“For us, for you. I hope you like my cooking. It's just a pasta dish, with vegetables and some chicken, fresh herbs. It will go great with the wine. I figured you might be tired of pizza."
Cory laughed. "Yeah, well, pizza is easy and quick. I don’t know how to cook, but by the smell of that stuff, it is going to taste awesome."
Pulling out a bottle of wine, he removed the cork easily and poured them each a glass. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, "Need any help? Not sure what I can manage, but I take direction well.”
Madison checked the progress on her dish and thought it would need a few more minutes of cooking time. She popped the Italian bread, slavered in butter and garlic, into the oven. "I think everything’s under control. Let's have a glass of wine and by then, I'll be ready to serve dinner."
She took the glass from him and walked back into the living room, sitting down on the old sofa, made comfortable by the piles of throw pillows. She took a deep sip of the wine before laying her head back against the cushions, as she felt the liquid course through her system, warming and relaxing her.
Cory carried his own glass of wine into the living room, following behind her, watching as her hair swayed across her back with the timing of her hips. She did a soft flop on the couch, as she sunk into the cushions. He sat next to her, as she laid her head back, closing her eyes. She was so beautiful. There was a glow about her he’d never seen in anyone else. Taking a sip of wine, he softly brushed a loose tendril of her hair from her face. "Tired? It looks like you had a busy day. You didn’t have to do this for me, Maddie. I thought, maybe after dinner, we’d go for a walk or catch a movie tonight, but maybe just hanging out here is a better idea."
With her eyes still closed, she enjoyed the gentle touch of his hand. "I never cooked for you before, and I like to cook. I just never have much reason to make the effort. I just hope you like it. So, maybe you should save your praise until after you eat. You may feel differently."
She laughed, but knew she was as skilled in the kitchen, as she was at the potter’s wheel. Preparing food from scratch was soothing to her. She saw it in the same way she saw her art, creating something from nothing. She took another sip of the wine and leaned her head on his shoulder as the rich aroma of the bread and garlic permeated the room. She giggled as the wine performed its magic. "I forgot to ask about the garlic thing. You're safe, right?"
Cory chuckled and kissed her forehead as she lay on his shoulder. "Yes, I’m safe. The cross, holy water, garlic and all that stuff is nothing more than myth that was created by the vampires to make you feel safe around us. And some of the stuff, to be honest, we have no idea where it came from. Like the coffin thing. We think a lot of it was created for the movies. We have this old vampire at the house now tutoring Lorenzo. I swear, Maddie, I think he’s older than Gi! He taught my dad when he was a kid. I talk to him sometimes, because he knows so much about vampire history and the Medici reign. He’s like an encyclopedia of Medici family history. He gave me a few things to read, and I like that because, even though I’m not completely vampire, I’m part of that history, and I want to learn as much as I can."
Taking a large gulp of wine, he felt it soothe him, giving him a light buzz, but nothing like the Midnight. His stomach made another grumbling response to the smells permeating the house. "Is it done yet? I can’t stand this much longer, I want to taste your cooking."
Madison polished off the rest of her wine before getting up. "It should be ready. Let me get it on the table. You want to take a seat?"
Madison pulled the hot bread from the oven and placed it in a basket, covering the bread with a cloth napkin. She placed the bread on the table, as Cory brought their wine glasses and refilled them both before taking his seat. Madison took two fresh green salads from the fridge and placed one in front of him, as she sat down with her own. "Dig in. Salad first, and then I'll serve the main course."
Cory sat down after pouring more wine, and grinned. "Yes, food! Man, you’re worse than Kate, making me eat rabbit food. Shannon made me eat some weird vegetable thing the other day too. I’m only eating this so I can get to the good stuff."
Taking huge forks full of salad, he gobbled it up quickly, as he realized Maddie was staring at him. "What? Sorry, I’m starving."
Madison shook her head as he wolfed down the salad. "I made the salad dressing from scratch, and I made the bread. Try some."
She cut into the crusty goodness of the bread, as the steam escaped, releasing the strong doughy fragrance mixed with garlic into the air. She handed him the bread and he devoured it.
"So, what kind of stuff are you learning from Lorenzo’s tutor? I learned a lot about the Medici's role during the Italian Renaissance. Is your father connected to that branch of the Medici's? A lot of the artists of that era wouldn’t have been so prolific without the sponsorship of the Medici's. Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli, to name a few."
Grabbing more bread, Cory's appetite was out of control. He knew Maddie cooked all of this especially for him tonight, and he needed to slow down and enjoy her hard work. He pulled apart some of the bread and took small bites as he talked with her. "Yes, we’re related to the mortal branch of the Medici’s. My dad was born during the Renaissance period, and his parents, Christofano and Portia, were also patrons to the artists. Inside their home in Florence are many paintings and pieces of sculpture that are originals of some of the famous artists. My grandparents were killed during the Bonfire of the Vanities. Some of the vampires, like Gi, survived and actually stole away some of the art, hiding it to preserve it. My dad had finished his training in the camps and was traveling the world when it happened. When he got back, it was all over, and his parents were dead, burned alive. He doesn’t really talk about it a lot.”
Madison looked at him in amazement. "Your grandparents? Wow, I have to get my head around this. That was in the 15th century. Your dad's parents were killed during the upheaval of the bonfires? That means your dad probably knew some of these artists. This is blowing my mind right now." She took another drink from her wine glass, as she moved to the kitchen and returned with their plates piled high with the pasta dish. "I assumed you’d like Italian, but to be honest, I just sort of threw this together myself without a recipe. I like to experiment in the kitchen." She put the plate in front of him, as she sat down with her own.
Cory's eyes lit up as she sat the heaping plate in front of him. "Maddie, this looks incredible!"
Taking his fork, he plunged it into the steaming pasta and then placed it in his mouth. He moaned as the flavors exploded on his tongue, the herbs and garlic not overpowering the pasta and the tender chicken. Closing his eyes, he sighed as he chewed. "Babe, this is like heaven in my mouth."
She grinned and dug in.
"Look, Maddie, I have no college education, I didn’t even finish school. I’m not really educated on all the arts. That would be Kate and Luca's thing. Luca’s an artist and he’s really talented. But I do know there’s a portrait of my dad and his parents when he was younger that was painted by Michelangelo. So, yeah, he did know some famous artists. My dad has lived through a lot, come to think about it, he probably knew a lot of famous people."