Page 69 of Recipe for Rivals
Once the whole room was finished, we stood near the doorway, shoulder to shoulder, and looked at the sturdy pine bunk bed.
“Well done, Nova.”
There was a hitch in her breathing. “I didn’t do it by myself.”
“No, but you did most of it.” She was silent, so I looked at her. She was tall enough that I didn’t have to crane my neck down to hold her gaze, which I loved. “You do know there are no special gold stars for people who get it done alone, right? No one hands out awards for running yourself into the ground.”
She looked up at me, her brown eyes surprised and wide.
“I know from experience,” I explained. “It’s not worth trying to win that race.”
“Your metaphors are mixing.”
“You still know what I mean,” I challenged.
I took Nova’s lack of response to mean that she knew exactly what I meant. When I’d called earlier, her voice had sounded so high and strange, I’d wondered if she’d been crying. Now, noting the tired red rim to her eyes and the weariness to her mouth, I was positive. It made me want to pull her in for a long, tight hug, but I knew my limits. That was definitely pushing boundaries.
“My kids need to get to bed.”
“Say no more. I’ll just get my taco stuff together and get out of your hair.”
Nova gave me a tired smile. “Dinner and construction help. I owe you triple now.”
“You owe me nothing, Nova,” I said, and it came out so serious, she grew still. “This is what friends do for each other. Sheesh,” I added, trying to lighten the tone. “It makes me wonder what kind of people come out of New York.”
“There are plenty of excellent people from New York.” She started toward the hallway. “Like me.”
I laughed, not expecting that.
Nova disappeared into her room. “Who wants to see your new bed?”
Squeals and shouts preceded the stampede as the kids ran to their room. They were utterly delighted, which warmed my chest. If I was happy about it, their mom was likely ecstatic. I heard her telling them to get ready for bed, so I started clearing the table and bagging up the food I’d brought in foil dishes. Nova helped Alice brush her teeth, then got both kids squared away in their pajamas and tucked into bed while I put away the condiments. I could hear Nova reading to them, so I started the dishes. She didn’t have a dishwasher, but I’d grown up without one, so I was pretty good at cleaning dishes.
“You don’t need to do that,” Nova said from the hallway.
I looked up from where my arms were plunging into sudsy water, scrubbing at a plate. “It’s really not a problem.”
She looked like she wanted to say more, but instead, she walked toward me. My heart rate increased, but Nova only picked up a clean dish towel and started to dry the ones I’d already washed, then put them away.
“We saw Brody at the bookstore today picking up things for the auction,” she said. “Do you have a good amount of donations?”
“Quite a few. I won’t turn down another one, if you have something in mind.”
Her eyes flashed to me. “I don’t have anything to donate.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I lifted my eyebrows but kept my attention on the dishes. “People would pay a pretty penny for a plate of those berry bars you made. I’ve heard about them from a handful of different people.”
“Seriously?” She looked suspicious.
“Or your cookies. June mentioned you’re making them for her party. I bet you’ll have a lot of interest after that.”
“I don’t know if I really have time for more orders, but I’m happy to help June out.”
“It was nice of you to agree to it.”
We were silent for a minute before she spoke again. “I could do a dozen for the auction, but I don’t expect they’ll bring much money in.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, handing her the last plate. I pulled the plug to let the water drain.