Levi took the colander near the sink and got to work. I loved how well he took instruction, but I also loved how I never had to tell him every last detail. He was good at anticipating what I wanted and filling in the gaps on his own.
“Was your mom a good cook?” he asked as we both worked.
“Yeah. The best. Nothing too fancy, but she loved doing a big meal at holidays and special occasions.” My voice was fond, and I had to set the bottle of olive oil down so I could swallow hard. “After she went back to teaching, weeknights she usually went for easy stuff and had us help. That’s how I learned. My brothers got busy with school and clubs, but I stayed her helper.”
“Bet she was proud of you.” Levi patted my shoulder after handing over the vegetables. “She should have been. Working for your dad. Getting your own house.”
“Yeah. She was.” I smiled at the memory. She’d totally worn her heart on the sleeve of her many colorful cardigans. Everyone who had known her had loved her, and it made me sad that Levi couldn’t meet her. “One of the last things she did was help me pick out the color for the kitchen and the breakfast nook.”
“I love it. It’s neutral, but there’s something happy about it.” Levi glanced around at the walls which were a light color somewhere between silver and taupe.
“That’s what Mom said. She called it feather and said it reminded her of fairy lights.”
“Well, then you can never change it. Your big, buff kitchen totally needs a dash of fairy.” He did a little spin, clearly designed to make me laugh, which it did. But then, sobering, he asked, “Was she sick a long time?”
“Couple of years. That’s when I fell out of the gym crowd that I’d run with ever since moving back and getting my electrician’s license.” I shrugged because I didn’t truly miss any of those old buddies who hadn’t stuck around. “She and my dad needed me more, so it was easy to trade my hours in the weight room for taking her to appointments and fixing them dinner. And bringing her favorite coffee drinks. That’s the real reason I always get something cold, sweet, and fancy. That was her favorite way to treat herself.”
“I think it’s admirable how you helped. I would have done the same thing. No run or workout in the world is worth as much as my mom. I keep offering to go help out, even now. She says she’s managing with this surprise pregnancy, but I guess we’ll see.” Levi’s face wrinkled.
He’d mentioned his mom’s new marriage a time or two, and it was a good reminder that the chances of him permanently sticking around were slim. Chances were high that something would lure him away, whether it was family or a better job or graduate school.
“Yeah. Moms come first,” I agreed, trying not to let on how I’d miss him if he got called back home.
“You didn’t go back to your gym friends after she passed?”
“That obvious?” My neck heated.
I tried to be mellow about my changed physique. My post-football self might have been jacked, but my obsession with keeping every muscle popping hadn’t been healthy for me. But I still suffered the occasional pang of wanting to be hotter for someone like Levi. “No. I mean, I try to get in the gym a couple of times of week, but working out had been practically a second full-time job for me. Losing Mom was a good reminder of how short life is. Now, I try for more balance. Take care of my dad. Eat good food. Work out to live but not live to work out. If that gives me a gut, so be it.”
“I like your gut.” Levi reached around me to rub my stomach. I tensed like that could bring back my six-pack abs. But Levi just laughed and patted me. “And the rest of you.”
“Thanks.” Turning to face him, I gave him a soft kiss that would have lingered, but the doorbell rang.
Usually, Dad would simply let himself in, but I’d warned him about having a guest, and he appeared to have taken me seriously, using the front the door and looking spiffy in a blue shirt and neatly combed hair with a bakery box in his hand. I led him back into the kitchen where I’d left Levi.
“Levi this is my dad, Doug.” I made the introductions before continuing, “Levi is helping me get everything ready before I fire up the grill. How about you have a seat while we work?” I motioned at the table in the nearby nook. “You want a beer?”
Dad lumbered over to the table. Like me, he was a big guy, tall and wide. Years of trying to squeeze into tight spaces to run wires had taken their toll on his knees. “I could go for a beer.”