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Eve carried the casserole with cauliflower cheese to the table and set it down on the designated placemat next to the gravy.
Her mother angled her wheelchair towards the kitchen. “I smell burning!”
"Mum, relax. Dad is doing a good job in there," Eve said as she sat down too.
"I'm just worried. He's never been the best cook," her mum said, her gaze flitting to the kitchen again. "Honey! Don't forget to turn the hob off! And the oven!"
Her brother Jack came out with an enamel tray in flowery oven mitts and placed it down next to the beans. "There we go, that's the ham. Dad is bringing the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings."
"Looks good," Eve commented, her stomach rumbling from the delicious smells. She didn't cook nearly as much as she wanted to but when she did, it never looked this good. One of the perks of family dinner.
Her dad emerged from the kitchen with a triumphant grin. He carried the rest of the meal to the table like a victor returning with spoils and set it down with flair. "Tadaa. Now is that a proper Sunday roast or what? Go on, dig in."
Eve didn't need telling twice. She eagerly picked a golden-brown Yorkshire pudding from the plate and dug a serving spoon into the cauliflower cheese. Steam rose up from the white sauce and strings of melted cheese followed the spoon to her plate.
Across the table, Jack helped himself to a healthy serving of ham.
"You're making a mess, Jack," her mum chided. "Bring your plate closer."
“Sorry, Mum,” he muttered as he doused it in extra honey before passing the bottle to their dad.
Eve got herself ham once her brother was done with the fork and loaded her plate with golden potatoes. She smothered it all with gravy, smiling at the lumps in it. Of all the things her dad struggled with.
"This is nice, having the whole family here," her mum said as she reached for some carrots. "Evie, how’s work? You sold a lot of houses recently?”
Eve’s good mood plummeted instantly. She considered lying but that would do her no good.
With a sigh, she put her cutlery down. “It’s, ummm… Actually, it’s not going so great. There was some reshuffling at my firm and well, I was made redundant.”
There. Now the bandaid was off.
She expected disappointment from her Mum and perhaps a lecture from her Dad. Instead, they exchanged a compassionate glance with each other.
“That’s rough, Evie,” her mum said. “I’m sure you’ll find another job soon. You’re great at what you do.”
Her dad nodded. “You should come work at the garage while you search for a new job. We could use the extra help and then you won’t have a gap in your resumé.”
Eve didn’t particularly want to work at the family business but with the loss of her job, she didn’t really have a choice. Rent and bills still needed to be paid.
She gave her dad a smile. “Thanks, Dad. That sounds good to me.”
“Great. I think you’ll like it. We have some great employees. In particular, Charlie. She’s a good influence on your brother too. Last week, she figured out what was wrong with that Toyota Camry in minutes. It had Jack stumped for hours.”
Eve smiled while she cleared her plate, somewhat bemused. She should’ve known it wasn’t family dinner without the conversation divulging to cars.
Her dad held up the carving fork. “Does anyone want the last piece of this fantastic ham that I made? Honey? Jack? Evie? Come on, I slaved over this.”
Jack shook his head as he got up. “I made plans with Charlie so I’m heading out.”
“You’re leaving already?” their mum said, clearly disappointed.
“I’ll see you next week, Mum.” Jack gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.
Not wanting to disappoint, Eve obediently held her plate out. “I’ll have the ham.”
“Good girl.” Her dad piled the last slices on her plate. “Oh, I’m excited that you’re going to come work with me. Now it’s a proper family business.”
