Haven Creek by Rochelle Alers

Author:Rochelle Alers [Alers, Rochelle]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781455575008
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2013-05-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Morgan watched Irene as she added two cups of water to a large pot containing smoked turkey necks and bay leaves before she covered it with a lid. “Lower the flame and let it simmer until the necks are tender,” Morgan said. Both women had covered their short hair with colorful bandanas. It was a habit they’d adopted from their mother, who wore one when cooking to keep her hair out of the food.

Irene gave Morgan a sidelong glance. “Maybe with you talking me through each step, I’ll be able to make a palatable gumbo.”

“It’s all prep work. Now we’ll slice the sausage and chop the bell pepper, celery, white and green onions, and okra while the smoked meat is simmering.”

“Are you going to chop the garlic clove?” Irene asked.

Morgan shook her head. “No. You’ll add it to the chopped ingredients that you’ll sauté in a cast iron skillet. Do you have a cast iron skillet?”

Irene glanced up at the pots and pans hanging from a rack suspended over the cooking island and stove top. “I was certain I had one.”

“That’s okay. I’ll go home and get mine,” Morgan volunteered.

Irene rested a hand on her sister’s arm, stopping her retreat. “Let me call Mama and ask her to bring hers.”

“Mommy, Daddy wants to know when we’re going to eat.” Irene’s youngest son had come into the kitchen, handing her an empty bowl.

Irene ruffled his coarse sandy-brown hair. “Tell him we’ll eat when the food is done.”

“Mommy says when the food is done!” Ethan Snell shouted loudly.

“Ethan! What were you told about yelling in the house?” Irene said.

“Sorry, Mommy,” he whispered.

Irene looked teasingly at Morgan. “See what you have to look forward to? I have two teenage sons who have bottomless pits for bellies and an eight-year-old who pretends he’s a secret agent when he spies on his older brothers. Let me call Mama before I forget.”

Even though her sister occasionally complained about her sons, Morgan knew she was very proud of them. The twins were honor students, and Ethan was a musical prodigy. Irene and her husband had sold their Charleston town house for a house in the Creek, which they renovated to accommodate their growing family. It wasn’t far from the house where the older Danes had raised their three daughters.

Irene finished her call. “Mama said she’s going to bring the skillet.”

“What’s up with Rachel?” Morgan asked.

“James came to Mama’s and took her home. When he tried to put Amanda in the car she threw a hissy fit, so Daddy told him to leave her.”

There came a roar of deep voices, and the sisters exchanged a knowing look. Nate and the Snell men had gathered in the family room to watch a baseball game. Morgan had made the introductions when Nate arrived with a decorative shopping bag filled with wine. He’d bought red, white, and rosé because he wasn’t certain what Irene was serving. Nate and Dr. Anthony Snell bonded quickly once they discovered they liked the same sports teams.

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