“You have to eat it all,” Selena said, the muscles in her jaw tightening.
“No, I don’t. Tamara says I only have to eat one piece of something if I don’t like it.”
“Eat your vegetables,” Selena said. “And don’t argue.”
His eyes flashed with defiance, and he opened his mouth, but Warren leaned close to him and spoke quietly.
“Do you know what I do if I don’t like something?” he said. “I eat that first, and I eat it quickly. Then it’s over and done with and you can enjoy the rest of your food.”
Josh looked thoughtful for a moment, then began stuffing vegetables into his mouth.
“Not so fast,” Selena admonished before releasing a sigh and making a start on her own dinner.
Since his parents had paused their conversation to eat, Anna smiled over at them. “I’m surprised you didn’t get Warren to cook.”
Jen frowned. “It’s good for him to have a break.”
“Yes, but you must also enjoy taking advantage of his culinary talents from time to time.”
Warren pushed his empty plate away and shifted in his seat. “It’s always good to have someone cook for me for a change. And Rachel’s an excellent cook.”
Anna glanced around, but the cook was nowhere to be seen.
The shrill ring of Dennis’s phone filled the air. “That’s Carl,” he said, then took another mouthful of food before pushing his chair back and answering the phone as he left the room.
“Carl thinks we should accept the offer,” Jen said to Selena.
Selena choked. “We absolutely should not.”
“That’s what I said.”
Shaking her head, Selena set her napkin beside her plate and stood. “Dad better not be considering it.”
“I already told him we should hold firm.” She smiled across the table as she stood. “This deal was supposed to be tied up last week,” she said and rolled her eyes before following her daughter out of the room.
A moment later, Tamara scuttled in as though she’d been loitering while she waited for the family to leave. Taking a seat, her eyes sparkled as she spoke to Josh in rapid Spanish. Whatever she said made him giggle before he continued eating his meat.
Anna’s gaze went to Warren. “Don’t you ever cook for your family?”
“No.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t have a chance to say any more before he stood and went to retrieve the desserts, which Rachel was dishing up.
“Apple pie and custard,” he said, setting the steaming bowls in front of Anna and Josh before going back for his own.
“Is Tamara not allowed to eat with the family?” Anna asked quietly.
“I’m fairly sure she’s allowed to,” Warren said, plunging his spoon into his bowl. “I think she chooses not to.”
Tamara said something to Josh, who then looked up at Anna. “She likes to eat later.”
“I don’t blame her,” Anna said dryly, and assumed from the amused twitch of Tamara’s lips that she could understand everything they said.
Tamara continued chatting to Josh while he ate – her speaking Spanish and him responding in English.
“I have to go for a bath now,” he announced when Tamara flicked the crumbs from his mouth with a napkin. “Then it’s story time. We’re in the middle of a pirate story, and there’s a very funny parrot who can talk.”
“What book is it?” Anna asked as he climbed down from the chair.
