Page 114 of Hale Yes
“Thanks for noticing,” he mutters.
“There you go. That looks perfect,” Ophelia says, holding up a strand of linguini and inspecting it.
“About time. I ruined two batches already,” I grump, wiping off my hands on a dish towel.
“You did fine. Helix does a great job with my sauce, but he sucks at making pasta. I think he just uses store bought.” Ophelia shudders delicately.
“He made spaghetti for me last month. He said the sauce was your recipe.”
She appears delighted by this news. “Did he?” Lowering her voice like she’s telling a secret, she asks, “How was the pasta?”
“It was actually good. He bought it freshly made from some store.”
“Okay, I guess it’s better than that boxed mess,” she sighs. “I tried to teach him, Nicolette. I really did.”
I laugh at her dramatics. “Thank you so much for teaching me, Ophelia. It really means a lot.”
Pride is evident on her pretty face. “Your sauce turned out beautifully. Let’s call Helix and Phoenix over for lunch. I do wish Remington lived closer.” Her smile turns wistful. “But that’s what happens when your little birds grow up. They leave the nest and fly.”
I dial my father’s number later that evening and am surprised when Ma answers. “Hello?”
“Hey, Ma. It’s me. How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m all right, I guess. My knee has been bothering me a little.”
“I’m sorry. Have you had it checked?”
“No, your father insists I should, but I think he’s overreacting.”
“You’re a little young to need knee replacement, but it’s still a good idea to get it looked at. Let me know if you need me to help you find a good ortho, okay?”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”
I wait for her to ask me how I am or anything about myself, but when she doesn’t, I ask, “Where’s Pop?”
“He’s in the bathroom. I told him not to have that second bowl of chili, but you know how he is. He never listens.”
Laughing, I say, “Okay, well tell him I hope he feels better. I was just calling about the holidays.”
“Rory invited us to have Thanksgiving with his family. Isn’t that nice?”
Ugh. No.I’m not going over there, so I make the quick decision to stay in Texas. “That is nice, Ma. I think I’m going to stay here for turkey day, but I’ll see you at Christmas.”
“Oh. Well. I thought I told you, Nicolette. We’re not going to be here then. We’re going on an eight-day cruise over Christmas and New Year’s.”
“No, you didn’t tell me. Just you and Pop?”
“Rory and Angelica are coming too, of course. It’s like a family vacation.”
I should probably be insulted that I wasn’t invited on thisfamilytrip, but to be honest, eight days on a boat with them sounds like a nightmare.
Maybe I’ll go to New York. Lehra and Cruz will probably be spending the holidays with their families, but maybe we could at least have lunch on Christmas Eve.
“Did you have fun with my mother yesterday?” Helix asks as we walk down the beach, hand in hand. The moon is full overhead, and the stars reflect tiny sparkles on the gently rolling water.
Helix brought me to Galveston tonight for dinner. It’s an island less than an hour south of Houston. Our meal was amazing, a seafood feast in an elegant restaurant with white linens and flickering candles on each table. The mood was soft and romantic, and Helix touched me every chance he got.
Afterward, he suggested a moonlit walk, and here we are with sand between our toes.
