Page 16 of Fire and Rain
While he fired up the grill, Eden steamed the nettle leaves and then put them into cold water. Then she ran them through a food processor with walnuts, garlic, and lemon juice, adding olive oil until she had the consistency she wanted. When that was done, she handed a small bowl of the pesto to Sean along with a basting brush. “To coat the salmon.”
He sniffed, eyebrows shooting up. “You got it.”
In thirty minutes, she had pasta with nettle pesto and a salad of wild onion, claytonia, docks, and watermelon berry shoots sitting on the table with a lemon dressing. It had been so long since she’d cooked a real meal, and something about it made her feel more like herself.
Clinging to that feeling, she got out a bottle of chilled chardonnay and two glasses and set them on the table, too. Maverick was awake now, talking to himself in his crib, so she changed him and got him into his highchair while Sean finished with the salmon. Soon, the three of them sat around the table.
“Here we are again, hey, Maverick?” Sean smiled. “But this looks much tastier than a Safeway chicken.”
“I hope you like it. Everything but the pasta, olive oil, and lemon was harvested here.”
He seemed impressed. “The salmon, too?”
Eden spread her napkin on her lap. “Justin caught that last time you two…”
It was like being ambushed. One moment, she’d felt almost normal, and the next…
Shadows flitted through Sean’s eyes. “Our last fishing trip for winter kings.”
Eden swallowed the lump in her throat, poured the wine. “Yes.”
Sean raised his glass. “To Kodiak.”
“To Kodiak.”
* * *
Sean sethis glass aside and served Eden salmon. He’d seen the color drain from her face when their conversation had naturally brought them around to Justin. He’d felt it too—that pang in the heart. “Will Maverick want some?”
“I’ll give him some of mine.” Eden took a few small pieces of salmon from her own plate, along with pasta and a little salad. “He’s not crazy about the greens, but he loves salmon and pasta.”
As if to prove his mother’s point, Maverick picked up a piece of fish and mashed it into his mouth with a flat palm.
Sean couldn’t help but chuckle. “That was efficient. You really do love salmon, don’t you, buddy?”
“Oh, he does—even roe.”
“Smart boy.” Sean speared some of the salad. “Here goes. Kodiak weed salad.”
There was an explosion of crisp flavors on his tongue, a tang of succulent leaves, lemon, and something that tasted like cucumber but wasn’t.
Eden laughed softly. “You look surprised.”
He chewed, swallowed. “That’s really good.”
“I’m glad you like it. Try the pesto.”
He took a bite of the pasta next, the earthy taste of nettles blending with the walnuts, olive oil, and pasta. “Delicious.”
The pesto tasted even better on the grilled king salmon. And for a moment, Sean ate with gusto, completely forgetting his manners. He glanced up to find Eden watching him, the hint of a smile on her lips. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you like it.”
He dabbed his lips on his napkin. “What else do you harvest from the hills?”
“All kinds of berries—salmonberries, cranberries, lingonberries, thimbleberries, blueberries, huckleberries, spruce buds. There are medicines, too, like devil’s club, yarrow, and willow.”
“And your grandmother taught you all of that?”
