standing in the shop doing nothing and unable to explain it. So I invited him, too.” Maggie looked at Dolan a second time. Dolan shrugged again. “So, I guess we’ll be six for lunch. I’ll open the secret passage at twelve. Don’t be late. We don’t want to offend the cook.”
I pulled out my keys to try and figure out which one fit the lock to the door that led past my little larder on the right and my little laundry on the left to my big, beautiful, state-of-the-art kitchen.
“And I’m staying,” I announced in the most anticlimactic way possible.
I opened the passthrough for the first time to mark the occasion of my decision and was overcome by the heady aroma of Cajun cooking. The scents were so delicious I could almost taste the air.
“Olivia,” I sang out to let her know I was coming and not startle her.
“Yes… Okay.”
The kitchen looked like a chef was in residence and the table was beautifully set for four.
“I know this is short notice.” I looked around at all the preparation. She’d made everything from scratch. “But we’re having six instead of four.”
“Six?” She turned her deer-in-headlights reaction from me to the food in front of her. “But…”
“I know. My bad. If we were married, you’d have to make me sleep on the sofa. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing in this case because I can tell that my sofas are incredibly comfortable. But that wouldn’t come up because I have a guest room.”
I realized I was babbling because I was embarrassed about being thoughtful with everyone except Olivia. I hoped she didn’t leave my employ because of this.
“Okay. Look. First, I don’t need much. Just a taste and I can snack later. Second,” I came around to her side of the island, “I have a trick to make everything go farther.” I grinned on the inside when I saw that she was interested. “It’s easy to make gumbo stretch. Just serve it as a topping on bowls of rice.”
The tension left her shoulders as she visibly relaxed.
“I’ll add two places to the table. You make a pot of rice.”
Lunch was a half and half affair. Dolan, Olivia, and John David ate quietly and may or may not have even been listening to the conversation. Maggie, Lily, and I made up for that. When we were all seated, I announced that it was a celebration of my decision to stay. At Maggie’s suggestion, we clinked water glasses all around.
“Olivia,” I said. “You cook like you were born on the bayou.” She looked uncertain, like she didn’t know what that meant. I clarified. “This is the real deal. Maybe even the best I’ve ever had.” I narrowed my eyes. “Have you cooked Cajun before?” She smiled shyly and shook her head. “Well, you know what this means.” Everybody looked up, waiting for the punch line. “It means I’m going to give you something even harder for tomorrow.”
Olivia didn’t look worried.
Maggie laughed.
Dolan reached for two more hushpuppies.
“That’s a beautiful thing you’re wearin’,” Maggie said with eyes on the wolf medallion.
“Thank you. I got it this morning at The Silver Braid.”
Lily agreed and then said, “Is that why you were taking flowers to Brad? To thank him for this?”
Maggie looked at me with renewed interest.
I nodded uncommittedly and looked to Maggie. “He said he’d settle up with you.”
“’Course,” Maggie said.
“Same here,” Lily added. “For the flowers.”
“Send the bill ‘round,” Maggie told her.
The rest of the meal was spent with Maggie and Lily treating me to stories of past magistrates, most of them comical anecdotes. She even got a few chuckles out of the quiet diners. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I added wine to the mix.
When everyone had gone but Olivia and me, I said, “I really am sorry about springing extra people on you. But lunch was a big hit. We should do it more often.”
She smiled in a way that indicated she agreed.
“By the way, thank you for breakfast. What a nice surprise that was.”
She looked surprised. “Surprise?”
“Yes. I wasn’t expecting that.”
She frowned. “Oh. The former magistrate…” That sentence went unfinished.
“Should we revisit the job description?” I offered. “I’m not saying I don’t love coming down to breakfast. I do. But I’d like to hear your understanding of your duties and compare that to my requirements.”
I felt silly saying that. As a person solidly born to middle class, I had no ‘requirements’, with the possible exception of tire changing, should