“Come, this way. Let’s get you boys some food.” She shuffled across her living room, walking through the arching doorway into the next room. Jake slowed down and dropped his voice.

“You really don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“Good, because I want to.”

His eyes crinkled, smile widening before he tamped it down, even though I wanted him to do the complete opposite. I wanted to see that smile 24/7. Good thing he thought my superpower was making him grin because he was the one that looked like Clark Kent whenever he flashed those pearly whites.

I followed him into the kitchen, where a steaming pot of rice sat next to a plate of juicy and tender chicken breasts, appearing to be seasoned to perfection. I noticed Jake grab a jug of milk left behind the sink and open the cap, giving it a quick sniff before deeming it okay and placing it back in the fridge. There were a couple of other items left out, all of them finding their way back to their proper places with Jake’s quiet help.

“So Noah, how do you know Jake?” Vivianne asked, turning to me and handing me a plate filled to the brim with food. Fluffy white rice, perfectly cooked black beans, tender chicken that smelled absolutely delicious covered with sautéed onions.

“We work together,” I said, having trouble speaking with how much my mouth watered. “And we’re in the same book club.”

“Oh, that’s great. He was always a big reader. You liked reading more than you liked hanging out with me sometimes.”

“Only when I was a brooding teenager,” Jake clarified, making his own plate and walking with me into the dining room. “It didn’t last too long.”

“No,” she said with a scoff. “Only lasted about ten years, give or take. Not long at all.”

Jake rolled his eyes and laughed, his mom giving his shoulder a loving squeeze before she sat at the head of the table. She had a cup of coffee in her hands, sipping it slowly as Jake and I dug in. My mouth immediately exploded with flavor, and I nearly inhaled the entire plate with a single bite. Somehow, I managed to contain myself and eat like a civilized human being, the conversation between the three of us as smooth and easy as if I’d been part of the family for years now.

It was great conversation, too. I learned all about Jake’s childhood obsession with the musical Cats, to the point that he’d demand to be a cat every Halloween and knew most of the songs by heart, bursting into spontaneous performances at different family events. I bookmarked that little fact for later, wondering how many more glittering facets this gem of a man had hiding underneath the surface.