Forget the bullshit and the waffling. He was in love with Chaos Machine.
Ford’s scowl lessened when Mara moved to hug him. She whispered something in his ear that had his body language softening, too.
Then, she pulled out her phone. “A lobster boil calls for Acadian music.” Fiddles, guitars, and drums filled the kitchen with a good, strong beat.
Charlie bounced into the kitchen with the rest of his family just behind him. “Are we using live lobsters? Are they here? Can I see them? How do we cook them?”
Seth chuckled. “That’s a lot of questions. Are you going to be my sous-chef for the day?”
“What’s a sous-chef?”
“An assistant. Follows the chef’s orders. Prepares all the stuff.”
“Awesome. Can I, Dad?”
Nash ruffled his son’s hair. “Of course. Make sure you listen. We’re going to set up the tables in the dining room.”
“Bye, Lee.”
Charlie waved at little Ella Mae. “Bye, Ella Mae. Save me a seat.”
Mara passed Charlie an apron. “Sous-chefs need aprons to keep their clothes clean.”
Charlie tied it up. The boy was nearly as tall as Mara, so it didn’t drag on the floor, but hung past his knees.
Jolie and Ford helped Mara prep the fruit for the shortcakes and fruit parfaits she’d planned. After a lobster boil, people mostly wanted something light that would cleanse the palate. Fruit was a good choice. She also made chocolate mousse along with apple chips and fritters. No one was going hungry.
Seth showed Charlie how to cut the lemons into wedges and wrap the scallops in bacon. He’d cook those separately.
Charlie was full of questions, so he pulled out the seafood he’d brought in and explained how to know what was fresh and various ways to prepare it.
“That’s so much food.”
“Sure is. And I’m betting most of it will be gone in short order. Do you know what any of these are?”
Charlie pointed. “These look like shrimp, but they’re not the right color. And they’re huge.”
Seth grinned. “You’re right. Shrimp, like lobsters, change color when you cook them. You’ll be able to see it happen. And for a boil, you want the biggest shrimp you can get.”
The kid was fun, and he soaked up the information on the Dungeness crab legs, mussels, clams, swordfish, and lobsters.
While the water boiled, Mara sliced up the bread she’d baked earlier. Charlie helped him mix up dressings and toss the salads. Then the kid filled baskets with selections of Mara’s breads and rolls.
When it was time, Charlie poured the spice mix into the water. “This smells great. What kind of cider would go with this? Manuel says lime and lemon flavors go well with Mexican food. Do you think they go with seafood, too? We should try an apple-lime cider.”
The family vibe hit Seth hard. He wanted this. He and Mara sharing a kitchen, prepping meals together.
Add in a kid or two, and it was a pretty picture.
He let Charlie set a countdown timer and showed him how to slide the seafood, sausage, and corn chunks into the boil without causing dangerous splashes.
“With everything needing different cooking times, I’ll have to tell my dad I did extra math today. If I’d been earlier, I could have done fractions with the spices. Cooking is fun.”
Seth nodded. “It is. And if you want to do fractions, Mara’s the one to ask. Baking is all about fractions and ratios.”
Charlie batted his puppy-dog eyes at Mara, who laughed. “You’re welcome anytime, Charlie. Baker’s hours are early, though, because most of my food is used at breakfast.”
Of course, that didn’t deter the kid in the least. Seth figured he’d concoct a plan to sleep at the farmhouse or the inn one night so he could be closer than his house at the back of the orchard.
