“She has homework to do.”
“Daughter?” Johnny asked from the kitchen.
“Niece,” Kirk said. “But I’m her legal guardian, so I’m basically her parent. I don’t want to use the wordfatherwith her because she had one of those. I don’t ever want to pretend or try to replace my brother.”
“That’s sweet of you,” I said. Absently, I let my hand fall to his forearm and patted him reassuringly. When my brain caught up with my hand, I quickly withdrew it and made introductions. “Amani is the gorgeous Jordanian in the kitchen. Johnny is the hot mess next to him.”
Johnny let out a dramatic guffaw.
“Just ignore him,” Amani called over his shoulder. “The rest of us do.” Johnny pouted and Amani leaned over and kissed him before turning back to whatever he was making on the stove.
“Well, I’m Kirk, and I live next door with my niece, Carissra.”
“You may have seen her around the building. Cute teenage girl with long black hair in a wheelchair.”
“I saw her this evening. She came into the lobby like Greased Lightning and headed for the elevators,” Johnny said.
“I hope she didn’t run anyone over,” Kirk said. “Still trying to get her to be more mindful of others.”
“Not at all,” Johnny reassured Kirk. “She looked like a woman on a mission.”
“Dinner will be ready in about five minutes,” Amani said.
“What are we having?” I asked. I’d been so caught up in the conversation I hadn’t paid attention to what Amani was doing in the kitchen.
“We’re starting with a simple gazpacho, and for dinner, I made albondigas, or meatballs, from scratch and are serving them in tomato sauce. For the albondigas, you have your choice of pork or squid. They’ll be served over a vegetarian paella Valenciana.”
“And for dessert, I made him promise to make sopapillas,” Johnny said.
“The Spanish kind, not the Mexican kind, mind you,” Amani added.
When Amani was ready, Kirk helped me over to the table.
“Do you think your niece would want a plate?” Amani asked.
“I’m sure she would,” Kirk said. “I’ll take it to her afterward.”
“Nonsense,” Amani said. “I’ll pack it up and walk it over real fast.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Kirk pleaded. “Please, don’t go out of your way.”
“It’s my pleasure. Besides, the food should be eaten when it’s the freshest to ensure you get the full flavor experience.”
Out of nowhere, Amani whipped out a to-go container, and he expertly packed up a complete to-go order. “I’ll be right back,” he said. Kirk tried to get up and intervene, but Johnny shook his head.
“Don’t forget to throw the latch so you can get back in,” I yelled after him.
“Thanks for the reminder,” I heard his voice say before he entered the hall. From inside the apartment, I heard him knock on the door.
“I better text Carissra to let her know dinner is being delivered,” Kirk said as he pulled out his cell phone and made quick work of the screen. His thumbs were a force to be reckoned with as they flew across the display.
A couple minutes later, Amani was back, and the four adults finally dove into our meals. The meal was terrific, and the conversation was even better. The boys grilled Kirk about everything from his hobbies to his blood type. Kirk handled their interrogation—well, Johnny’s interrogation—with grace. When Johnny got a bit too personal, I caught Amani giving Johnny dirty looks that Johnny either didn’t see or ignored. If I was a betting woman, I’m sure it was the latter.
When dinner ended, Kirk offered to help clean up, which Amani appreciated since I still couldn’t fully put weight on my ankle without it hurting. Instead, I found myself back on the couch with my ankle up, using Amani’s ice pack.
“So, I’m separating the vegetable stew into three containers. One will be in your fridge for tomorrow. The second I’m going to put in your freezer, please don’t use it on your ankle, and the last I’m taking for lunch tomorrow.” Amani shot Kirk a look and added, “Make that four. I’m sending lunch to school with Kirk tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to do—“
