Hello, Again (Book 2)

Dinner

Katherine

Maybe spaghetti was the wrong choice for dinner, but it was too late to turn back now. Twenty minutes until dinner and the house was still a mess. "Erland!" I called. "Can you get working down here please?"

A few seconds later I heard his footsteps pounding down the stairs. He materialized in the kitchen just as I stirred the meat sauce. "I'll clean, but only until Bella gets here."

I rolled my eyes. "You better hope you finish before then, or I don't care if you get embarrassed. Please tidy up the living room and dining room. I'll clean up some space for you teens to eat on the island once I finish cooking."

Erland turned and got to work. He knew better than to protest. At least, not to my face.

Car headlights pulled down the driveway and my heartbeat spiked. A feminine figure waved through the front door window a few moments later and I relaxed—Betsy. She embraced me when I opened the door, then held me at arm's length while she examined my expression.

"Are you sure about this, Kat? It's not too late to say you burned the spaghetti and that you need to reschedule."

I gave my friend a disapproving look. "I might burn it if you don't help me out in a minute."

Her features softened. "Fine, but if either one of them say something out of line, they better get ready for a tongue lashing."

"You're not going to do that." I handed her the ladle. "Can you put out equal portions for everyone while I finish the sauce?"

Betsy set to work, and I stirred the sauce as if it would somehow calm my nerves. Nick and Victoria. Back in my house. It'd been over seven years since the initial fiasco that tore my life apart. I didn't think anything could put me back together again but Jesus did. He restored all that I'd lost but, more than that, He gave me a hope for a future beyond this life. I knew Nick and Victoria went to church, but did they know that too? They seemed to keep to themselves, and no doubt Victoria was lonely—even if Matt's sister Abigail went to visit her every so often between her journalist travels.

I knew the aching loneliness when I first moved to Philadelphia after my breakup with Nick. Was well accustomed to the throb of pain every time a smile flashed in my memory but I only faced a white ceiling. With three kids, she would have an even harder time getting out.

A knock sounded at the door, jolting me out of my thoughts. Then it opened.

"Hello, hello!"

"Hey, Bella!" Erland came bounding from the living room, dropping a dust rag in the kitchen sink as he went. "Want to help me sweep the back porch?"

I spun around. Erland was pushing Bella toward the door to the porch. "I said you're going to eat inside."

Bella shrugged helplessly. "I'm not a fan of mosquitoes myself, Miss Katherine, but I'd prefer it to being within earshot of the dining room."

I swallowed a groan. Even she thought this was going to be a disaster. But I was going to hold firm. "That's fine." I waved them off.

Betsy met my gaze, her lips twitching. "They make quite a pair, don't you think?"

Too much. But I wasn't going to worry now. Once Erland's friend Grace came, she would be the third wheel they needed.

Betsy finished setting the table, and I had just gotten the sauce onto each bowl when the doorbell sounded.

I wiped my hands on the apron. "Go get it, please, Betsy."

"Sure thing." She went around to the foyer, and I could hear the tone of surprise in her voice as she greeted the guest. While she spoke, I caught a glimpse of two pairs of headlights, one pulling away and another coming in. The one coming down was a minivan—my heart lurched to my throat.