“No.” Ashley clung for a moment and then stepped back. “You’re right. Concentrate. And no, you can’t use any cheese. It needs to have good melting properties. Jarlsberg is my favorite, but you can use others. My mom used Monterey Jack and Gruyère.” Ashley pointed to the bread they’d picked up in the market. “This artisan white bread is perfect, but my mom always used sourdough and it was delicious.” Her mind flashed back to the hours she’d spent in the kitchen with her mother, learning to make bread. The fun times they’d had. Joanna was right. The affair with Cliff was just one part of her mother’s life, and who she was.

“I like this artisan bread. I’ll keep using that.”

“What are you going to make for Nate?” Ashley dried her cheeks with the flat of her hand. “How about chicken with olives? It’s easy. You can serve it with a green salad.”

“Sounds perfect. Do lots of things have to happen at the same time?”

“No. You can make it in advance and then it can sit there and wait until you’re ready to eat it. When are you inviting him to dinner?”

“As soon as you’ve taught me the dishes and I’ve practiced them once, I’ll call him.”

“We’ll practice tonight. I’ll pick up what we need when I’m out with Eden.”

Joanna carefully transferred the grilled cheese, now golden brown, to the plates. “You’re getting along well?”

“Yes, she’s great. You don’t mind me going out?”

“Of course not. You don’t have to ask permission, Ashley. This is your home.” Joanna handed her a plate. “Shall we take this onto the terrace?”

“Yes, let’s.” Home. “Are you serious about me staying here with you for a while?”

“As long as you like. I assume you’ll want your independence eventually, but if you don’t that’s fine.”

Ashley was floored by the generosity. “It doesn’t seem right somehow.”

“Well, I’m not offering you charity.” Joanna sat down and ate her first mouthful of grilled cheese sandwich. She closed her eyes and savored it. “I’d expect something in return.”

“What?”

“You cook sometimes, and carry on teaching me to cook. You can brush the sand out of the living room because I hate that job.” Joanna opened her eyes and stared down at her plate. “This is delicious. Better than anything I’ve tasted.”

Ashley laughed. “Joanna, it’s grilled cheese.”

“I know. And it’s perfect.” Joanna savored another mouthful. “Maybe you do have some of Cliff in you, after all.”

Ashley tensed. “You said I wasn’t like him.”

“Well, you can cook—” Joanna finished the sandwich “—so you have that in common. Cliff was a natural in the kitchen. He did it all by instinct, and his instincts were good. You seem to have inherited that.”