“Oh, he’s right, Miss McKinnon! I just remembered that I have a lot of work cut out for me. I guess I can only try your cooking some other time.”

With that, Sam left. Brendan turned to Deirdre’s deadpanned stare and said placidly, “He knows he’s too busy to quietly and slowly enjoy these simple things in life. I’ll have to do.”

Of course, Deirdre knew Brendan had threatened Sam into leaving. “It’s a big pot of soup, for crying out loud. Can you finish it by yourself?”

“I can,” Brendan replied