Jill kissed my cheek and left me to finish dinner. I shook my head as I realized that her help was only dependent on getting something from me. My brother had no idea what he was in for with her, and I wasn’t about to clue him in. Some things you just needed to find out on your own.
Tracy and Tami came in and offered to help me. When the steaks were done being sous-vided, I pulled them out of the water bath to let them rest, still sealed in the bags in their own juices. I called in Tim and Wolf and had them fire-up the grill. They would throw them on for a minute on each side to give the meat grill marks.
◊◊◊
Everyone raved about the steaks. Mary wanted to purchase a commercial sous vide cooker for the restaurant, and we all approved. The steaks were fork-tender and cooked perfectly, and they tasted amazing. I’d also made twice-baked potatoes, asparagus in lemon butter, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and olives, creamed spinach, and a warm corn salad.
“Someday, you’ll make someone a fine wife,” Yuri teased me.
“Both my parents worked while I was growing up. Some nights, Greg and I had to fend for ourselves. My dad decided that we needed to become self-sufficient and taught us to cook. I was okay with the everyday stuff, but Tracy’s mom helped me learn to cook like this. All these dishes are from her recipe book.”
“Your mom could make a fortune if she ever sold a cookbook,” Pam said to Tracy.
“That’s the problem, though. Mom won’t share her recipes with anyone but David,” Tracy complained.
“If you showed an interest …” I prodded.
“Bite me. What did you make me for dessert?” Tracy asked.
I made Yuri and Phil help me clear the dinner plates. Then they helped bring out bowls with shortcake in the bottom, and I fetched a bowl of cut-up strawberries, blueberries, and grapes from the refrigerator. I’d soaked them in a simple syrup I’d made with vanilla caviar to flavor it.
When I brought it out, they eyed me suspiciously.
“You’re not trying to go healthy on us and make us eat fruit?” Wolf asked.
“Just shut up and try it.”
Cassidy didn’t need to be convinced. Everyone watched as she put the fruit over the shortbread and took a big bite. When it didn’t kill her, the others followed suit. They were pulling my leg. It was confirmed when they wanted seconds.
◊◊◊
Everyone pitched in to clean up after dinner. They kicked me out, so I strolled into the living room, and Duke and I started a fire. Tracy came out of the kitchen and sat down next to me. I put my arm around her and pulled her close.
“They kicked you out?” I asked.
“They said that because I was the hostess and you’d cooked, they would clean up.”
“Sounds fair.”
“Have you decided where you’re going to college?”
Tracy wanted to go to the same college I did, and I needed to tell her soon. She planned to go to State and take classes that would transfer.
“It’s looking like it might be Michigan,” I said.
Tracy wrinkled her nose.
“Would you be upset if I followed Pam to California?”
“In fact, it would make me feel better knowing you were there with her.”
“She wants to go to Pepperdine, and I think I might attend USC. I’ve sent in my application to USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. They have a couple of minors in Sports Media.”
“Who knows, I might end up at USC myself.”
I was glad that Tracy and Pam had decided not to wait for my decision as to where to go to school. Brook was probably headed off to an Ivy League school or somewhere like the University of Chicago. She wanted to get her political science and eventually her law degree, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she ran for president someday.
It made me a little sad to realize everyone might split up. My mom had warned me that while high school was great, it was just a launching point for the rest of your life. Coach Haskins had told me something similar when he described how he’d gone off to play minor-league baseball.
Pam had been the first crack in my plan when she told me she wanted to go back to California. She’d only moved to this town because her dad had taken a job here. Now that he wasn’t in the picture, she could go back to what she considered home. I didn’t want to believe that once high school was over, I would make all new friends when I went to college. And then do it again if and when I got a job.
“Promise me we will always be friends,” I almost begged.
Our eyes locked, and Tracy slowly smiled at me.
“‘Stupid boy,’ it will take more than me moving halfway across the country for me not to be your friend. Think about you and Tami. I know her going to Wesleyan was hard for you and that the two of you have had some bumps in the road. What I know for a fact is that you two will always be friends. It’ll be the same for us,” she assured me.
“I guess it’s not like you’re moving far away next semester. I’m sure we’ll see each other,” I predicted.
