With a wave, I left her and headed down to the living room. I heard noises in the kitchen, so I popped my head in.
“Hey, Kelly,” I stepped forward, “can I help with anything?”
“Oh, my gosh, yes, please.” She handed me a knife. “Could you chop this up fairly fine?” She rushed on, “My sister called, and now I’m behind schedule. I was supposed to drop her package off this morning.” I could tell she was stressed over something.
I started to chop the onion and waited a moment to see if she would say anything further. When she didn’t speak up, I did what I did best. I got her talking.
“Where does your sister live?”
“Sulema lives just outside town. She owns her own business, and I was supposed to pick up her order and drop it off, but Ellie had a hard morning, and once that happens, it’s like my entire day just falls apart. I forgot to pick it up for her.”
I glanced around the kitchen and spotted a cookbook flipped open to a recipe for spaghetti.
“Here’s a thought. Why don’t I make my mother’s recipe for spaghetti since I know it by heart, and you go drop off your sister’s package?”
Her hands stopped what they were doing, and she placed one on the counter almost as if to ground herself.
“You know, Sloane,” she kept her head turned away, “I keep telling myself that the next day will be a little easier, but it never happens.” She sighed. “Today, I was so happy that John was coming, I just wanted to prepare for him, make him a nice meal, enjoy having him home. You know?” I looked at her and nodded to show I understood but didn’t speak. “I wanted so much to do one simple thing for my sister, to allow myself to be normal, but with Ellie, well, now I’ve let her down. I can’t help but wonder if I’ll ever be normal again.” She turned back to the counter and lifted her apron to wipe at her face. I reached over and gave her a hug.
“Kelly, please let me do this for you. I’d really like to help. Ellie will be fine. I’ll keep a close eye on her, and John is here.”
She stood straight and wiped her hands on her apron then removed it and placed it on the counter. “You are such a good person, Sloane. You show up here like a breath of fresh air, and now you make such a lovely offer.” Her hand moved to cover mine. “Yes, you know what, I would really appreciate your help.”
“I’m happy to be able to.” I watched as she cleared her throat and her shoulders straightened again. I had to give Kelly props. She was doing a much better job at holding herself together now that she was attending the meetings. I wasn’t sure how often she actually went, but accepting help was progress, and it was nice to see.
She hesitated as she went to leave, but I assured her again that Ellie would be fine. She was still in her room, and I would call Oliver or John if she needed something.
Once I got all my ingredients in place, I hooked my phone up to the speaker and quietly played my favorite playlist. It was a crazy mix of Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake, Billie Eilish, Hudson Rainer, and Kaleo. I’d always loved music, but I could never find one genre that called to me. I dabbled in them all. There was no reason to limit yourself, after all.
Once the pasta water started to boil and the sauce was well on its way, I spent time chopping the pancetta before I tossed it in the cast iron frying pan.
“You’re cooking?” Ellie was standing in the doorway of the living room holding a book.
“I am.” I chopped up another onion and wondered how long she had been standing there before she said anything. “Would you like to help?”
She hesitated and looked out the window as John walked into sight, and we both watched as he joined his father near the barn. She nodded.
“Can you wash your hands?” She headed over to the sink, and when she was finished, she waited for her next instruction. “Here,” I unrolled the dough for the French bread, “watch me.” I pulled at the side of the dough and folded it into the middle over and over. “Now you try.”