“Yes, I am.”
“Well how about some eggs. Come on.” Miss Leona took Evie’s hand and led her through the open French doors to the backyard. Evie almost gasped at what she saw. Miss Leona’s backyard was a massive garden. A few fruit trees and rows of herbs and vegetables. There was a porch swing ring there, hanging over the back patio, and Evie could see that on the far side of the yard there were chickens. The bigger dog brushed by her and started poking around in the grass.
“I told Tilde to let you sleep. Sometimes a stay in the hospital does more harm than good, in strange ways. It’s good to get back home.” Evie glanced over in time to catch her wink.
“I don’t have a real home here in Charming, do I?” Evie suddenly asked as Miss Leona led her over to the chicken coop.
“You always have a home with us, but no, you don’t own any property here at the moment. You sold your grandmother’s house and had everything put in storage.”
“Is it—is it still there? Our things. Her things.” Evie wasn’t sure what she was asking, but she wanted to know. It was overwhelming to see Zach and his family, not even his whole family, but the select members who’d filled Miss Leona’s kitchen the night before. It was overwhelming to know that she was the only member of her family left and she couldn’t remember a thing about them. She thought of the picture Zach had shown her of her grandmother and that brown horse. Maybe if she could look at more of her things she would be able to remember something. Or at the very least, be able to connect some more dots from her dreams.
“All your things are still in storage over in Appleton. I believe Jesse has the spare set of keys. I’ll have him take you over there.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.” They stopped just outside the coop.
“In the meantime, I want you to think about your next move.”
“I’m not sure I—”
“I didn’t say you have to decide right now. You take your time, but I think it’s important to move through this life with purpose. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“You will get well. This scar will heal,” Miss Leona said, motioning to the side of her head. “And then you need to think about what’s next. If you need help, some helpful suggestions, you come talk to me and we’ll sort it out together. And in the meantime, you’re gonna help me prepare tonight’s dinner.”
“Oh, yes. Please. Anything I can do to help out around the house,” Evie said. She knew none of the Pleasants or Miss Leona were asking for a single thing in return for their outstanding hospitality, but she wouldn’t feel right if she spent the upcoming weeks or months just sitting around. “When I’m ready I would love your help. Maybe I can find some sort of job in town or help out at the ranch.”
“Oh no, honey.” Miss Leona opened the gate to the large chicken coop and ushered her inside. Several chickens, brown and white and black, made little chirping and clucking sounds as they shuffled out of their way. “That’s not what I meant by purpose. I’m going to teach you how to cook so you can get back on television.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Who do you think taught you the first time?”
“You did?”
“Of course I did. Your grandmother couldn’t cook for shit. You take your time, and you decide what you want to do from here on out, but if you decide you want your cooking career back and your memory doesn’t want to cooperate, then you and I are going to start from scratch and all the clout and the fans you’ve already built up will get you the rest of the way. You just have to figure out what Yvonne Buchanan 2.0 is going to be like. Reinvention. It’s how great women get by.”
Evie didn’t know whether to laugh at Miss Leona’s vulgar language or cry at the revelation that she’d been so instrumental in Evie’s success and how enthusiastic she was to help her with her journey all over again. Or whether to cry at the sudden connection she felt to Miss Leona. Jesse seemed to be acting out of a sense of duty. Zach—well, she had a feeling what Zach wanted—but this was something different. She just wanted Miss Leona to be kind, to like her. She never expected that Miss Leona would help her rebuild everything she’d lost.
“Thank you. I think that would be a good idea. I should at least try, right? My passion for cooking might help me get my memory back.”
“From your lips to God’s ears, my dear.” Miss Leona flashed her a warm smile. “Let’s get you some fresh eggs.”
Chapter 9
After the delicious breakfast Miss Leona made, she told Evie to keep herself busy while she took a call. Evie had free rein of the whole house with the exception of Miss Leona’s rooms at the other end of the house. Evie kept her journey to the entertainment room to herself. She figured it wasn’t a bad idea to get the lay of the rest of the land, but she wanted to make a call of her own first. She went back to her room and called Blaire. The phone rang several times and just as Evie was getting ready to give up, Blaire answered.
“Hey!” Blaire’s cheery voice came through the phone. “You called!”
“Yeah, I did. Hi.”
“How’s everything? How are you feeling? What’s the grandmother like? Did Jesse change his robotic settings to human man? Have you had sex with Zach yet?”
Evie couldn’t hold in her burst of laughter. It was good to hear Blaire’s voice. “Things are good. I’m feeling much better. Hospital beds are the worst.”
“I don’t miss sleeping in that chair at all. Okay, tell me everything.”
“Miss Leona is going to teach me how to cook,” Evie said. It felt good to share that new development. It felt good to finally have news to share that didn’t have to do with her health. “She showed me how to make a frittata this morning, but I just watched. Tomorrow I’m going to help make breakfast and dinner. I didn’t know she was the one who taught me how to cook in the first place.”