Page 76 of The Lies I've Told
“This is my sister,” she said. “The older, wiser version of me.”
“Some would say hotter,” Molly interjected.
“Some,” Millie said. “But not most.” She gave me a quick wink before taking my hand.
“Where are we headed?” I asked, wondering which of the three restaurants in town we’d dine at tonight.
“Oh, we’re not going anywhere. Why go out when we have two of the best cooks right here?” Millie said, pointing to her mother and sister. “Plus, you can’t beat the view outside on the patio at sunset.”
“Sounds like a fantastic plan to me,” I said. “How can I help?”
“Well, I like him already,” Mrs. McIntyre said. “How are you with a knife?”
I gave Millie a waggle of the eyebrow, making her laugh. “Better with a chisel, but I can hold my own.”
“Think you can handle chopping some veggies?”
I nodded, squeezing Millie’s hand in mine. “I thinkwecan handle that just fine.”
“Great! Then, follow me.”
We did as we had been told, following closely behind Millie’s mom, who seemed like she was a take-charge sort of woman. I guessed running an inn and raising a family inside of it would require nothing less.
“We’ll be on our own for the time being. Jake is on his way with Ruby, and she’s in dire need of some mom time. Once she’s fed, then I’ll have Molly back in here to help me with the harder stuff.”
“It’s really no trouble,” I said. “We can help while she rests for the evening.”
Both Millie and her mom burst into laughter.
“What?”
“This is Molly’s idea of resting,” Millie explained. “Baking, cooking—it’s like therapy or yoga for her. If she doesn’t get her daily dose, she’s off. And, believe me, it’s not pretty.”
She’d already pulled out several different kinds of veggies for an appetizer, and Millie and I jumped right in, helping her chop through all of them. I took my time, careful not to lop off any of my digits, while Millie went to town with her knife and veggies. Obviously, this wasn’t her first rodeo at being her mother’s assistant.
“Why so many?” I asked after a while, looking over the large piles we’d made. “Isn’t it just your family and me? Or am I underestimating the size of your family?”
Millie, who’d helped herself to a carrot, made a face the moment she bit down. “Impromptu dinner for the inn. It’s something my sister started a few years ago. She’ll throw dinner on the grill and invite all the guests—no charge, of course. It’s become a huge hit on her reviews. People love it because they say it feels like they’ve come home, you know?”
“Yeah,” I answered, but really, I had no idea, because to me, the idea of home was still a mystery. It was the childhood dream I used to talk about with my brothers under our worn sheets while our foster parents sat in the living room and pretended we didn’t exist.
“Any more veggies, Mom?” Millie asked, handing over her half-eaten carrot to me.
I grinned and took it from her as she began pilfering through the large pantry. Ten seconds later, she came back out with a marshmallow and several chocolate chips in her hands.
Now, it was me who was rolling my eyes.
“Nope, that’s it. You’re free to go,” she announced from the counter, her arms elbow deep in oysters.
“Actually,” Millie replied, “I was thinking I could teach Aiden how to make hush puppies.”
That seemed to catch Mrs. McIntyre’s attention as she turned to look at us. “Are you sure? You haven’t made them in ages, and last time you did, they came out all—”
Millie’s eyebrows rose in response. “I got it Mom, really.”
“Okay,” she replied, a warm smile spreading across her face as she returned back to her work.
“What was that all about?” I asked as I followed Millie into the pantry, helping her grab several items - flour, cornmeal, and salt.
