“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?” Vega teased.
“A little bit.”
“Well, I am happy for you. He is not hard on the eyes at all. Okay, ma’am, you are good to go. Is it time to get cooking?”
“I think so.” Evie stepped into her slippers, then followed Vega down the hall with Euca by her side.
* * *
“First lesson. We eat with all of our senses,” Miss Leona said. “Our eyes, our sense of smell, the textures that hit our mouths, the flavors that hit our tongues. They are all important. If someone can’t see your dish, you want them to be drawn to the wonderful aromas. I’m going to teach you the basics and then you’re going to practice making it pretty.”
“Okay. I’m ready.”
“Just what I want to hear,” Miss Leona said as she handed Evie an apron. Evie tied it around her waist and walked over to the other side of the island to join her new teacher. “You’re gonna make our frittatas. I already gathered some eggs. I want you to go into the fridge and grab the butter, then you’re going to pick out two different vegetables to include in your dish. Miss Vega, do you have any food allergies?” Miss Leona asked as Evie grabbed the butter.
“No, ma’am. Is it okay if I watch?”
“Absolutely. You cook?”
“Sort of, but I’d love to pick up some pointers.”
“And Evie needs to get used to having an audience,” Miss Leona added. “Make yourself comfortable.” Vega hopped up on a kitchen stool and they got to work.
Evie grabbed some tomatoes and spinach and set them on the counter next to a small onion Miss Leona had already set out. For some reason she felt a little unsure about her choice, but she stuck by it. “I know we had tomato and spinach yesterday, but it was delicious. I’d like to have it again.”
“Lesson number two: Eat what you like. You also cut down on food waste by actually using the ingredients you have on hand. Tomato and spinach sound perfect to me. Any objections from Miss Vega?”
“My mom said diners can’t complain when they’re eating for free.”
“Your mom sounds cold-blooded, and I think we’d get along great. Now Evie, I want you to cut up that onion. Like this.” Evie paid close attention as Miss Leona peeled off the thin outer layer of onion then started making small slices across the top, then more slices in cross sections. She made one more cut and neat little pieces of onion started piling up on the cutting board. The smell of the onions burned Evie’s eyes, but she liked the aroma. Something about it was familiar to her.
“You try, and don’t rush. Slow is much better than taking a chunk out of your hand. At some point you will cut yourself. It will not be the end of the world, and we have a lovely young nurse on staff, but let’s hold off on the flesh wounds as long as we can.”
Evie took the remaining half of the onion and mimicked Miss Leona’s actions. She went slowly at first, but somehow her hands seemed to know exactly what to do. In no time she had what looked like a finely diced onion.
“Very good.”
Evie felt her cheeks warm at the simple praise.
“Now, do you want diced tomato or tomato chunks?” Miss Leona asked.
“What are we doing?” Corie asked as she walked into the room. She took a seat at the island.
“Chef Buchanan is getting back in the ring,” Vega replied. Evie glanced at Corie and didn’t miss the way she and Vega were looking at each other. She’d have to think about that later.
“Um, which do you think will taste better?” she asked Miss Leona.
“That’s not what I asked you, baby. Which would you like?”
“Let’s try diced.”
“Great.”
Evie rinsed the tomatoes and then watched Miss Leona demonstrate the best way to dice them up. Evie followed her lead, cutting up the tomatoes into small pieces. It was slow going at first, but again her hands seemed to just know what to do. And so it went on. Miss Leona walked her through each step of the frittata. She was an excellent teacher. Calm and patient, and when Evie hesitated, her lack of confidence tripping her up, Miss Leona encouraged her not to be afraid.
“Worst thing that happens, you burn down my kitchen, and I have insurance. Let’s keep going.”
In the end, they had a beautiful breakfast, with enough food for six people. Miss Leona had Corie grab four plates and then Evie had the honor of serving her breakfast guests. Evie waited, the nerves setting off sparks in her stomach as Vega and Corie each took a bite.