Page 20 of A Recipe Called Home

“Well, Miles came over the other night,” started Jules.

“What?!” yelled Winnie, slapping both hands on her lap and leaning forward.

“Calm down, it was just to help fix the upstairs ceiling fans, and so I could repay him with dinner for the last time he helped with the sink.”

“Alright. Not entirely buying it, but go on." Emily patted Winnie's arm to slow her down.

“Well, I promised Val that I’d start bringing leftovers to the retirement village, so he drove me there and helped carry in the containers,” Jules continued. At the next part, she paused, feeling somewhat uncomfortable explaining it. She wasn’t one to kiss and tell, but she needed to tell someone, and Winnie knew her better than anyone.

“When we got back, he kissed me at the front door,” she blurted, looking down into her wine glass as she swirled it around.

“He did what?!”

“Did you kiss him back?” Emily cut in.

Popping a potato chip into her mouth, Jules shook her head yes. “Until I accidentally dropped my bag and came to my senses.”

Fixing her face back to neutral, Winnie calmed herself and asked how it made her feel. “Did you like it?”

“I didn’tnotlike it. But it’s confusing. And I don’t want to start anything I can’t finish. I’m going back to D.C. in just a few short weeks. That wouldn’t be fair to either of us."

“Yeah, I get that. Ever the practical one. But hear me out,” said Winnie. “You’re both consenting adults now. It doesn’t need to be anything serious. You can have fun while you’re here and then when you go back, just be friends. No harm, no foul. When was the last time you got laid?”

Emily and Jules both rolled their eyes at that last part.

“That doesn’t matter. It’s not the point,” said Jules.

“Why can’t it be the point? You haven’t dated anyone since Luke, and you clearly still have chemistry with Miles. It could do you some good to have a little fun. Let loose for once. Then go back to your boring life in D.C. and pretend it never happened. You know, Emily and I were just a fling back in the day!”

“Not the best example, Winnie. We ended up married, remember?” chimed Emily.

“Yeah, yeah. But it wasfun. That’s what Jules needs." Winnie flung her hands up in the air.

“I hear you. It just feels complicated. I don’t know if we’d be able to leave it as just that, a fling. I could feel the weight of the past twelve years in just that one kiss.”

There was a momentary pause in the conversation before Winnie tilted her head to the slide, concocting an idea.

“What if you didn’t think of him as Miles, your high school sweetheart, who broke your heart? What if he was just a guy you met while you were here? Someone you wanted to get to know a little better and maybe have sex with a few times? You don’t even have to talk about the past. Keep that off the table and just go for flirty and sexy.”

“Yeah, I like that idea,” Emily agreed.

Jules took a moment to think it over while she ate more candy and chips. Itcouldwork. She’d have to get out of her head and stop overanalyzing everything, but maybe it would be good for her. Although he broke her heart, she knew he was safe. He’d never do anything to physically hurt her. Plus, she couldn’t stop thinking about what he was like in bed now. If that kiss was any indication, his skills have most certainly leveled up since high school.

“And it would give you something to do besides cook food for old people,” teased Emily.

“Hey, I enjoy cooking food for old people!”

“And you’re a superb cook. But maybe work on dusting off those cobwebs in your panties while you’re at it,” Winnie piled on.

Jules told them she’d think about it. Having a flingcouldbe fun. She’d just need to keep her head about her and not let old feelings bubble to the surface.

“Why don’t you invite him to the Heritage Days Festival on Friday? Winnie and I were planning to go after work. You two could join us. It could be a fun double date thing. Then you can decide if you want to go home with him."

“That sounds reasonable.”

Winnie clapped. “Let’s text him right now. I have his number.”

“Yeah, I meant to ask you earlier why you had his number,” Jules asked, narrowing her eyes at Winnie. Obviously, they were friends, which Winnie neglected to mention during their weekly phone calls over the past year. Jules wasn’t mad about it, but she felt like people were handling her with kid gloves.

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