“Thank you.”
Emily pulled two wine glasses from a cabinet and two beers out of the refrigerator. “We’re having lasagna. Are you in the mood for red or white?”
“I’ll go with red,” Katherine told her, since red was usually paired with Italian food.
“Perfect. I have a Lambrusco I think you’ll like. It’s not expensive, but it’s delicious.”
Joseph must have told his mother about her wealthy background.
“I’m sure it is. I love Lambrusco.”
Emily grabbed a bottle from a small wine rack on the counter. She used a corkscrew to open the bottle and placed it on the table.
“We’ll let that breath a bit,” she said, grabbing the beers. “Have a seat. I’ll run these to the boys.”
Katherine took a seat at the kitchen table and waited for Emily to return. While waiting, she tried to picture her mother standing at the stove, preparing a meal for her family. For the life of her, she couldn’t. Emily seemed happy to cook for her sons. Katherine’s mother would have stepped over their nutrient deficient corpses before slaving over a hot stove.
“Okay, now. Let’s have a drink,” Emily said when she returned to the kitchen. She poured two glasses of wine and sat at the table with Katherine. “So, you and Joseph are seeing each other?”
She got right to it.
“Um...I think… Well, yes, we are.”
Emily smiled. “I appreciate how you were there for Joseph when Jack died. You know they’d been friends for most of Joseph’s life.”
Katherine nodded. “Yes. Joseph told me.”
“Katherine, you seem like a very nice young woman.”
Katherine thanked her, but she sensed there was more to Emily’s observation.
Emily took a large sip of wine and sighed. “You guys come from two different worlds. Do you think your differences may be an issue?”
Katherine was sure to look her in the eye when she said, “No, ma’am. I don’t. To be perfectly honest, Joseph and I have more in common than you think.”
With a wrinkled brow, Emily asked, “Like what?”
“Well, we’re both in law school. We’re both hard working people who want to make a difference in the world.” Katherine smiled. “We both love his cooking, and we both think you’re the grooviest mom ever.” Katherine raised a brow. “See? A bunch of things in common.”
Emily laughed. “Groovy, huh? Well, I’ll take it.”
Katherine nodded and took a sip of wine. “Mmm. This is good.”
Emily grinned. “Mm-hmm, told ya.”
Katherine stayed in the kitchen while Emily finished dinner. While the twins hung out in the living room, she and Joseph’s mom finished the entire bottle of wine. Needless to say, dinner was filled with a lot of giggling.
Chapter Sixteen
JOSEPH
Joseph propped Katherine up on the wall and unlocked the door to his apartment. Once he got the door open, he lifted her over his shoulder.
Whew!” she whooped as he carried her inside. When he closed the door, she wiggled out of his hold and slid down his body. “I can walk, Mr. Storm.”
Joseph chuckled and held her by the shoulders until she was steady on her feet. “Well, I wasn’t sure when you fell up the stairs.”
“Ha-ha.”
