Chapter 58

At the house, Janet took her purchases to the kitchen and told us, politely but firmly, to butt out. Mike and I settled down in the den with books, and I sort of lost track of time, as I usually do when I’m engrossed in a book. Thor had been lying on the sofa with his head in my lap, and I was jolted back to reality when he jumped up and left the room. My nose told me why, as the smells filtering down the hallway were wonderful.

I returned to my book and didn’t look up again until Janet appeared in the doorway and said, “Dinner is ready.”

She led us to the dining room, which we almost never used, where we found the table set and plates already served. “Picadillo,” I said. “One of my favorites.”

“And black beans and rice,” Mike said. “Are those bananas?”

“Those are plantanos maduros, or sweet fried plantains,” Janet said. “Plantains are closely related to the banana and are extremely popular in both Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine.”

“Let me open a bottle of wine,” I said.