Page 62 of Happy Endings

“Since Mama died?” He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, it is.”

He shouldn’t have left everything to Luis, but it had been too hard to work in the kitchen, tracing the steps his mom took everyday as she cooked from her heart. Sticking to the bar was easier. Since they added it after she passed, there were no memories sneaking up on him there.

Andre had let his guilt and grief keep him away, but preparing all the dishes today was therapeutic. He only hoped the rest of the dishes honored his mom even though he added his own twist to them.

“How does it feel to be cooking at Mama Hazel’s again?” she asked before shoveling another spoonful into her mouth.

WHENTRIXIE WASa kid, her classmates laughed at the burnt rice and caramel stewed pork belly she brought for lunch. Burnt rice was what she called it because that was the literal translation. They made fun of her stinky and burnt food. She still loved her mom’s cooking but had insisted that she eat school lunch after that.

Now Andre had taken this humble food and combined it with his family’s food. He’d remembered it all these years, even through their time apart. Her chest swelled with tenderness and—no, not that word. This food reminded her of home and made her emotional. That was it. Nothing more.

“It feels weird because Luis has been in charge since Mama got sick. I feel like I’m stepping into his domain.”

“I bet he’s glad to have you in here.” Time to steer the conversation back to something more work-related. “What else do you have planned?”

“We only need four different daily specials for the buffet now that we’re closed Monday through Wednesday. I made small batches of the two if you want to try them. I’m still working out what the last dish will be.”

“If they’re half as good as this etouffee with scorched rice, I’min.” Discussing details of the menu made it easier to ignore all the warm feelings rising up inside Trixie.

“I’ll dish them up, but they still need work.” He walked over to the stove. “They’ll probably need some tweaks. Which is why you’re here.”

He came back with two plates piled with food. The smell made her mouth water. She forced herself to wait until he was ready for her to try them.

“This one is collard greens cooked with kimchi.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. When did he get into kimchi?

“I know it sounds like they won’t go together, but Mrs. Kim used to give mom jars of her homemade kimchi. I went through a phase where I ate kimchi with everything. It gives the greens a punch and extra umami.”

She grinned. He was so adorable, talking like a contestant on a cooking show.

“I love that it’s inspired by your neighbors.” She pointed at two sliders. “What’s this?”

“Fried catfish nugget sliders on corn cakes with homemade tartar sauce.”

“They’re so cute!” Trixie grabbed one and took a large bite.

The cornmeal crust was seasoned perfectly, while the catfish was moist and tender. The bun was comprised of two small corn pancakes and added a hint of sweetness to contrast with the fish and tartar sauce. “These would go great with beer.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Andre was beaming. “I talked to my beer guy. Starting next week, we’ll have Abita on tap.”

“No way!” Trixie clapped her hands. Abita was their favorite New Orleans beer. She was happy to find bottles of it at the liquormegastores in the Maryland suburbs, but it was ten times better on tap. “Please say you’ll serve Purple Haze, my favorite.”

“Did you forget it’s my favorite, too?” His wide smile transformed his face. He was so happy.

“You did good, Andre. Mama Hazel’s is going to take off faster than you think,” Trixie said before finishing the slider.

She was so proud of him. He’d come such a long way. From hiding his creativity from his mom to finding a way to honor both her food and his ideas. Andre had found his calling and asked her to be a part of it. She wanted to celebrate this moment by hugging and kissing him. But she resisted.

If Trixie wasn’t careful, she could find herself falling in love with him again.

Chapter 24

Andre’s phone buzzed. The clock on the wall surprised him. Was it almost noon? He’d been so engrossed in receipts and paperwork that he didn’t realize how late it had gotten.

Another buzz helped him dig out his phone from under a stack of unopened mail. He grinned. It was a text from Trixie. He hadn’t seen her since last week when she’d tried his new dishes. Between the restaurant’s evening hours and Trixie’s schedule, there hadn’t been much overlap for them to see each other. He was more than happy to push aside work to chat with her. Which often led to sexting. He had zero complaints about that.

Trixie:Are you busy today? I need a favor.

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