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“You’re the only one I know who takes hours to cook chicken soup.” Maggie stopped at her parents’ avocado green vintage refrigerator.
“Only the best for you, Mags. Family recipe from Aunt Marie.”
“You better not let your future girlfriend hear that.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s the only one who should get your best, Levi. Not me.”
Levi seemed amused, like he wasn’t sure if he agreed with Maggie. He’d have to learn it the hard way. Maggie wasn’t sure if he got the message she was trying to convey.
Levi turned off the faucet and dried his hands. He opened the refrigerator to retrieve a tray of vegan sushi. “No fish in this one, okay? Just cucumbers, carrots, and avocado wrapped in rice and seaweed. Can you eat it?”
“I think so—since it’s mostly rice. Thanks for getting it for me. I heard that rice can help my tummy at this time.”
“BRAT diet. Bread, rice, applesauce, and toast.” Levi set it on the peninsula that connected to the kitchen sink. It was low enough for people to sit around, and Maggie’s family had called it the breakfast counter.
“Do you want this on a plate?” Levi asked.
“No. I’ll eat it off the tray.” Maggie washed her hands again, even though she’d just done that in the bathroom.
“I ate as soon as I arrived. You were sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you up.” Levi handed her a fork. “In fact, I knew I would be making a lot of noise in the kitchen. I wanted to put you in the bedroom, but didn’t want to drop you on the way there since I haven’t been to the gym in a few years.”
“Are you saying I’m too heavy for you to carry?” Maggie raised her eyebrows.
“No.”
“If you can’t carry me, how can you carry your bride across the threshold in the future?” Maggie walked around the breakfast counter to sit down on the other side, facing Levi in the kitchen.
“Do they still do that nowadays?” Levi asked.
“I have no idea. My attendance at weddings usually ends at the reception.”
“Mine too.”
Maggie sat down on a chair and said grace quietly, thanking God for the sushi lunch. “How much is this, Levi? I’ll reimburse you.”
“No need. In return for lunch and dinner, you can tell me what exactly is going on, Mags.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t leave out the details. I can take it. Tell me why you quit your job at Midtown Chapel so abruptly that even I didn’t see it coming. Did you get into an argument with someone? Did you get bullied at work? Did Mrs. Kim fire you?”
Maggie laughed. “You have some imagination. The answers are: no, no, and no. I left after much prayer.”
“You often tell me your prayers.”
“Not all.”
Levi seemed to think there was more. Well, Maggie wasn’t going to tell him. Not now, and maybe not ever.
“Don’t make me call Tally.” Levi dropped a name he shouldn’t have.
Tally Fitzpatrick, whom Maggie used to work for at church, was now a friend and confidante. Mrs. Kim said she would love to have Tally make the keynote speech at the next women’s conference at Midtown, but the honors of inviting her would no longer be Maggie’s.
Yes, Levi knew that Maggie sometimes asked Tally for life advice. Even though Tally now lived in the Bahamas, they were still in the same time zone.
“Why did you mention Tally?” Maggie asked.
