Page 39 of Lonesome Moon

I was too happy to even look at him from then on, afraid he would see how in love with him I was. I’d told myself for years that the weekend shared was a blip. Nothing serious or meaningful. But I remembered now how it felt to be with Grant, how easy. How he made me float about a foot off the ground when he looked at me like he’d just done. It was increasingly obvious to me that I was headed down a slope as slippery as the one we’d torn down on a toboggan.

“All right, pay attention, please,” Elliot said, with a pointed glance in our direction.

The greens were already washed, but we were shown how to toast the pecans, slice the red onion, crumble the goat cheese, and free the jewel-like seeds from the pomegranates.

“This is a mess,” I said, holding up my hands to show him how the juice had stained my glove ruby red.

Grant paused, taking a good look at me, clearly amused. “You have a bit of cream stuck to your cheek.” He reached over and swiped just below my right cheekbone with the pad of his thumb.

I was caught in his gaze, unable to look away or breathe. If only this was real, I thought. And we were together in our own kitchen cooking a meal like it was something we did every day.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Wow, your skin,” Grant said under his breath.

“What about it?”

“Soft.”

“Oh. I moisturize,” I said, blushing.

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s working.”

“All right now, you two,” Elliot said. “Less flirting and more cooking.”

I flushed again, figuring my cheeks were about the color of the pomegranate seeds.

We went on to the vinaigrette. Elliot gave us each a glass jar. “This is a simple recipe of olive oil, fresh orange juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Make sure the lid is tight before you shake it. Ask me how I know.”

“We’re a cautionary tale in many ways,” Caspian said.

“If a mistake can be made, we’ve made it,” Elliot said. “But fortunately, it’s only food, not brain surgery. So, keep that in mind. If things don’t turn out quite right, there’s always a chance to try again, using what you learned. Cooking and baking are like science experiments. Trial and error are a necessary evil.”

“Okay, that’s enough for today,” Caspian said. “You all did very well, and I hope you’ll be proud when the food comes out tonight.”

“Absolutely,” Elliot said. “And this meal is one you can duplicate at home for yourselves or company because you can prepare so much of it before guests arrive. Plus, it makes your house smell amazing.”

We all thanked them as we discarded gloves and aprons and headed out to the dining room and then into the chilly afternoon. It was nearing five. Dinner would be served in an hour. After all that cooking, I felt the need for a shower.

Grant had fallen into step with Holly and I with Rhett.

“How you doing, Professor?” Rhett asked.

His old nickname for me when we were kids.

“I’m good. You?”

“I’m okay,” Rhett said softly. “Kind of drowning in memories, if you know what I mean.”

“Holly?”

“Yep. Nothing’s changed, except we’re older with jobs,” Rhett said. “It’s the strangest, most disorienting thing.”

“Do you think something real could happen between you?”

“It’s real but not realistic,” Rhett said. “She stayed in the place she loved. I left the place I hated. How could we possibly reconcile those two things?”

“I’m sorry.”