“Right,” she said, almost laughing. Clearly, he was joking. Sort of.
Kyle called out to him. “Dad, can you stick a bottle in the warmer for Ruthie?”
“Yep,” Mitch called back. “I’m on it.” He smiled at Harper, his face alive with radiant joy. “Grandpa’s on the job.”
Harper laughed softly, watching him as he went into the kitchen. Being a grandfather had given him a new purpose in life. He’d never been more attractive, and although she hadn’t said anything to him, she couldn’t imagine living beside anyone else, either.
Chapter Forty-Four
Frankie took her seat near the end of the table where Kyle was seated at the end. Mitch was at the other. On Frankie’s other side was Lucas, then Harper. Across the table from Frankie was Willa, then Beryl and Joyce. Ruthie was napping in her crib, the soft sounds of ocean waves playing on her sound machine to keep her company.
Frankie looked at everyone settling into their places. “This is so nice. Like a big family dinner. I haven’t been part of one those in a while.”
Beneath the table, Lucas reached over and took her hand. “It’s great.” He looked at Mitch. “Thank you for the invitation. It’s a real honor to be included.”
Frankie nodded and dropped his hand to raise her glass in a toast. “Agreed. Thank you so much for inviting us all. And here’s to Beryl, who’s only just arrived and already feeding us!”
Everyone laughed and smiled and lifted their glasses.
Beryl smiled and somehow managed to look a little embarrassed and pleased as punch. “You’re all too kind. But we should eat while the food is hot.”
Joyce nodded. “Yes, let’s.”
As plates and platters were passed, Kyle spoke up. “Joyce, can you tell us what we’re eating? Some of it is pretty self-explanatory, but is this all traditional?”
Joyce nodded. “It is. Everyone has their own dishes they serve for this meal, of course, but we’ve stuck to the tried and true. Roast beef with gravy, roast potatoes—which we always called roasties—along with some roasted parsnips, then the peas, carrots glazed with honey, and Yorkshire puddings. You Yanks might be more familiar with those as popovers.”
“It’s an unbelievable feast,” Mitch said. “Thank you both for doing this for us. I know it was a lot of work.”
“Not that much,” Joyce answered. “But you’re welcome. Now let’s get stuck in.”
Mitch held the platter of roast beef so Harper could help herself, then handed it down to Lucas, who held it for Frankie.
She took a slice for herself, then put two slices on his plate.
Round and round the food went until everyone had a full plate. Then the eating began in earnest. Mitch had put some easy jazz on as background music and for several long moments, the only sounds were the music and the clink of utensils on plates.
Frankie had a bite of roast beef with gravy, which wasn’t like any gravy she’d had before. It was thick and rich and layered with flavors, some of which she could guess and some she couldn’t. Then she cut into one of the roast potatoes.
The outside was golden brown and crispy, but the inside was soft, like a baked potato. She ate a piece, immediately expressing her pleasure at the taste with a soft, “Mmm.” She swallowed. “Those potatoes are so good. Why have I never had them like that before?”
“Great question.” Lucas shook his head. “Why don’t we make potatoes like this here? And this gravy. I really need to know what’s in it. It’s not often I eat something this good that leavesme stumped, but I can’t quite figure out what’s giving it that certain umami taste.”
“U-what now?” Beryl said.
He laughed. “Umami. It’s one of the main tastes, like sweet, salty, sour, bitter.”
“I don’t know about all that,” she said. “But what you’re probably tasting is the Marmite. That’s my personal secret for the best brown gravy. Not too much. Just a half-teaspoon or so, depending on how much you’re making. If you don’t have that, you can just use Worcestershire sauce.”
Lucas leaned forward. “Thank you for sharing your secret with me. It’s fantastic.” He sat back, glancing at his plate. “I must say I feel very inspired to invite you both onto my show to do a whole episode about how to prepare a proper Sunday roast dinner. I was already planning on asking you to join me for a baking show, but after this meal, I want to do the Sunday roast instead.”
Frankie nodded as she popped a honey-glazed carrot into her mouth. “Do it. This is too good not to share.”
Willa, seated next to Beryl, spoke up. “Have you ever seen Lucas’s show? It’s great. You and Joyce would be so good on there.”
“What kind of a show is this?” Beryl asked.
Joyce answered her. “He has a cooking show on YouTube. You know, I’ve sent you the link a few times.”
