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She laughs. “No fingers, please. And, yes, I’d love your help.” She grabs a cutting board and knife for me, and hands me an apron. “Reed likes this particular recipe because my version is filled with super foods. He’s usually quite strict about what he eats. Fitness and nutrition are passions for him.”
“Yes, he’s mentioned that. Not that he needed to say it out loud. His body makes it pretty clear he takes excellent care of himself.” I press my lips together again. What the hell is wrong with me? This is Reed’s second mother, and I’ve just implied I’ve seen him naked? Seriously, I know I grew up without a mother, but this is ridiculous.
Thankfully, though, Amalia seems unfazed by my stumbling. In fact, she seems nothing but charmed—the same way CeeCee was when we had coffee together after the panel discussion.
Without missing a beat, she gives me some instruction, including showing me how to make a claw with my left hand while chopping so I don’t cut off my fingers, and then puts me to work. And, in short order, I’m a regular sous chef, chopping away at vegetables while Amalia sautées onions at a burner across from me.
As we work at our stations, we chat easily, and Amalia’s maternal demeanor calms me, reassuring me with each passing minute she’s not judging me for having a fling with her much older, and powerful, boss. Amalia asks me questions, and, soon, I’m telling her about my life—my schooling and family. And I return the favor, drawing her out by asking her questions about her large family, which, it turns out, includes lots of beloved grandchildren.
Finally, about twenty minutes into our conversation, I feel comfortable enough to broach my primary topic of interest.
“So, Reed tells me you’ve known him his whole life?”
“Yes, I was there when they brought tiny little Reed Charlemagne Rivers home from the hospital, looking as sweet as can be.” She chuckles. “He’s not tiny anymore, obviously, but he’s still as sweet as can be.”
Yes, he is, I think. Followed immediately by, Wow, what a difference a day makes. Because, as late as yesterday, I never would have believed anyone would describe Reed Rivers as “sweet.” But here I am, thinking that word describes him perfectly, after the whirlwind of the past twenty-four hours. Indeed, just this fast, I’m thinking there might be even more sweetness to Reed than I’ve seen. More than I ever thought possible.
But back to work.
I’ve got a job to do.
And I’m pretty sure Amalia, who’s known Reed his entire life, is the perfect person to give me insight into this fiercely private man.
I say, “It’s clear Reed feels exactly the same way about you, Amalia—that you’re sweet as can be. Just this morning, he was telling me about his family, and he explicitly said he considers you a member of his family.”
She stops what she’s doing and looks at me, floored. “Reed said that?”
“He did. In fact, he said he loves you. And that he missed you so much after his father went to prison, when he was thirteen, he hired you as an adult, ten years later, the minute he was financially able to swing it. He said having you back in his life was so important to him, he hired you even before he bought his first sports car.”
Okay, yes, I’m extrapolating and expanding ever so slightly from the actual words Reed said. But why else would Reed have hired Amalia the moment he was able to do so, even before buying a sports car, if he hadn’t missed her terribly after she’d stopped working for his family—which Reed did explicitly say, coincided with his father going to prison?
From Amalia’s body language, it’s clear she’s blown away by what I’ve said. Indeed, if I blew on her, she’d tip over. She leans her hip against the island and puts her hand on her heart.
“It means the world to me to hear Reed said all of that. Thank you so much for telling me this, Georgie.”
“You’re welcome.” My heart skips a beat. It’s been a long time since I’ve hung out in a kitchen with a kind, older woman, and helped her cook a meal. The experience is causing my heart to flutter like crazy. “Reed actually referred to you as his second mother.” Am I fibbing? Did Reed say that, or did I? I can’t recall. But either way, even if I was the one who said it, Reed certainly didn’t correct me. And he did say he loves Amalia, and a photo of his mother and Amalia is one of the few personal shots in the house... So, I think it’s safe to say I haven’t told a lie.
“I love that sweet man so much,” Amalia says, more to herself than to me. For a moment, she looks lost in thought. But then she shakes off her reverie, sighs, and smiles. “I’m frankly quite surprised Reed said all this to you. Especially, the part about me being with his family until Mr. Rivers went to prison. Reed is an extremely private person. Especially about his father, and his childhood. I think he doesn’t like being reminded of anything unpleasant. He prefers not to think about it.”
