Page 44 of Never the Best

It was such a simple thought, but it stopped me in my tracks. Cooking had never been my thing. Food, for so manyyears, had been nothing but an enemy, a constant battlefield. But lately, the idea of food—real food, prepared with care—felt palatable.

I stopped at the market and bought some fresh vegetables, chicken, a loaf of crusty bread, and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When I got back to the cottage, I called Aunt Hattie.

“Dinner?” she repeated, her tone laced with mock suspicion. “You’re cooking?”

Aunt Hattie and I often ate together, usually at her place. She had a cook, and she knew I wasn’t proficient in the kitchen, so I understood that she was surprisedandsuspicious.

“Yes, Aunt Hattie,” I said with a laugh. “I promise it’ll be edible.”Fingers crossed!

“Alright, alright,” she asserted. “What time should I be there?”

“Seven, and it’s nothing fancy,” I warned her, suddenly feeling chagrined that I’d fuck up the meal, as I hadn’t cooked in a long while.

“Darlin’, even if you made grilled cheese, it’d be fancy ‘causeyoumade it.”

I changed into shorts and a tank top, put on Brazilian jazz, and, as I hummed to “Girl from Ipanema,” I put together a meal thanks to Jamie Oliver’s step-by-step video instructions.

By the time Aunt Hattie arrived, my cottage smelled like garlic and thyme. The chicken, along with carrots, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts, was roasting in the oven, and theblanched green beans were ready to sauté as soon as I set the chicken to rest.

“Oh my,” Hattie announced as she stepped in with a bottle of Malbec and she saw I’d set the table with simple white plates, silverware, and white cloth napkins.

“Pearl Beaumont.” Hattie surveyed the scene. “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.”

“Very funny.” I waved her toward the table.

We sat down, and for the first time in forever, I felt relaxed as I ate.

The chicken was a little overdone, and the green beans weren’t as crisp as I’d hoped, but Hattie didn’t seem to mind. She sipped her wine, laughing as we talked about everything and nothing.

“What brought this about, darlin’?” Hattie asked when I was clearing the plates.

“I feel good,” I told her, and then, because she deserved to know why, I added, “Rhett and I talked in Newport Beach.”

Aunt Hattie cocked an eyebrow.

I grinned and told hereverythingexcept how I was attracted to Rhett. Partly, because he was engaged, and partly because it made me feel like a fool to be even remotely interested in a man who had done to me what Rhett had, albeit, back then, he hadn’t been a man but a boy.

“He finally got his head out of his ass,” Hattie mused. “I’mverypleased to hear that. Now, if only he’d get rid of Josie, he couldfinallybe happy.”

“You don’t think he’s happy with Josie?” It seemed likethe proper follow-up question, so I asked it, not because I wanted to know.

Right!

“I told you she trapped him by pretending to get knocked up.”

“Aunt Hattie, no one does that anymore,” I protested as I closed the dishwasher. “Not even Josie.”

She snorted.

I returned to my seat next to her at the dining table.

My cottage had an open-plan kitchen-dining-living space, and two bedrooms—one of which I’d converted into an office. It also had a gorgeous porch with a path to the pond. The porch was surrounded by Aunt Hattie’s beautiful garden, which included magnolia, live oak, and fruit trees, as well as manicured rows of flowers. I loved living here, and having Aunt Hattie so close was a bonus.

“Rhett is so busy being a Vanderbilt that he’s forgotten to just be himself. Actually, I don’t think he even knows who he is. But I know he’s trying to find out. The fact that he opened up to you and apologized makes me proud.” Aunt Hattie took my hand in hers. “And I’m proud of you for moving past the past, my darlin’, ‘cause you deserve all the happiness this world has to offer.”

That night, as I brushed my teeth, I felt like I climbed Mount Everest in my shorts. I’d made a meal. I’d shared it. I hadn't thought once about how much food was on my plate or how much I was eating. And the best part? I enjoyed all of it.

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