Page 10 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
“Fine.” I extracted my legs from under me and stretched them out as far as I could before I stood. They were still stiff from camping at my desk for the past two days.
When I padded into the kitchen, garlic and onions were the first aroma I registered, followed by the acidic scent of tomatoes and sweetness of the basil. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.Spaghetti.It was my comfort food. The dish our mother always prepared for us when we’d had a bad day. Granted, Mom’s sauce came from a jar and the Parmesan cheese from a green container from Kraft. Still, the feeling was the same.
“Take the garlic bread out of the oven,” Emma said, pulling me from my memory.
“Oh, fancy.” Just to mess with her, I said, “I didn’t realize they still sold Texas Toast.”
She gave me a side eye but didn’t justify it with a response.
Before I opened the oven door, I grabbed a mitt. I plucked a large piece of garlic off the French bread and popped it into my mouth.
“Don’t pick all the garlic off,” Emma said from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder. She had her back to me. Figures. She knew me too well. “It was a small piece.”
“And that would be a lie. I never put small pieces of garlic on my bread.”
“Fine, it was smallish.”
“Whatever. If you want to eat anytime soon, pull the bread out and set the table.”
The meal had been delicious, and to Emma’s credit, she’d not quizzed me about Fortitude. We’d talked about everything but my career. I knew the restraint wouldn’t last, but at least my stomach was full before the inquisition began.
Emma stood and gathered the plates. “I’m going to get the dessert, and then you’re gonna talk.”
“Dessert?”
“Chocolate mousse.”
Another one of my favorites. “You had time to make mousse?”
“No, I bought it premade from the deli.”
I put my hand against my chest and pretended to swoon. “The horror. I’m not sure I can eat it.”
“Shut up.” She gave me her crooked smile. “You are such an ass sometimes.”
I grinned back at her. “Part of my charm.”
With Mom gone, Emma was the only person I felt completely at ease with. I needed her here more than I’d realized, even though telling my story would still be humiliating.
“Should we eat our dessert on the sofa?” I called to her.
“No. We’re not eating chocolate on your white couch,” she answered from the kitchen.
“I can buy a new one if we spill.” I wasn’t clear why I pushed the issue. Probably so I wouldn’t have to sit across from her while we talked.
“That’s not the point,” she said as she returned. She set a large dish of mousse in front of me and dropped a spoon next to it. “Is that enough?”
“Do you think I need to drown my sorrows?”
“After the way I found you—”
I held up my hand. “Don’t remind me.” I shoved an enormous spoonful of the mousse into my mouth.
Emma laughed and dipped her spoon into her dessert. Her serving matched the size of mine. She thrust it into her mouth, and her eyes danced. Through the mousse, she said, “Don’t think taking ginormous helpings is gonna get you out of talking.”
I took my time, rolling the creamy mixture in my mouth, letting it melt down my throat before I said, “Okay, ask away.”
