New Blood

Chapter 7

Arianna smiled at her little brother Alexander, sitting in the backseat of the Obsidian SUV she always used. Her sister, Sophia, was in the passenger seat beside her, and her little sister, Hope, was in the backseat, strapped into her booster seat beside Alex. The back of the SUV was filled with grocery bags and other things that they were taking to Alexander’s grandparents, Ruth and Otto.

Years ago, Arianna discovered her love for cooking and quickly became one of the best chefs in Obsidian, even rivaling Lucy’s abilities. Tyson had offered to help her establish a restaurant, but Arianna wanted to put her talents to other use. She had asked him to help her set up a service for those in Obsidian who needed assistance with meal preparation. She wanted it to focus on those who were older, recovering from an illness or injury, and those who had welcomed new family members. Arianna handled all the shopping and meal preparation, and in some cases, would cook meals in advance that were then frozen for later use.

This evening, it was Otto and Ruth’s turn. They were regulars, and she adored them. They were Alexander’s grandparents, and they happily took on that role for all of Julian and Jonah’s children. That was why she always took all the kids with her when she visited them. Ruth and Otto loved seeing the children, and Sophia and Alexander were old enough to help her in the kitchen, making things run more smoothly.

“We’re here!” Arianna giggled as she parked in front of the cottage. “Alex, help Hope out before you run inside to give them hugs.”

“Fiiiine!” Alexander grinned as he feigned exasperation at helping his sister out of her booster seat. “Hey, did you bring stuff to make cookies? Grandpa Otto loves his sweets, and after the last batch that Grandma Ruth made, he is a little scared to eat hers.”

Arianna laughed, “Yes, I brought stuff to make cookies. I brought things to put in the pantry so we can make cookies next week, too.”

“Woo-hoo!” Alexander cheered. “Come on, Hope! We have stories to hear and cookies to eat!”

Arianna and Sophia watched Alexander race Hope to the house. They did not miss that he slowed down so she could catch up and win the race against her big brother.

“He’s a good big brother,” Sophia smiled as she watched her younger siblings enter the house.

“He is a great big brother,” Arianna agreed. She opened the vehicle door and said, “Come on. We need to start unloading the groceries before Grandma Ruth tries to come out and help us. She is still recovering from the fall she had yesterday. Thank the gods, she’s alright, but that was scary, especially for Grandpa Otto.”

Sophia met her sister at the back of the vehicle and asked, “What exactly happened? All I know is she fell, and being older, everyone was worried that she might have hurt herself.”

Arianna handed her sister some of the grocery bags as she explained. “Yesterday morning, Grandma wanted to pick some flowers in the backyard garden. She was only wearing her house shoes when she went out to do it. The dew was still thick on that side of the house, and she slipped on the grass. She ended up landing on part of the sidewalk and hitting her head, along with bruising up her arm, shoulder, and most of her left side. Thankfully, she will be sore for a while, but nothing was broken, and the bump on her head was minimal.”

“Ahh. That explains where you disappeared to yesterday afternoon and evening. You were over here cooking and helping Grandma Ruth settle in after her trip to the hospital. Smart move, leaving Hope behind, but Alex and I could have helped you.”

“I know, but you know how Grandma Ruth is. She would have been trying to get you things and entertain the grandkids. She and Granda Otto needed to rest and have a good meal. That’s why everyone is here today and not yesterday. I was trying to follow the doctor’s orders, which were for both of them to get plenty of rest. If Hope had known I was coming here without her, she would have thrown a fit,” Arianna said as she led the way to the house.

“Do I need to help you girls?” Ruth called from the doorway.

“No, ma’am. You are to be resting just like your doctor told you to do,” Arianna giggled. “But you can tell Alex to come back out and help.”

“He will be out in just a minute. He’s helping your grandpa get Hope settled so she isn’t underfoot while you work,” chuckled Ruth as she stepped out of the way for the girls to enter. Following them into the kitchen, she asked, “What did you do, Ari? Buy out the store?”

“No,” Arianna giggled. “I got what we put on the list yesterday so that I can make your meals for several days ahead. I will admit I did get a few extra things. Grandpa Otto has such a sweet tooth, so I added the ingredients for cookies. After the little incident, I’m not sure he will trust your cookies for a while.”

“Oh, Fooey!” Ruth said, waving dismissively as she sat at the kitchen table. “I made one mistake because I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses, and I will never live it down.”

“You will eventually,” Sophia grinned as she unpacked her bags at the table so Ruth could see everything Arianna had purchased for the couple.

“She’s right,” Arianna grinned. “And you learned a valuable lesson. While cinnamon and cayenne pepper look similar and are both useful spices, they are not interchangeable.”

Ruth laughed, “Your Grandpa Kevin ate every single one of those. I have a reason for making them by mistake. That man has no excuse for eating cayenne pepper cookies. He said they were sweet and spicy, and while they cleared his sinuses, he still liked them.”

“He’s weird,” Arianna said with a shrug. “We all know that and love him for it.”

“Who’s weird?” Alexander asked as he walked in carrying the rest of the shopping bags from the SUV.

“Grandpa Kevin,” Sophia answered him.

Alex nodded and said, “Yeah, I should have guessed that. I keep wondering what he is going to do all day after he retires.”

“Drive everyone up the wall until they force him to go back to work would be my guess,” Ruth chuckled.

“That sounds like him,” Sophia agreed as she finished unpacking the food.

“Alright, Ruth,” Arianna smiled at the elder dragon. “What would you like to eat now, and what would you like me to cook and put in the freezer for you to have later?”

“I thought I knew, but seeing that pork loin, my mouth is suddenly watering for some pulled pork sandwiches. Is that something you can do, or do I need to go with something else?” Ruth questioned.

“That’s easy. I can put it in the oven and let it cook while I work on everything else for the week,” Arianna said. “Do you still want everything else the way we planned, or do you want to make changes?”

“I say we leave it the way we planned it yesterday. That way, for the next week, everything can be either popped in the oven or put in the slow cooker to heat. That makes it easier if Otto is the one who has to do it,” Ruth said.

“Um, when do you think we could make those cookies?” Alexander asked. “Grandpa Otto mentioned he hoped you had the fixings for them, and it would help keep Hope occupied.”

“I will set everything I need first on the counter while you two put away the groceries. I’ll set out everything for the cookies. Do you remember the recipe, or do I need to get it for you?” Arianna asked as she began to put everything she needed into one of the shopping bags.

“I remember,” Alexander said as he rushed to put everything away. “If Sophia can finish, I’ll get Grandpa and Hope, and we can mix them at the table.”

“I got it,” Sophia said, sending Alexander out of the room at a jog to collect his baby sister and grandfather.

“Grandma?” Arianna said hesitantly as she looked at the elder dragon. “I can’t help but notice that your bruises are much better than they were yesterday. Didn’t the doctor say it would take a week for you to be fully healed?”

“That she did,” Ruth chuckled. “I called Junie, and she brought me something to rub into the bruises. I don’t know what she gave me, but when I went to bed last night, it hurt to breathe. This morning, I can barely tell that anything happened.” Ruth looked at her arms and added, “And if this keeps up, in another day, you won’t ever know that anything happened.”

Otto came into the kitchen, hugging Arianna and Sophie before sitting beside Ruth and kissing her cheek. He was smiling, but he also looked tired. Arianna hoped it was only because he was worried about Ruth’s fall and would sleep that night.

“Grandpa, Grandma has requested that I make pulled pork sandwiches for you tonight. Is that okay, or would you like something else? I will make you different things if you want something else,” Arianna said.

“That sounds delicious. Do you have what it takes to make coleslaw to go with them?” Otto beamed as he asked.

“I sure do. Would you like anything else with dinner?” Arianna asked as she unpacked her grocery bag on the kitchen island. “I can make you some of that loaded potato salad you like so much.”

“Oh, that would be good,” Otto grinned. “But only if it’s no bother to you.”

“It’s not a bother,” Arianna smiled at him. “And while I make dinner and get things ready for you to pop in the oven or crock pot later on, Hope and Alex will need your help mixing some cookies.”

Otto’s face lit up as he said, “I think we can manage that.” He gave Ruth a wink and added, “As long as they aren’t pepper flavored, it will be wonderful.”