’s as tasty as you promised,” Zane said.

Rori smiled, her eyes lighting up. “Thank you.”

“See, sweetheart,” Lee said. “I told you you didn’t have to worry. Zane isn’t going to judge you on your food.”

Zane wasn’t going to say he never judged the food he ate. However, that only happened if someone really hyped up whatthey’d made and then it didn’t measure up. Even in those circumstances, though, he rarely voiced his opinion.

He hadn’t tried cooking since the accident. It was too hard with a broken leg and sore ribs. Not to mention the frequent headaches he still had off and on. More on than off, but hopefully that would change as time went on and his brain continued to heal.

“How was the vet clinic today?” Kelsey asked. “Any new animals?”

“Not today,” Rori said. “But the kittens we got last week are soooo cute. If I thought Elsa might like a kitten friend, I’d bring one home.”

Lee gave a huff of laughter. “I think Elsa would be fine. It’s me you have to convince.”

“Have you ever had a pet, Kelsey?” Rori asked. “Could we interest you in one?”

“Nope. Never had a pet. My mom had a dog while I was growing up, but it was her pet, not ours.”

“I think everyone has adopted Elsa as theirs,” Lee said. “I was surprised that she was still here after Charli and Blake moved out. I half expected Amelia to have smuggled her into her suitcase.”

Zane silently ate his meal as the others at the table chatted. Listening to them, he picked up more info on what had happened over the years that were a black hole in his memory.

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