I
absolutely love this book, and all the characters! Set in a city of
my own making, it truly touches the heart. Alone
in the big city, Pia Donvan is feeling rather lost when she finally
arrives at the majestic, old hotel in the downtown area. All that
changes when she meets Flynn Chancellor. He and his roommate, Yancy
Fredrick, take an interest in Pia, introducing her to their city. Pia
seems to have found her niche, making friends with the friendly
residents in the old hotel. Life seems perfect, until one weekend
when everything changes forever.
Pia
examined the kitchen cupboards with a discerning eye, grabbing out
things she wanted. When she had it all stacked, she handed him an
onion and a bell pepper. “Chop.”
“Diced,
or cubed?”
“Diced.”
A few fresh tomatoes, which were going soft, joined them. “These, I
want coarsely chopped. Seeds out, please.”
“Yes,
ma’am.” He saluted and started washing the vegetables, leaving
the onion to soak while he chopped the rest.
“Olive
oil?”
“Don’t
think so. There’s cooking oil, under the sink.”
“Got
it. Oh, you do have olive oil.”
“Sweet.
Didn’t know that.”
“Unopened.
Pots?”
“Also
under the sink, to the right. In back.”
“Short
person can’t reach.”
He
lifted her out of the way and grabbed out the pots she needed.
“If
I’m going to cook here often, those have to be somewhere else.”
“You
can rearrange however you want. Your wish is my command.”
She
eyed him warily. “You aren’t getting laid tonight, mi boyo.”
“Didn’t
expect. Would love it if you changed your mind. But I’m serious
about the kitchen. We just sort of tossed things in the cupboards.
Neither of us cooks much.”
“So
I see.” She blew dust out of the skillet and set about washing it.
. “Why are you soaking the onion?”
“One
thing I learned about cooking. Soak the onion, it makes it easier to
peel.”
“Useful
tip.”
“I’m
full of those.” He winked, flipped the chef’s knife in his hand,
catching it as she gasped. “One thing you will learn about me, I am
positively obsessed with sharp objects. I can shave with this. Fear
not, I won’t. But I could if I wanted to.”
“Also
useful information.” She dried the skillet and rinsed the kettle
before filling it with water. “Herbs and spices?”
“I
have garlic powder, salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash.”
“Original
or?”
“Original.”
“I
can work with that.”
“What
are we making?”
“Puttanesca
sauce. Fast, easy, and you have all the ingredients, except the stuff
I don’t like and wouldn’t put in anyway.”
“Such
as?”
“Capers
and anchovies.”
“Anchovies,
the Devil.”
“Gotcha.
I remember fish features on the do-not-eat list. That’s okay. I
don’t like it, so you’re safe. Any other allergies?”
“Not
that I’ve discovered. Hey, do walnuts make your mouth numb?”
“No,
they aren’t really supposed to, Flynn.”
“I
didn’t think so.”
“We
add nuts to our do-not-eat list.”
©
2017 Dellani Oakes
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