“Really, and what kind of taste did you think he had?” Rachel tried to sound petulant, but there was a smile in her voice. In fact, she knew exactly what Terri meant; she’d thought the very same thing.
“Oh, don’t give me that wounded-kitten act. You know what I mean.”
Rachel popped a piece of cheese into her mouth. “I suppose it was a bit…unexpected,” she replied with her mouth full. “But that’s Gary all over.”
“What are you eating?”
“Just some feta I picked up earlier.”
“Ah, feeling a bit homesick, are we?”
“If you’re implying that I’m missing you, guess again. Any occasion for cheese, that’s what I say. I passed a lovely little Greek deli on the way back from the hospital and picked up this cheese plate. Not as good asourcheese plate, mind you, but it’ll do.”
Besides that, Rachel hadn’t been eating properly for the last few days. As it was, the last thing she’d managed until now was a cookie with that guy Ethan and his daughter earlier that morning.
For as far back as she could recall, food and cooking had been an extension of her very self and the life she experienced all around.
It was really only in the kitchen—her hands covered in sticky dough, her senses filled with the rich sweetness of the egg and sugar-laden mass, and her arms tired from kneading—that Rachel felt secure and confident. It represented a link not just to her past but to her zest for the present and her identity in the future.
Thus came her passion for baking bread. Bread—like real love—took time; cultivation; strong, loving hands; and patience. It lived, rising and growing to fruition only under the most perfect circumstances. If the water was too warm, it killed the yeast; too cool, and the yeast was not inspired to grow the bread. Without enough sugar, the yeast would starve, leaving the bread flat and lifeless, and if the air was humid enough, the yeast could not spur the bread to reach its full potential.
Hard and simple all at once, depending on how you looked at it.
Rachel heard another call coming through on her phone, interrupting her musing. “Yikes, it’s the hospital again,” she said to Terri. “I’d better go.”
“No problem. Let me know when lover boy is back on his feet, and don’t worry about this place. Justin and I can hold down the fort till you get back.”
“Thanks. I promise I’ll make it up to you. Say hi to Justin for me. Talk soon.” She hung up and clicked through to the other line. “Hello?”
It was Kim. “Did you manage to get some rest?” the nurse asked. “Because chances are you won’t be getting much of it from now on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m very happy to report that your man is on the mend.”
Her heart soared. “He’s awake?”
“Yep,” Kim confirmed, a smile in her voice. “Looks like you’ll finally get a chance to put that great big rock on your finger for keeps.”
Chapter 14
Rachel felt a thrill bubble up in her throat as she entered the hospital and took the elevator to the relevant floor. She could hardly contain herself and did a little skip as she rounded the corner to the hallway that led to Gary’s room.
She was about to burst straight through the door but instead opened it softly and peeked around the edge of it. He was sitting up in bed with the TV remote in his hand, flipping through the channels.
Seeing him look so normal and well, a burst of emotion shot right through her.
“I can’t believe you’re really awake!” she cried, swooping in to give him a big hug.
“Whoa, whoa! I’m still sore, babe,” he replied, holding up a hand to warn her.
“Oops, sorry.” Rachel stroked his forehead and the side of his face, which was stubbly with almost three days of beard growth. “So tell me, how are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?”
Gary grimaced. “I suppose I’ll survive. Bloody taxi driver…mowing me down in the middle of the road like that.” He shook his head in disgust. “I hope the cops got him afterward, stupid gobshite.”
“You poor thing. It must have been awful.”
“Hey, was my stuff okay?” he asked. “The hospital said you’d taken my bags. I hope nothing got lost or stolen even. Some people would take the eye out of your head,” he added, gasping a bit as he tried to sit up straighter.
