Page 39 of Butterfly Sisters
She allowed a little smile at that. “I’d heard you cooked,” she managed.
“Wow. You know you’ve got talent when it becomes a rumor around the lake.”
She grinned again and sniffled.
“Ah, that’s what I like to see.” He called Elvis. “Come on. Let’s get a bite to eat.”
They drove back to Colton’s and before she knew it, Leigh was wrapped in a soft blanket and left on the cozy sofa of the living room, with a view of the lake out the window to her right and the warmth of a fire in the stone fireplace to her left. Elvis curled up beside her while Colton sliced cubes of chicken on the cutting board.
He chopped an onion and a pepper too, tossing them into the pan, the warmth of it causing them to hiss. He then dropped in some garlic and butter, the savory smells making her stomach growl.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked.
She told him about Nan’s wishes for the cabin. With every word, she hoped he’d have some sort of epiphany that hadn’t occurred to her.
“That’s definitely odd,” he said, to her disappointment. He added in the chicken and coconut milk along with the spices, setting the pan to simmer, and then came over to her with a tray of cheddar and crackers. Elvis hopped off the sofa and sat at attention by the coffee table, clearly hoping for a bite.
“I just don’t understand it,” she said, focusing on stacking the cheese onto her cracker to avoid diving down into despair again.
“You know,” he said, drawing her attention back to those dark eyes of his, “sometimes the best parts of our lives come out of the things that make us feel the most uncomfortable.”
“But look at you,” she countered. “You’re a success and you look comfortable.”
“Lookis the key word there. We all have battles.”
“What are you battling right now?” she asked, curious.
“Nothing I want to worry you with,” he said, getting up. “Enjoy the crackers while I make the rice.”
Colton finished cooking and plated the dishes, taking them to the repurposed farmhouse dining table made of old planks of wood that had been highly lacquered and attached to sleek iron legs. He pulled out a chair for her. “For drinks, I’ve got lemonade and sweet tea. What tickles your fancy?”
“I’d love a lemonade,” she said, tucking into her seat.
Colton filled two glasses and brought them over, sitting down across from Leigh. “So, what are you going to do about the cabin? Are you going to try to get Meredith to give it you?” he asked, resuming the conversation from before.
“I can’t go against Nan’s wishes,” she said, stabbing a bite of chicken and popping it into her mouth. The aromatic curry mixed with the cream of the coconut was to die for.
Colton scooped the curry onto his fork, the bite hovering over his plate as he asked, “What do you think Meredith’s going to do with it?”
“I don’t know. She’s never around to enjoy it.”
“You don’t think she’d sell it, do you?”
Her last bite settled like a cinder block in her stomach. “She’d better not,” she said, fear creeping in. “Mama would never speak to her again.” She took a bite and then had a sip of lemonade to wash it down. “I guess it’ll just sit there empty.”
“She might want to live in it,” he suggested. “She said to me the other day that she doesn’t have a house right now.”
“I have no idea,” she said. “But let’s not dwell on it.” She really couldn’t stand to think about it anymore. “Thank you for coming to get me and cooking me lunch. It’s delicious.”
“Of course.” She noted fondness in his eyes when he said it. “I have been holding out on you, though.”
“What do you mean?”
He leaned forward dramatically. “I have key lime pie in the refrigerator.”
She gasped, his excitement nearly erasing her thoughts about Nan and the cabin. “You know that’s my favorite.”
“Still?” he asked with a laugh, but she could tell by the adoring look in his eyes that he knew that.
