“What does your family have for their traditional meal?” Her eyes didn’t lift from her notes.
“Turkey, rice dressing, veggies, carrot salad, rolls. I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting.”
“We had carrot salad a few years.” Janie looked at him. “Do you like it?”
“Not particularly, but rice dressing is a staple that completes the meal.” Thinking of his mom’s, he could taste it already.
“So many options.” Growling, Janie tossed her notebook on the counter. “How do I decide?”
“First of all, forget all the fancy magazine recipes. They’re not helping you at all, and likely beyond our skill level.”
“Our?”
“I’m going to help you cook.”
She snorted. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’m serious. If you can learn to cook a Thanksgiving dinner, so can I.”
Her eyes shifted, clearly uncertain of his capabilities—not that he could be upset. He’d done the same to her minutes ago. “You think we should stick with basics?”
“Absolutely. It doesn’t have to be complicated to still taste good.”
She took a deep breath. “We’ve got this.”
“Yes, we do.”
They spent the next half hour planning the meal, narrowing down the choices to a simple menu. The final choices consisted of turkey, ham (pre-cooked and pre-sliced), mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, corn, rice dressing, mac and cheese, and rolls. For dessert, they’d have two pumpkin pies, one apple, and one pecan.
“What about appetizers?” Janie asked after they’d completed the menu.
“Do we need them?”
Her scowl answered him. “It’s not Thanksgiving without them. Mom always puts them out for us to nibble on during the parade and games before dinner.”
“Come to think of it, Mom always had out deviled eggs, and a tray of cheese and crackers, but I never thought much about it.”
“We also had a veggie tray, and all that’s easy enough to pull together.” A grin popped up. “And deviled eggs are one dish I can make without problems.”
“Let’s stick with those and the two trays then. They’re easy enough.”
“Thanks for your help.” She cast him an appreciative glance. “I’m sure I’d eventually have gotten it on my own, but you helped me calm down and put it all in perspective.”
“All in a day’s work. Anything else before I leave?” Pushing his chair back, he stood.
“Can you invite Jared when you ask about the pies?”
“Sure. What time?”
“If you’re really going to help me cook, around eleven for you. Tell Jared we’ll eat at five, but he can come anytime before that.” Her lips straightened to a thin line. “If anyone in the squadron will be alone, invite them, too.”
“I will.” He didn’t make a big deal of the extended invitation, but he knew the inner strength it required of her.
While she’d come to homecoming and welcomed everyone home, she’d kept her distance from everyone but him, Wyatt, and Jared. Had he and the other two not been so close with Mike, Janie probably would have tried to push them away as well, but they wouldn’t have let it happen. As it was, Mike had made them promise to look after Janie if anything happened to him, and vows between war brothers were sacred.
Chapter Five
Janie shooed her mother from the kitchen with a smile. “For once in your life, take a break and rest. I have this under control.”
