Salty

Twenty-Two | Baking with Hershey Kisses

Twenty-Two | Ollie

After showering and dressing, I entered the kitchen to find my mother sitting at the oversized table made of old barn wood. I kissed her cheek before taking the empty mug from in front of her to fill with some hot coffee. For as much as I didn't want to be here, I really missed Mom and mornings like this.

"She's sweet." Mom chirped behind me as I poured the coffee.

I didn't respond, but I knew she was referring to Sloan. Our houseguest was still sleeping, and I envied that. Being here made my sleeping habits that much worse. It wasn't a matter of if I was going to have a nightmare, but when? This would not be the first trip to the coffee pot today. Now I was wondering if Sloan needed coffee to function in the mornings, too. She never stuck around for me to find out.

"So, she's a chef at the restaurant?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. I thought it was time I trained someone. It's been hectic since..." I stopped, not wanting to upset her. I placed the fresh cup back in its place and took a sip of my own before taking the seat beside her. "Anyway, Mikah couldn't make canned soup if his life depended on it. I needed help."

Her frail hand moved to my wrist and gave it a squeeze. "Well, I'm glad you're learning that you can ask for help."

Her sad blue eyes were sympathetic, and I didn't have the heart to explain that it wasn't the same thing. I also couldn't bring myself to tell her that the idea of training Sloan was to get me out of Mulligan's completely. There would come a day, and sooner rather than later, that I would leave it and never return. The subject needed to change. That would just put a damper on Christmas.

"Mom..." I tightly gripped the glass. "Sloan's a widow, and I'm not sure how long it has been since her husband passed away, but I need you to not ask a bunch of questions about her life. It gets to her."

There was a lot of understanding in her expression. If anyone understood how badly it could hurt to lose your partner, my mom was the one. No need for further explanation, especially since both of us could hear Sloan leaving the spare bedroom.

When I turned in my chair, I found Sloan showered, with hair still down and wet, in jeans and the same Cubs tee I'd first seen her wear on our first day of class. She did not know how much it meant to me she came with on this trip. If I was going to waste time while here, I wanted to waste it with her.

"Morning." Sloan bit the lower lip of her smile.

I stood. "Hey."

"This kitchen is incredible, Penny." Sloan took in her surroundings with widened eyes. "It is absolutely perfect."

I had to agree. Everything I hadn't learned in the kitchen of Mulligan's was learned right here. The house had been added on to once since it was originally built. It was double the size of most kitchens, triple the size of my own. My mom wanted a space for the whole family, and she sure had it. It was a room for entertaining. Off-white cabinetry lined every wall. A double oven was housed to the right of an extra-large refrigerator that you couldn't tell was there, because it had its own cabinetry as a face. A coffee bar, its own prep station, a wine fridge, and two large farmhouse basin sinks. Then there was the table itself, built out of an old barn they'd torn down years ago. It still had everyone's initials carved into the center. That table was the star of the room. Even if it had seven miss-matched chairs surrounding it, it just added to its appeal.

"Told you she's sweet." Mom winked. "Well..." She stood, picking up her coffee to take with. "I think I'm going to head into town and do some last-minute shopping. Would you two like to go with?"