“Done!” Colm announced.
“I see that. Okay, now we need to get the noodles out of the water, so—”
The sound of the front door being opened and closed could be heard, soon Liam came into the kitchen and his eyes immediately honed in on Colm. “Hey, how are things, bud?”
“I’m cookin’ dinner tonight. Aunt Betty, she went home early ’cause me and Anna are cookin’, and I threw food on the wall, only it’s okay ’cause I’ll clean it after, but now you gotta go so I can finish. Go. Go.”
It was a long sentence that Colm somehow managed to get out in one breath.
“I can take a hint,” Liam said, laughing. The laughter died though as he glanced Anna’s way. He gave a brisk nod of greeting and said, “Call me if you need help, Ms. Chapel.”
“She won’t,” Colm assured his brother. “Me and Anna are a team, right, Anna?”
“Right, Colm. We’ve got it under control, Mr. Franklin. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
Liam started to leave the room, and Anna called out, “Mr. Franklin, do you think that maybe we could drop the formal address and go with Liam and Anna from now on?”
He turned, frowned, then nodded. “Fine, Anna. Let me know if you need me.” He turned to go.
“We will, Liam,” she called after him.
It had been weeks since she’d begun assisting Colm, but Liam still treated her as if she were an enemy…someone to be on his guard around. She didn’t like it, and wasn’t sure what she could do about it. She sighed.
Colm didn’t notice. He reached for some pot holders and said, “Okay, Anna, let’s get us some spaghetti.”
She helped Colm with the rest of the meal prep. They’d already made the salad, and after draining the noodles, Colm sliced the bread. Anna talked about safety, warning of the dangers of hot water and sharp knives.
Colm repeated her rules back to her again and again until they set the food on the table.
Anna surveyed the result and was pleased. “Everything’s beautiful, Colm. Why don’t you go get Liam.”
“Liii-ammm,” Colm screamed.
She stifled a chuckle and used her best teacher voice. “Colm, what are the rules about inside voices?”
“It’s not polite to yell, so we use a quiet inside voice.”
“Right. If you go into the living room and get your brother, you don’t have to shout.”
“Okay.” He headed toward the door, but it opened and Liam was standing there. “Hey, see, Anna, the scream worked.”
“Yes, but it’s not polite.” She looked at Liam, who was frowning. So, what had she done now? Working with Colm was so satisfying. His brother? Not so much. More like a pain in her proverbial…
“It looks good, bud,” he said to Colm. His genuine pleasure over his brother’s successes robbed her of her annoyance.
Anna smiled at Colm. “Well, I’ll leave you two to dinner. Now, Colm, when you’re done, you help with the dishes, too.”
“And wash the wall,” Colm said.
“Yes,” she agreed, “and wash the wall. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
“No, Anna!” Colm yelled, stopping Anna in her tracks.
“Inside voice,” she reminded him gently. “Is there a problem, Colm?”
He nodded. “Yeah, you helped make the food, you get to eat it.”
She glanced at Liam who was actively scowling at the thought. “No, you made the dinner for your brother,” she tried.
“And you,” he repeated stubbornly.
“No, sweetie. My job is helping you learn things, things that will make your life and your family’s life better. Tonight, we cooked, and you need to share that with your family—with your brother.”
“And you,” he insisted. “You had a snack with me first time I made it.”
Anna didn’t know how to get around that, so she looked at Liam, silently asking him for some help.
“Maybe Anna’s got a date,” Liam said.
Colm chortled. “Nah, she ain’t gotta date.”
Ouch. She didn’t have a date, but still—ouch.
“I think I should be insulted,” she said, quietly. And Liam quite unexpectedly laughed. Not a forced laugh either. This was the first real sign that Liam Franklin had a mood other than guarded or grouchy.
As he chuckled, Anna saw another side of the gruff man. A softer side. A side she’d glimpsed when he hugged Colm in the past, but this time it was directed at her, and it was sweet.
“If you don’t have a date, Anna,” he said her name as if it was still foreign to his lips, “we’d be happy to have you share Colm’s first official solo meal.”
Part of Anna wanted to lie and make up some excuse why she needed to leave, but instead, she nodded. “I’d love to. Though you know what this means, Colm?You need to set another place at the table.”
He broke out in a grin. “Another place for Anna. Got it.”
He ran across the kitchen, grabbed a plate and started to run back when Anna called out, “Walk, Colm. We don’t want you to fall and get hurt.”
“Or break the plate. But if I broke it, it’d be okay, ’cause we’d clean it up, right, Anna?”
He was so attentive, remembering her comments and instructions. “Right, Colm.”
When he’d set the plate on the table, he ran and got one butter knife and slowly walked toward the table.
“Uh, why don’t we sit down?” Liam suggested. “It looks as if this may take a while.”
He pulled out one of the chairs from the small kitchen table.
Anna was surprised by the act of chivalry. She’d never been a woman who insisted on such things. She was more than capable of pulling out her own chair or opening a door. But she didn’t find having a guy do them offensive, either. She simply hadn’t expected such a gesture from Liam Franklin. Wasn’t she still the enemy?
She took the seat and as Liam gently nudged her chair into the table, his hand brushed against her back. There was no bolt of lightning but there was suddenly an awareness for Anna. She’d only ever seen Liam as a—well, a barrier. Yet here, now, as he took his seat and smiled as Colm carefully set a place for her at the table, she again saw the man who cared deeply about his brother.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
They sat in silence until it became uncomfortable, but were saved when Colm finished and took his seat. “So let’s eat!”
He dished some pasta onto his plate enthusiastically and passed the bowl to Anna, who took some and passed it to Liam. The salad and rolls went around in a similar fashion. Anna found herself waiting for Liam to take his first bite. He smiled and said, “Very good, Colm.”
“Yeah, it is.” Colm’s mouth was full of food, so his words were a bit difficult to understand, but his smile wasn’t.
That smile was what made Anna’s job so rewarding. There was a pride in it that showed Colm’s growing realization