Page 31 of His Bullied Fated Mate

I made a mental reminder to thank Janella for getting up early. I left the infirmary and headed over to City Hall. Theday went by quickly, as we moved furniture around and tried to figure out what we all ordered. It was almost five by the time I left.

I headed home to shower and grab something to eat before I could go back to the infirmary. I opened the front door and froze when I saw Janella in the kitchen. The house smelled of spices, and I spotted a couple of burgers already set out.

“Hey, you're just in time.”

My eyebrows went up. “What are you doing?”

“I cooked dinner. I figured you might be hungry. I made enough for the next couple of days, so you have something to eat. That way, if neither of us has time, we at least have some healthy meals.”

I took off my shoes and walked further in. There was a spread of food. A lasagna was sitting next to a huge pot of stew. Cookies and brownies were cooling on the other side of the island. There were cold salads and cut-up fruit. There were premade sandwiches and chicken with rice in small containers.

“This is a little much.”

She shook her head. “It's not all ours. The lasagna and soup are for the infirmary. I’m bringing it over.”

My eyebrows went up. “Janella, you didn’t have to do that. They have a cook on staff.”

“I wanted to,” she said, giving me a sad smile. “The nurses and workers deserve to have good food, and they are already working so much. I figured I could take cooking them something for tonight.”

I sat down and stared at the island. I couldn’t believe how much cooking she’d done. “Have you been cooking all day?”

“All afternoon. It started when I got home from breakfast with my mother, which ran into lunch.” She slid a plate towards me. “You’ve been working a lot, and I wanted to help.”

I stared at the plate. It was a burger with fries next to it. It smelled amazing, and my mouth watered.

She tapped her finger on the plate. “If you wait any longer, the food is going to get cold.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble.”

I set my hands on the table. “I’m not just talking about tonight. I mean, all the help you’ve been. You don’t have to do any of this.”

She paused; her hands were placed on the counter. She looked down. “You know, at first I thought you pulled me from my home because you were being a little dramatic.” She swallowed, reaching for a dishcloth. “I honestly thought you were making half of this up. But when we got to the infirmary, I saw just how real it all was. I mean, I knew that you were clearly worried, but I didn’t think it was that big of an issue. But whatever is going on is clearly bothering you. And I wanted to help. I know I can’t do a lot, but…”

“You’ve been more than helpful, Janella. You’ve stepped up into something normal people wouldn’t be able to.”

She gave me a soft smile. “Eat your burger.”

I took a bite of it and realized just how hungry I was. I hadn’t had anything since I left the house this morning. We ate in silence. Janella wrapped the food up and set it into a box. She looked tired but full of energy at the same time.

I finished my burger and wiped my mouth. “Why don’t you get some sleep. You look tired.”

“Because I need to bring the food over.”

I nodded. “I can take it. I was going over anyway.”

She scrunched up her nose. “No, because you might take credit for it.”

I laughed. “Nope, that won’t be a problem. Everyone knows I’m a terrible cook.” I reached for my water and took a couple of sips.

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We did a potluck for a town Christmas. I brought brownies that you could have used for stones.”

She smirked. “You just aren’t a baker.”

“Another year, I was asked to bring an entree because I clearly couldn't bake. I mixed up a teaspoon and a tablespoon, so we have vinegar-flavored soup. A couple of months later, I brought mac and cheese for a birthday. A young girl broke her tooth because the noodles weren’t cooked.”