22. Owen

Chapter twenty-two

Owen

T he kitchen smelled amazing when we came down the stairs. "What's that?" I asked.

"That would be cook," Alice said as she floated out of the wall toward the kitchen.

"Cook?" I asked, but Alice had already disappeared again. I would never get used to that.

Orville appeared in front of us seeming perturbed. "I apologize before we even go into the kitchen. Cook is, let's just say Cook is a force unto themselves. None of us, not even I, have ever seen them. They come when they wish, and they leave the exact same way. Never, and I mean this with the direst of dire warnings, ever criticize the food. If you don't like it, simply leave it on your plate. Compliments are fine, although I'm not entirely certain cook cares if you like their cooking or not."

We came around the staircase, and my mouth fell open at the spread. Homemade bread? That's the first thing I saw, and being a total carbaholic, that's the thing that made my mouth water first. Then I scanned the rest of the food, noting a leg of lamb and mashed potatoes.

"Oh my God, is that a freshly baked cheesecake? Strawberry cheesecake?" I asked, and Orville snickered behind me.

"Wait, what's all this for?" I asked. "It's just two of us."

"Hardly," Orville added, and I turned toward him.

"Do ghosts eat?" I asked.

He laughed. "No, we don't have bodies, but we do eat in a way. We still have the ability to taste, but it's not food in this dimension." He paused and shook his head. "There are way too many elements of that to explain when there's warm food waiting for you. Go, sit in the dining room, and we'll serve you."

"Orville, there's no need. We can serve ourselves."

"Definitely not. We love what we do, and most of us miss it, so please, Owen, allow us to do this."

I shrugged, took Damian's hand, and went into the beautiful open kitchen dining room combo that had been created. Emma and Alice both showed up and began plating our food. I thanked them both when Alice poured wine and Emma fixed a plate and placed it in front of me.

Orville stood next to the parlor door, his hands behind his back. "Orville," I said, "you were telling me what happens with the food. "

He cocked an eyebrow and sighed. "This generation has no decorum. When in Rome…" he said, rolling his eyes. He came over and sat next to me.

"There are millions of entities that exist within the living planes. I don't know exactly how many, nor have I ever seen them all. I just know because Elias has told me so. The food was left out when we were done eating, and Elias summoned them. I don't know how. I assume that's something you will do, Damian," he said, looking at him. "Regardless, we can't see what's happening, only that the food disappears, and all the plates are spotlessly clean. And I assure you cook has no tolerance for things not spotless, so if their cleaning meets their approval…"

Despite his ominous warnings regarding cook, I could tell Orville had an affinity for them. Remembering the decorum comment, I turned to Orville and asked if there were rules he wanted us to follow regarding the meal.

"When in Rome," he repeated but smiled at me. "No, just try not to drop food down your front, and please eat with your mouth closed. The rest we can tolerate."

"You sound like my mom," I said, chuckling.

"Someone should," Orville said, and I laughed.

I looked over at Damian, who was also smiling, then I reached over, took his hand, and squeezed before I took my first bite.

Of course, the bread was what I went for first, smearing it with the butter Emma had placed on the table. "Oh my God!" I said, my mouth full, then cringed when I saw Orville cock an eyebrow.

I quickly swallowed. "I'm sorry, Orville, but you didn't tell me the food would be like this. It's… Damn, this is the best food I've ever had."

Orville swallowed and turned his gaze toward the kitchen. "Um, cook isn't a fan of profanity. Sorry, I should've warned you. Although in my day, profanity was avoided in most situations."

I bit into the heavenly bread again, and this time, I chewed slowly, letting the incredible yeasty flavor fill my palate. When I swallowed, I nodded toward Orville. "No profanity, got it.

"Cook," I said to the room. "You cook like this, and you can boss me around all you want."

Emma chuckled behind me, and I turned to wink at her. "You might be cautious telling that to any ghost, because we all tend to be bossy."

"Sorry, I only offer that to cook 'cause they're the king or queen of this castle, let me tell you. Jeez, this is amazing."

Even Orville smiled, then stood and went back to his perch by the parlor door.

Damian didn't respond as much as I did, but I loved food more than I should. Was I a foodie? Nah, that was too pompous for the likes of me. My mother was a restaurant critic before she became a judge, but unlike her, I didn't want to critique someone's cooking. I just wanted to eat it .

I was almost too full to eat the cheesecake, but I forced myself to stop eating in time for at least a small bite.

"Oh, God in heaven, this is divine. Cook, I'm in love with you," I called out, and this time, I swear I heard laughter from somewhere in the kitchen. I had a feeling cook and I were about to become best friends. Or at least on my side.

"Orville, I may need you to roll me to the library," I said as I leaned back, patting my stomach. "That has to be the best meal I've ever eaten."

Damian stood and came around the table, pulling me up from my seat and kissing me. "Come on, all that moaning and groaning has me hungry for more of you," he said, and I laughed as I followed him up the stairs.

"You know, ain't nothing happening when I'm this full, right?"

"I know. I'm supposed to be a wizard and will be trying to cure that with my magical powers," he said, causing me to laugh.

"Hey, eating like that followed by more sex with a sexy wizard? Yeah, count me in!"