“You can play a video game, buddy!” Sebastian called from the other room with a voice that sounded like he’d swallowed some rough grit sandpaper.

Matty was in the living room like a shot, and Via followed after. Sebastian was just pulling himself up to a sit and clicking on the lamp next to the couch.

“Can I use volume, Daddy?”

“Only if you wear the headphones.”

Matty was busy pressing buttons and plugging in jacks and putting disks in slots. He was a whir of digital-age action until he popped the giant headphones on, grabbed up the controller and plunked his butt down in front of the TV. Via was relieved to see that he was playing a soccer video game, not a fighting one.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Sebastian said, still lying partway down, his gray eyes squinting.

“I’m happy to do it.” She lingered in the doorway. She knew it was probably time to go home, but she found herself wanting to stay until Matty’s bedtime so that Seb wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“What smells so good?”

“I made you some Italian cabbage soup. My mother always made it when I was sick. It’ll keep for a few days so you can eat it whenever you want.”

Sebastian pushed off the blanket and moved to stand.

“Oh! You want some now?” she asked. “I’ll get it.”

“You don’t have to do that, Via.”

“No, no!” She waved her hands in the air and was already darting out of the living room toward the kitchen. “Let me! Please, it’s half the fun of making food for someone.”

She served him a bowl and filled up a tall glass of ice water. She figured he’d feel awkward if she didn’t take some for herself as well, so she put an identical serving on a tray and carried the whole thing out to the living room.

Sebastian’s eyes were closed when she stepped toward the couch but as soon as she set the food down, he was sitting back straight, scraping a hand over his face.

“Are you sure you’re up for eating?”

“Honestly, my throat is killing me, but I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

She tsked and nudged his bowl forward. “I hope you don’t mind that I raided your kitchen to make all this.”

“Mind? Please. I’d been side-eyeing that cabbage since the weekend, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do with it.”

She laughed. “You bought it without a recipe in mind?”

Sebastian shrugged, taking a bite of soup and wincing. “My throat,” he told her when he caught her eye. “Tastes so good, though. Yeah, I always try to buy a bunch of vegetables and then figure out what the heck to do with them. Cora used to do all the cooking, so I was pretty lost for a while after she passed. But I can make a fair stir-fry. Smoothies in the morning. Pancakes. Frittata. Tacos. Toward the end of the week, I’ll make a huge kitchen sink omelette and just toss in everything we have left.”