Husband By The Hour

“I’m starved,” Nick interrupted cheerfully.

Louise stood up. “Come with me,” she said firmly.

“There are plenty of leftovers. We had a potluck, so you’ll have a wide choice. Fortunately, all the boys married women who are great cooks.”

Hannah found herself standing up and following Louise. Nick was right behind her, as was the rest of the family. She held in a whimper. It had been bad enough that everyone wanted to sit around and talk to them. Now they were going to have an audience while they ate dinner.

The kitchen was as large and well proportioned as the living room. A huge greenhouse window stretched out above the sink. The cabinets were bleached oak, the countertops alternating white and cobalt blue tiles. One end of the center island held a cooktop, while at the other was an eating area with tall bar stools.

“Sit here,” Louise said, ushering them toward the island. “I’ll have everything put together in a minute.”

A couple of older kids had followed the adults in, hoping for extra dessert, but they were quickly shooed upstairs.

Louise checked the contents of the extrawide refrigerator on the wall at right angles to the sink. “We’ve got roast beef, some ham, salads, vegetables, bread, baked beans. Anything you don’t like?”

“I’m easy,” Nick said, sliding onto a stool.

Hannah settled next to him. “Anything is fine. We appreciate this. You don’t have to go to any trouble.”

Louise paused and smiled at her. “You’re my baby girl. Nothing is too much trouble.”

She moved quickly around the kitchen, familiar with the layout. Holly, who Hannah had figured out was married to Jordan, helped. Apparently, this was their house. In less than five minutes, steaming plates were removed from the microwave, cold salad was heaped into bowls, and Elizabeth—or was it Sandy?—offered wine.

Hannah shuddered at the thought of liquor. She hadn’t completely recovered from the previous night. Louise poured ice water for her and a beer for Nick. Just as Hannah wondered if everyone was going to stand there watching her and Nick eat, Louise said, “Baseball.”