Chapter 39: Niche

Eli stepped out of the elevator into the HL Tower’s garage. It was filled with an assortment of vehicles, even an army tank. He knew Robert was somewhere, working on his collection of classic cars. Robert’s newest project was an old Mustang.

“Dad?” he called out.

“Over here!” Robert was working on the Mustang’s engine. “What’s up?”

“It’s dinnertime,” Eli answered. “We made spaghetti. Stella’s teaching me how to cook.”

Robert smiled. “Your mom could only cook breakfast food.”

“And only breakfast food. Kathryn’s even worse.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

Eli shook his head. “It’s bad. We survived primarily on takeout.”

“I recall your mom being the same before she met me,” Robert explained. “I taught her how to make pancakes.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Lunch and dinner were too complicated and she gave up. In comparison, she oddly excelled at dessert.”

“I remember. Mom used to bake cupcakes all the time.”