"Thank you," Lily replied with a grateful smile. Her smile slipped away and she became serious for a moment. "Thank you," Lily repeated, but in a much more serious tone. She was truly grateful for Tanya's sympathy. Despite that now she had lived more than half of her life without her mother, her stomach still twisted when she thought of her. All she had left to remind her of her mother was Max and the necklace she always wore.
After an awkward moment of silence Lily perked up slightly. "Would you like some of the tomatoes that I'm cooking? Just to taste test. I can get you some of the others that we have growing as well."
She moved past Tanya and beckoned her to follow. "I keep a lot of different plants. I like my own homegrown spices and vegetables. I wonder if the apartment ever considered opening up a space for gardening on the roof." She paused by the living room window that was filled with pepper, tomato, and snap peas. "I work with natural remedies and nutrition so I have sort of a sick fascination with food. What do you do?"