Jules
“I’m starting to lose count on the number of dates we’ve had.” I took a step toward Olly.
Two nights ago, I made homemade pasta for him. Now, here I was with another ball of pasta dough, making a pan of lasagna.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” He reached for my hand and tugged me closer.
“Definitely not bad.” I fell against his chest. “The complete opposite.”
Our last date consisted of two giant bowls of fettuccine with a simple spicy cherry tomato sauce. Although we ended up spending more time on the couch kissing and less time eating. I’m not complaining. Having leftovers makes deciding what to have for lunch the next day easy.
“I’m glad you called.” He brushed a strand of hair away from my eye.
“Why? Were you about to order take-out?” I laughed and stepped out of his embrace.
“What? How dare you.” He tickled my side and walked over to sit on the bar stool at the kitchen island where I was getting ready to roll out the pasta. “Do you need any help?”
“Just your moral support.” I grabbed a small handful of flour to spread around my work surface. “This will be easy. I need to roll the dough out and cut large squares to fit in the pan.”
“Is pasta your favorite thing to make?” He rested his forearms on the counter.
“One of my favorites.” I covered the rolling pin with flour.
“What are your top three recipes to make?”
“Well, pasta.” I pointed at the dough. “And the other two, yeasted bread and cookies.”
“What is your favorite cookie to make?” He moved flour around on the counter with his index finger.
“Snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies.” The mention of cookies made me crave a handful of snickerdoodles. “Can I add a bonus dish to the list?”
“Oh, bonus, eh? Do tell?” He winked.
“Brownies.” I smiled and pushed the rolling pin into the dough to start the process of rolling it out into a thin sheet. “There is something fun about adding melted chocolate to a batter.”
“Now I want dessert.” He moaned.
All this talk about food made me think about my late boyfriend, Eric. He loved cooking with me. He had enrolled in culinary school just before he got sick. Although it never happened, we had so much fun making meals together. I had become a pro at making soup. Especially chicken noodle soup. In the end, he loved my homemade broth.
“Jules.” Olly was standing next to me.
“Huh.” I looked up at him.
“You looked lost. I said your name twice.” He touched my forearm. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Yeah, totally.” I dropped my head. “Something about this moment is bringing back some memories.” I squeezed his hand. “Sorry.”
He gently grabbed the rolling pin from my hand and set it aside. Then, he turned my body to face him. “Please don’t apologize.” He lightly brushed his fingers down the side of my face. “I want you to share those memories. You don’t have to hide them from me.” His hands dropped down to my arms. “I know Eric was special for you. Do you want to share the memory?”
A part of me did want to share. Eric would always be in my life. Right now, I decided to keep the memory my own.
I let out a heavy sigh and squared my shoulders. “Not today, but—” I rested my hands on his chest— “thank you.”
In that moment, I realized memories of Eric had resurfaced because Olly reminded me of my time with him. He was kind, gentle, and knew how to make me laugh.
“We should make cookies later.” I lightly hit my hands against his chest.
“You won’t hear any complaints from me.” He bent down and kissed me. “I’m available to listen whenever you need me.” Then, he stepped back and walked around the counter to sit back down. “Will there be meat in your lasagna?”
My feet felt stuck. I stood in the same spot for a bit longer than expected. Finally, I made myself move and grab the rolling pin to continue working on the lasagna sheets.
There was a time, not too long after Eric died, when I vowed to stay single. I didn’t think I could find someone who would make me as happy as my time with Eric.
I knew now I was very wrong.
“Is there meat in the recipe? Really?” I laughed and pushed the rolling pin down to flatten the dough some more.
“What? It’s a fair question.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Veggie lasagna is delicious.”
“Well, it may be, but my recipe always calls for a meat ragu.” I squared up the edges of the dough. “I think we should add a bechamel sauce to this recipe, too.”
“Wow, yes, please.” He nodded.
I turned toward the refrigerator to grab the carton of heavy cream and closed my eyes to silently thank Eric.
Since meeting Olly, I have felt nervous about being myself, but not anymore. I realized I could have both my past with Eric and my present with Olly in my life at the same time.
AUTHOR NOTE:
Whew, that chapter was heavy, but it was nice to see this side of Jules and Olly. I’m excited for Jules. Olly came into her life unexpectedly, but he was exactly what she needed to help her move on. I’m trying to figure out if Olly is a good cook or if we make him a bit of a mess in the kitchen. Should we keep him opposite Eric???