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“Then stop staring at the key.”
“I was looking at Jamie.”
Jamie presses closer to my side. “You usually pretend I’m not here.”
“I frequently wish you weren’t.”
“You would miss me.”
“I would notice the reduction in noise.”
Jamie opens his mouth, but Simon puts the bread basket in front of him.
“Eat something before you two ruin dinner.”
Jamie takes a roll and tears it apart. Oliver returns to his plate.
I let them talk while we eat. Simon complains about the condition of the frying pan. Jamie tells him the scratch in it existed before he arrived. Oliver points out that neither of them has enough information to establish that, and Simon tells him to stop making cookware sound like a court case.
They fit together better when they forget I’m watching.
After dinner, Simon clears the table. I hand the knife back so he can wash it. Oliver carries the glasses, and Jamie takes my wrist to inspect the bracelet he repaired. The knot remains exact. He checks it every night anyway.
I leave him holding my arm and watch Simon wash the knife. “You said it was mine while I’m cooking.”
“Dinner is over.”
“I’m making dessert.”
“There’s already cake.”
Simon glances at the chocolate cake on the covered stand. I bought it yesterday.
“That thing is dry enough to qualify as building material.”
“You ate two pieces last night.”
“I was being held hostage by your menu.”
Jamie laughs against my shoulder. Simon points at him with the towel.
“You ate three.”
“I like cake.”
“You like sugar held together by more sugar.”
Jamie shrugs. “It understands me.”
“Make something better,” I say.
The rest of us move into the living room while Simon works. Jamie settles on the sofa beside me. Oliver takes the armchair with the book I chose. I put my feet on the low table between us and wait. He finds the marked page.
“Begin.”
Oliver reads. He no longer argues about every line. He pauses where a paragraph should have ended and changes nothing aloud. His voice carries through the living room and into the kitchen, where Simon opens cabinets and swears about my flour.
Jamie looks toward the kitchen. The mixer starts, followed by Simon telling it to stop trying to throw flour at him.
