Page 50 of Reclaimed Dreams
Careful not to wake them, she tiptoed back to her bathroom and let the warm water in the shower work its magic on her swollen breasts. When she came back to bed, she used the blue bulb again to clear the baby’s nose. Finally able to breathe, Frankie turned to her and began to nurse, relieving some of the awful pressure and lulling Jo into a doze.
Cleaning and scrubbing could wait till tomorrow. With everyone around her blessedly quiet, Jo closed her eyes and slept.
1 year ago
Jo was busy prepping Friday dinner when the doorbell rang. That would be Jake. She deliberately let Frankie get the door and was intrigued by her reaction. After watching her youngest stutter through a stilted welcome, Jo stepped in.
“For God’s sake, let the man in!” Jo bustled up the hallway. “I swear to God, I raised her with manners. Come on in, Jake. It’s good to see you again.” Jo leaned up and bussed his cheeks before relieving him of the wine and flowers he’d brought.
“Thank you for having me. I hope it’s not too much trouble.”
“The more the merrier on a Friday night.” Jo smiled and nodded her head toward the kitchen. “Come with me while I put these in water.”
Jake followed her back and watched her carefully as she arranged the hydrangeas and tea roses he’d brought in her favorite vase. Satisfied it was balanced, she placed it on the island where she could enjoy it while she cooked.
“Thank you again for inviting me to dinner.” Jake reached for the bottle of wine. “Can I open this for you?”
Jo buried her nose in the flowers and inhaled deeply. “Someone’s been spilling my secrets.”
“Pardon?”
“People only bring my favorite wine when they’re trying to butter me up. Who told you and what do you want?”
“No one had to tell me. I remembered the bottle you chose at Christmas and figured it would be one you liked. And I might be angling to get invited back for whatever is making this kitchen smell amazing. ”
He winked and made Jo laugh and hand over the wine key. “Well, aren’t you clever? Are you a useful sort in the kitchen, or should I dismiss you and your wine to go join the crew on the couch?” Jo asked.
“I can boil water, and I grill a mean cheese sandwich, but please don’t make me go watch baseball.”
“Okay, you can stay and get your first lesson in Italian cooking.”
She set him to slicing eggplant and zucchini for sautéing, explaining details as she went and juggling the other dishes currently cooking.
“Try this and tell me what you think.” Jo handed him a forkful of linguine in a light, creamy sauce speared to the utensil with a clove of roasted garlic and a sun-dried tomato. He moaned and she took that as a vote of approval.
“I think you are a treasure, Jo Valenti.” He captured her hand that reached for his fork and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“What’s all this?” Dom blustered as he entered the kitchen and traded his empty beer for a full one from the fridge.
“I’m trying to convince your wife to run away with me and cook linguine every day,” Jake teased, but Dom didn’t laugh. His face fell, and Jo huffed her irritation.
Did he really think she was going to have her head turned by a man half her age? If Alessi, her silver fox, hadn’t managed it, Jake sure wouldn’t. Besides, Jo had already determined that Dom was it for her.
“Oh Dom, don’t be ridiculous. He’s helping me put dinner together, which is more than I can say for any of the rest of you.”
“You always shoo us out of the kitchen!” Dom protested as he snagged a stuffed pepperoncini from the tray of appetizers in the fridge.
“Because your idea of helping is snacking on the antipasti!”
“I fixed the leaking faucet last week,” Dom grumbled.
“And after only two weeks of me nagging. I am truly grateful.” She patted Dom’s cheek. It had taken him much longer to get to some of their projects over the years. Two weeks was nothing to sneeze at. It felt good to tease her husband again though. She’d missed this easy banter. “Now go round up our children. Dinner’s ready.”
Jo sat back and enjoyed the conversation as it flowed around her table as easily as the dishes were passed. Having this bit of normalcy settled her. She hadn’t missed another Friday dinner since that awful fundraiser had driven home how precious they were. She hadn’t given up on her dreams for their retirement, but she realized that maintaining this tradition was also something she wanted.
They had always been the house that her children brought friends to. Now they were showing up with partners, and she was delighted. This was part of her life she definitely wanted to savor. Perhaps at a slightly lower decibel though…
Jo cleared her throat, trying to restore some semblance of manners around the table. “So, Jake, tell me about the new series,” Jo prompted. Given the way Frankie and Dom both had their “innocent” faces on, she knew something was up. Maybe Jake would slip up and let her in on it.
