“Hattie is the best cook in the world,” he said, grinning at her. “But don’t tell my mom I said that.”
She laughed. “Your secret is safe with me,” she said, beginning to relax. “I never learned to cook. Someday I hope I’ll have a place where I can take the time to learn.”
“I’m sure Hattie would be happy to teach you a few things,” he said, leading her down a long hallway to the back of the house. “She’s taught all of us. We take turns cooking; she even makes us do chores around here so we’re not totally helpless when we get out into the real world.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” she said, but was suddenly nervous. “She sounds like an amazing person.”
“I don’t know what we’d do without her,” Cooper said. “I know you’re going to love her like we do.”
It was a bit overwhelming to walk into a kitchen full of people, most of them men, but Hattie made her feel at home as soon as Cooper introduced her. “Now that you’ve got something to drink, I’ll introduce you to the boys,” she said, smiling at theyoung men scattered around the kitchen. “Don’t worry if you can’t remember everyone’s name, I forget half the time.”
They started on the far side of the kitchen with the two couples sitting in the breakfast nook, open textbooks in front of them. “If you four could take a minute from your studying, I’d like to introduce you,” Hattie said, when none of them looked up at first. “This is Dr. WarnerWarner, she’s the archeologist working on the ruins under the football field.”
The four looked up in unison, “Sorry, we didn’t mean to be rude, I’m Jackson and this is my girlfriend Abby,” one of the men said. “And that’s Taylor and his wife Emily.”
“We didn’t mean to be rude, but we’ve all got big tests next week,” Taylor said. “It’s nice to meet you, hopefully we can chat at dinner.”
“No worries, I remember what it’s like,” she said. “Good luck.”
They moved over to the table, “Hey, I’m Aaron and this is Walker, that joker over there getting the plates out of the cabinet is Gabe,” another one of the men said. “Ryan is the one over by the stove and Malcolm is the one getting the milk out of the refrigerator. You all use your manners and say hello to Dr.Warner.
She got a chorus of greetings from around the room and couldn’t help but smile at the warmth she felt in the room. “It’s nice to meet you all, thank you for sharing your dinner with me,” she said. “Maybe you all should call me Stephanie, Dr. Warneris a bit too formal.”
“Let’s find you a place to sit,” Hattie said, smiling at her. “Dinner is almost ready. I’m looking forward to hearing about your adventures, I’m sure you’ve been to some exciting places.”
“A few,” she admitted, taking the chair Cooper rushed over and pulled out for her. “I lived in Egypt for a while when I was a kid.”
“I want to hear all about it,” Hattie said, clapping her hands in excitement. “I’ve always wanted to travel, but my Sam is a homebody and I wouldn’t dream of leaving him behind.”
As if on cue, an older man came in the back door. “Did I just hear my name?” he asked, walking over to Hattie and kissing her on the cheek, then saw her sitting at the table. “Oh, this must be the doctor. I’m Sam. It’s nice you could join us tonight.”
“Thanks, I’m happy to be here,” she said, charmed. “If the food tastes as good as it smells, I may never want to leave.”
Everyone laughed. “We all feel the same way,” Cooper said, setting a platter of food on the table. “Especially when Hattie makes her fried chicken.”
CHAPTER 8
***COOPER***
Dr. Warner was tense when he sat down next to her, but as the meal progressed, the banter around the table seemed to relax her, and she even joined in a few times. “Well, Dr. Warner, what do you think of my friends?” he finally asked when she’d pushed her empty plate away. “Are they as crazy as I think they are?”
“Without a doubt, but I like them. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time,” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “And I think you should start calling me Stephanie, at least away from the site. Everyone else is, and it seems strange for you not to as well.”
“I’d like that, Stephanie,” he said, smiling at her, the feel of her name on his lips sending a ripple of familiarity washing over him. “I’m glad you enjoyed dinner. I was afraid it might be a bit overwhelming; this crowd can be a lot.”
“They seem like a great group of people. I haven’t had that many close friends, you’re lucky to have them,” she said, looking around the table with a look of longing. “I move around so much that it’s hard to make friends and keep them, it’s one of the drawbacks to this job.”
“You must really love it,” he said, then before he could say more, Hattie interrupted.
“Stephanie, we’d love to hear a little bit about Egypt,” she said. “It must have been exciting to live there.”
“To me it was just home until we came back to the states when I started college,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “But it’s a wonderful country, very different than here, and once you understand their ways, it’s easy to feel at home there.”
“You said your parents are archeologists too,” Hattie said, getting up and beginning to gather plates. “They must be really proud of you.”
“They are, but I think they always hoped that I’d do more with my life,” she said, then shook her head. “The problem is, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love my job; it’s an adventure every day.”
“I’m sure they just want what’s best for you,” Hattie said, carrying the first stack of plates to the kitchen. “Tell us about the ruins, it must be exciting to explore something so unique. Do you know anything about the people who built it?”
