Page 11

“What is this again?” he asked, munching on the egg roll.

“An egg roll. You’ve never had one before?”

He shook his head. “If Mom orders out, it’s usually pizza.”

Sage recalled that her sister wasn’t fond of Chinese food, which was a staple for Sage. She ordered from China West at least once a week, and often twice.

“Your mom orders pizza?” Sage asked. This was an encouraging sign she was doing okay.

Ricky’s returning nod was enthusiastic. “Mom gets the all-veggie one with white sauce.”

She should have known her sister would opt for the healthy version. “Did you like the sausage-and-pepperoni one from last night?” Her favorite.

He shrugged and then said, “It was okay, but I like the veggie one best.”

“Good to know.” That would be Wednesday’s dinner. She’d order two small pizzas and keep the leftovers for another night. This was going to work out well. That box of macaroni and cheese would remain on the shelf for the rest of the week.

Ricky finished his glass of milk. Sage noticed how his gaze slid to the pink box resting on the kitchen counter.

“Would you like a cookie?” she asked. “They’re big, so maybe we could split one.”

His nod was eager.

Sage let him choose which cookie. It took him a few moments to decide, as they all looked delicious. He chose the large sugar cookie with a colorful Christmas wreath, decorated with tiny silver balls and glitter. Once he’d made up his mind, she carefully took a knife to cut it in half.

Ricky reached for his half and took a big bite. Sage tasted her half and was surprised to discover she found it overly sweet.

“What do you think?” she asked, when Ricky finished and licked his fingers.

“It was okay. Homemade is better.”

Hard as it was to admit, she suspected he was right.

As soon as Sage put the leftovers away, the phone rang and it was Saffron.

“How’s it going with Ricky?” her sister asked.

“Really well.” At least in her mind, having Ricky with her was working out better than she’d hoped. “We’re having a great time.”

Ricky was standing by her side, and she could tell how eager he was to speak to his mother. “Here. I’ll let Ricky tell you himself.”

Sage handed her phone to Ricky.

The minute Saffron was on, Ricky started talking, hardly stopping to take in a breath. “Hi, Mom. I made a new friend. His name is Oliver, and Miss Lisa said I was good at art. I colored a picture for Auntie Sage. I had an egg roll for dinner, and that tasted yummy. How come we never have egg rolls? It’s got egg in it, so it must be healthy. And Auntie Sage and I are going to bake cookies for Santa.” It was as if he’d stored up everything he wanted to say and blurted it out in one giant breath.

The two talked for several more minutes before Ricky handed the phone back to Sage. “Mom wants to talk to you. Can I have my hour on my iPad now?”

“Have at it, kiddo.”

Ricky raced for his bedroom as Sage connected with her sister.

“It sounds like Ricky is adjusting well,” Saffron said.

“He’s been a trooper.” It was true. She found that she enjoyed having him around. It was early days yet, but she had high hopes.

“Are you really going to bake cookies with him?” Her sister didn’t bother to hide her surprise.

“You bet I am.”