Ludwig appeared with more olives and potatoes and a platter of warm, crusty bread. Like the showman he was, he swept his arm toward the kitchen.

Señor Alfonso burst through the door carrying a sizzling platter of shrimp and mushrooms in garlic olive oil. The sound, the smell, the joy of his presentation made Elle smile, and that smile gave Adam a sense of relief. He wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings, he just... He lived alone. That was all. And he didn’t want to talk about the reasons.

When Señor Alfonso placed the platter on a red-glazed tile trivet on the table, Elle and Clarice gave him a round of applause. Elle tore off a piece of bread, dipped it in the bubbling hot oil, scooped up a mushroom and a sliver of garlic and conveyed it to her mouth. As she chewed, her fascinating eyes closed, and she moaned.

Señor Alfonso and Ludwig beamed, overcome with joy.

“Next,” Señor Alfonso said, “chorizo al vino.”

“And huevos rotos,” Ludwig said.

“Are you the cook?” Señor Alfonso touched his chest. “I am the cook!”

“Eggs,” Ludwig informed him. “She needs strength.”

“Yes.” Señor Alfonso shook his finger at Ludwig. “You’re right. Eggs!”

The two men headed back into the kitchen.

“Is it really that good?” Clarice asked Elle.

“No. You shouldn’t eat any.” Elle pulled the trivet away from Clarice.

Laughing, Clarice tugged it back into the center of the table, tore off a chunk of bread and dug in. When she ate a shrimp she, too, made a moaning sound.

Sitting at this table with these two women, who had barely met and yet immediately bonded...it felt weird to Adam, as if he was a sociable creature who could casually spend time with the rest of the human race. He needed to remember how miserably he had previously failed interacting with some parts of the human race. “Clarice? All that speculation you mentioned, the people in Gothic gossiping—it’s all come about since we drove up the hill?”

“Please. There’s more!” Clarice lifted one finger. “Elle is your daughter/sister/lover who needs to escape an abusive relationship, and she came to you.”

Elle took his plate and served him mushrooms, shrimp and bread. “Don’t fuss. Eat. It’s good.”

Clarice continued. “You have a reputation, Adam, as a man who people ask for help. After all, I did.”

“Did he help you?” Elle nudged his plate closer to him.

“Not yet. But after seeing him with you, I have faith in him.”

“I can’t help you. I can’t help anyone.” Fiercely he battled this surge of faith and friendship. Normal was not for him. “All I’m doing with Elle is giving her shelter until she can figure things out. Like where she comes from.”