“All the better for hearing from you. I don’t hear from you often enough. Half the time I wonder if you’re still alive. You could be dead for all I’d know.”
Simon rolled his eyes and started along the aisle. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t go all nagging mom on me or I won’t be ringing again at all.”
Her laugh put a smile on his face. “Maybe you’d consider coming for a visit then?”
“Now you’re pushing it.” He tried for a teasing tone.
There was a hint of warning in her response. “Simon.”
“I know. I know. I’ll visit soon. I promise, Megs.”
“Well, I’ll hold you to that. There’s a little girl here who desperately wants to see her uncle Simon.”
Just thinking of Sammy put a smile on his face. She was a bundle of energy with masses of dark brown ringlets and a cheeky grin. “How is my little princess?”
“Up to the usual mischief. Naughty one minute and an angel the next.”
“She has you wrapped around her little finger,” Simon chuckled.
“You’re one to talk. You spoil her rotten.”
“That’s my job as an uncle. I’m meant to dote on her. Especially now her dad isn’t there all the time.” Megan had been divorced for coming up to six months, but it was fairly amicable.
“Let’s not go there.”
“Okay, whatever you say, Megs. Listen, the reason I called was to ask you how to make those pork chops Grams used to make.”
Megan’s voice was high-pitched. “You’re calling for a recipe?”
“Ahh… yeah.”
“So who’s the lucky man then?”
“How do you know there’s a man involved?”
“I can count on one hand—hell, I can count on one finger—the number of times you’ve asked for a recipe, so I know there’s someone you want to impress. Plus, you didn’t deny it.” She chuckled.
“I’m making dinner for Patrick.”
“He’s one of the guys you live with, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And?”
“And… we’re sort of seeing each other.”
He pulled the cell away from his ear as she shrieked with joy. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Simon. I’m so happy for you, little brother.”
“What? No questions about how long we’ve been going out, what’s he like, what my intentions are?”
Megan laughed. “No, not now. I’ll find out all that when I meet him. When you bring him with you to stay for a weekend. Sometime soon.” She didn’t give him time to argue before launching into the details for how to make Gram’s pork chops.
As he listened to her voice rattle off a list of fairly basic ingredients and some simple instructions, homesickness hit hard. For such a long time he’d found it hard to go back home. Too many memories of things he wanted to forget. But maybe now was the time to put all that behind him. Plus, it would be worth it to see Megan’s newfound happiness and the adorable little Samantha. The only downside was his mother.
He realized he’d only been half listening to what she was saying, but Megan was patient and went over the list of things he’d need again, which thank goodness wasn’t a lot.
“I’ll text you some dates, Simon, and I expect you to get back to me and let me know which one suits.”
