Page 103 of The Seven Rings
“It belonged in here.”
“It’s just lovely.” Moving close, Winter ran her fingers over the top. “Absolutely lovely.” She wandered over to the windows. “And look how your gardens have grown. Yoda’s amazing doghouse, the woods so green and thick.”
“We saw Jack out there just before you came. Cleo and I saw Jack playing with Yoda. I told you about Jack.”
“You did.” Without thinking, Winter hugged her arms. “You’ll have to forgive the shiver that gives me.”
Winter turned back, studied her daughter. “It doesn’t give you one.”
“No. But then I’ve had months to, well, connect, and to get used to what goes on here.”
“It might take me longer, so I’d better unpack. Five minutes.”
In less than ten, they sat outside, admiring the garden with wine and the tray of cheese and raw vegetables Cleo put together.
“I have to say again how much I love the hair. Sassy Winter.”
Grinning at Cleo, Winter gave her head a little shake. “I needed a change-up. I can get so bogged in routine. Passed that one onto you, baby.”
“Routine’s productive. But yeah, a change-up now and then boosts the energy. We sneak in some. Like a family barbecue that won’t be burgers and dogs, as Chef Cleo’s going big.”
“Go big or why bother? Plus, I get to show off my skills, ’cause I got ’em.”
“She does,” Sonya concurred. “It’s almost scary.”
“I’m here to help. Sous chef, line chef, bottle washer. Whatever you need.”
Cleo lifted her wine, sipped. “You can join the party after dinner.”
“We’re having a party?” Sonya said.
“An ice cream making party. Peach ice cream for dessert tomorrow. I remember how my grand-mère used to make it. Churn, churn, churn. And there’s an old ice cream maker down in storage.”
“Well, God” was Sonya’s opinion.
“I was going that way, then I thought: Wait a minute. Technology. So I bought us a new, improved, shiny machine. No rock salt, no hand churning. I got all we need to make it. It’ll be fun.”
“See, Mom? Scary.”
And, Sonya discovered later, fun.
“This is a first for me,” Winter admitted. “I didn’t have a grand-mère who made ice cream.”
“Me either,” Sonya added.
“And I didn’t know the trick about peeling peaches. Half a minute in boiling water, ice bath, and the skin slid right off. I’m putting that in the book, Cleo, for the next time I make peach pie.”
With the peaches softened in sugar and lemon juice, they set up a line for mashing.
“A first for me. I’ve never mashed peaches. I never dreamed of mashing peaches,” Sonya added, and laughed as the tablet played Snoop Dogg’s “Peaches N Cream.”
“We’re going to love them after all this.”
“Y’all got this. Mash, then strain. Solids there, juice there. I’m going to cook up the base.”
A change of routine, no doubt, Sonya thought, but she enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen with her mother and her best friend.
And her grandmother, as Clover played tunes throughout.
