Page 31 of Always, Plus One

Emily nodded. "I'm sorry about the shorthandedness. But I was talking about me seeing you guys at the restaurant. I know it was awkward for everyone."

Ariel shook her head. "No, not at all,” she fibbed. “We still had a lovely time."

Emily's eyes sparkled. "Really? That's great to hear. Because I came back here and laid awake almost all night, worrying if you were going to come back and kick me out. You had every right to—though, I swear I didn’t know you were Miles’s girlfriend.”

Ariel hesitated for a moment, then decided to be honest. "To be frank, I knew you were Miles’s ex-wife the first night you stayed. He was in the kitchen and heard you laugh in the dining room. When he looked out, he saw it was you, and he told me. He left so fast that night, and I didn’t know what to do. I certainly didn’t want to cause a scene on my opening night. But he was so upset that you were here."

Emily’s smile faltered slightly. "Well, I hope we can change that. I'd love to talk to him and show him what I’ve brought. And I’d love to get to know you better."

Ariel nodded, but inwardly she was skeptical. She couldn't help but wonder what the woman's true intentions were. Ariel had tried to be gracious and polite at the restaurant when she and Miles had been discovered, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Emily was putting on an act, trying to gain her trust and friendship. Maybe there was an ulterior motive behind Emily’s interest in getting to know her.

“What are you doing out so early?” Ariel said, changing the subject.

Emily waved her phone. “Cataloging. It’s easier when it’s cool out. Remember, I said I was going to come back and putter in the garden? I hope that’s still okay.”

Ariel looked behind the bench at the plot of land that had, at one point, been the kitchen garden for Leeside. She remembered her mother harvesting from it, her father guiding her along the neat rows, reciting all the plant parts and explaining how each grew and bore a harvest. It was overgrown now, but Ariel could see the barest hints of where the garden paths used to be. Maybe because of those memories of her father, it remained the last plot of landscaping to receive any attention during the revamp.

“Sure, it’s fine,” Ariel said. “Do what you’d like with it.”

From the other side of the house from where they sat came a symphony of sound, a cacophony of clanging, grinding, and thumping. Ariel had gotten so used to the constant drone of heavy machinery, punctuated by the whirring of drills and the high-pitched screech of saws, that it almost didn’t register. She had learned to tune out as metal plates crashed together and hydraulic hammers pounded on the ground, shaking the earth beneath the feet of the workers, and trembling all the way across the field to Leeside.

Her alarm clock had become the beeping alarms from trucks backing up and the sharp blasts of air horns signaling the movement of semi-trailers bringing supplies. In the afternoons, the crew added to the din. Workers shouted instructions to each other over the noise, their voices raised to be heard. The sound of construction was a constant presence, a background hum that filled the air and reverberated through the bones—Ariel’s and the house’s.

Emily winced. “Are they always going to be this loud?” she asked. “I meant to ask, but what in the world are they doing over there?”

“Building a hotel,” she replied, closing her eyes, and searching for equilibrium. “It’s a long story. Listen, work in the garden all you want. Breakfast will be in an hour.”

Ariel took out her keys, took one off the key ring, and handed it to Emily. “This is to the garden shed. I realized after I told you about it that there’s an old padlock on there. This should open it.”

Emily took the key, and something unreadable passed over her features. “Thank you.”

Ariel excused herself and headed back in to start her day, hoping the noise would at least be muffled inside.

She took a deep breath and looked around in the fridge, taking stock of what she had on hand. She knew that Darcy would be joining her soon, but she wanted to get started without him so that he could relax a bit when he first came in, rather than rushing into the fray.

Ariel decided to make shakshuka for the large crowd that would be in the dining room soon. She knew it was the perfect dish for a group since it was easy to prepare and always a crowd-pleaser. She started by heating up a large skillet over medium heat and adding a generous amount of olive oil.

Next, Ariel added a mound of diced onion to the skillet and cooked it until it was soft and translucent. She then added minced garlic and cooked it for a minute until fragrant. To the skillet, Ariel added several cans of diced tomatoes and let them cook for a few minutes. It was funny, since she’d just reminisced about her father in the garden, that she was opening canned tomatoes—but there was something about the way the canned type reduced to a silky texture that just didn’t happen with fresh tomatoes. Ariel always used canned when she made this dish, and it always got rave reviews.

She then added generous pinches of salt, smoked paprika, and cumin, as well as a scattering of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. She stirred the mixture well and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Once the tomato mixture had reduced slightly, Ariel created small wells with a spoon and cracked eggs into each. She covered the skillet with a lid and let the eggs cook until the whites were set and the yolks were still runny.

To serve, Ariel garnished the shakshuka with fresh parsley and set it on a chafing dish frame on the dining room buffet table, a warmer lit underneath. Back in the kitchen, she made four more skillets, leaving them all to stay warm in the oven until it would be time to switch out for the empty one. She sliced several loaves of crusty bread to serve on the side, and arranged the slices on a round platter with a deep well of creamed, herbed goat cheese at its center.

Darcy came in the back door just as she was finishing, and his eyebrows shot up. “You did breakfast without me?”

“And for you,” she said, sliding a plate of toast and shakshuka across the island. “Eat.”

There was low chatter coming from the dining room, and Ariel held a hand up at Darcy as he shifted on his feet as though to go there.

“Sit. Eat. Drink coffee.”

Then, she grabbed cartons of orange juice and bottles of sparkling apple juice and loaded them on a bar cart, nodding toward the dining room. “I’ll be out there once you’re done. Chew slowly.”

Darcy saluted. “Yes, ma’am.” He sat, and Ariel heard him exclaim as he dug in, just as she pushed the cart into the hall. As she watched the crowd enjoy the same dish, Ariel felt happy that she could bring people together with her cooking.

As she stood in the doorway of the dining room, she spotted Josh and Millie, the newlyweds, who hung back from the serving line, speaking in low tones. Josh looked up and saw Ariel, and he touched his wife’s elbow. Together, they marched toward Ariel.

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