30

When he got back downstairs, we talked about what I’d planned for dinner. I wanted to keep things simple, so we had pasta with a meat sauce, a fresh green salad, and garlic bread. Night handled the meat sauce while I took care of the salad and bread.

We used beef, beef bones, and a combination of fresh and dried herbs for the sauce. The scent of savory tomato sauce filled the cabin. Night’s knowledge of cooking surprised me. Beyond the occasional question about whether he was holding parsley or rosemary or if the heat was on too high, he handled himself well in the kitchen. Using the same meat cleaver, he easily cut through bones at one moment, then finely chopped herbs the next.

“Not bad,” I said after tasting the sauce that had simmered for forty-five minutes. “You really know what you’re doing, huh?”

“I ought to,” he replied with a grin. “You know my mother. You think she’d let me leave her house without knowing how to boil liquids?”

I giggled. “Fair point, but you should cut me so