Page 24 of The Sailor

He supposed most people would prefer a couch, but that would take up a lot more room than the chairs, and he’d wanted a big table, enough to fit his entire family. It wasn’t likely all his brothers and his mom would show up at the same time, they’d be more likely to meet up at Lobster Cove if they wanted to have dinner together, but family was important, and he wanted to have enough space to cook for them if they came over.

He’d bought a table with a middle leaf, however, which he currently didn’t have in, so it took up less room than it might otherwise. There were two chairs against the wall, currently unused, and four around the table at the moment. He liked to sit while he ate, take his time, enjoy the food.

“It’s a lot like mine. Although I have an actual bedroom,” she told him. “And I have a tiny little table and a huge couch. I think my TV is bigger than yours.”

He chuckled. “I’m not much of a TV watcher. Didn’t really get much of a chance when I was working on naval ships.”

“Your kitchen is way nicer than mine.”

“It’s not ideal, but until I get my own place, it’ll do.”

“You looking to buy something here?”

“Yeah. Linc, my oldest brother, bought an old house on a large piece of property. You know Chad lives on Lobster Cove, and Knox is content with his two-bedroom apartment on the lower level of a house. But I want a house of my own. Not one I have to fix up, like Linc is doing, but a more modern, finished thing. One I don’t have to spend a lot of time on. I don’t really have the time anyway, not with The Lobster Buoy and helping out around Lobster Cove in my free time.”

“I think it’s great how connected you are to your mom’s place.”

“It’s our family legacy. And even if I’m not living there, it’s where I grew up, where I have so many awesome memories. Besides, it’s beautiful as hell. I love visiting.”

“I can see why.”

“You want to go sit, make yourself comfortable, find something on the TV to watch while I get the chicken ready for the oven again?”

“Can I help?”

“Well . . .”

Marit laughed. “Sorry, let me rephrase that, Mr. I-Don’t-Want-Anyone-Touching-My-Chef-Stuff . . . can I keep you company while you do your thing in the kitchen?”

Zach felt himself blushing. She’d pegged him in one. He didn’t usually like others “helping” him cook. He was a little type A when it came to food and making it how he preferred. “I’d like that.”

The first thing he did was put the stuffed mushrooms into the air fryer on low before he turned his attention to the chicken. It didn’t take long to bread the breasts and crisp them up on the stovetop. He put the chicken in a dish and smothered it with the homemade lobster alfredo sauce he had in his fridge for just such an occasion as this. Then he added a couple of large handfuls of mozzarella and parmesan cheese to the top, and some more spices to finish it off.

“That looks delicious,” Marit said from his side. She once again leaned into him after he’d shut the oven door. Zach could get used to having her against him, for sure.

“Want to go sit at the table while we dig into the mushrooms?”

“Where are your plates and silverware?”

As Zach plated the mushrooms, Marit set the table. He couldn’t help but think they made a great team.

They sat next to each other at the table and dug into the mushrooms, each consuming several before Marit spoke.

“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. These are so good, Zach. You’re an amazing cook.”

“They aren’t hard to make,” he told her honestly.

“Maybe, maybe not, but whatever spices you used really complement the flavor of the cheese and bring out the delicate taste of the lobster. These could seriously be served in a five-star restaurant.”

“When I moved here, that was actually my goal,” Zach admitted.

“What, to open a fancy restaurant?”

“Yeah. Like The Lost Kitchen. You know, the one that’s so popular that in order to get reservations, you have to send in a postcard and it’s a lottery system?”

“Well, I think part of the reason they’re so popular is because they had that reality show about them.”

“They did?”