It was almost soothing to watch Angelina in the kitchen. There was a rhythm to it, like an expertly choreographed ballet, that he had never in his life been able to figure out. George could burn things like nobody's business, but creating something that was actually edible was an achievement he'd yet to master.
No, he survived on take-away and his mother's cooking and the kindness of friends. There was a very physical pang as he remembered another woman bustling about his kitchen, a woman he wanted very much to forget. Alicia had been so good about making sure that he ate things with real value. At the thought, he took a sharp inhale followed by a shaky exhale. Focus on the question, George. Redirect. Get past tonight.
"Um," he said, frowning, thinking. "He left hours ago to get dinner... Like, before..." His voice caught and he had to cough to get past it. "Before she came over, and... He probably ran into someone pretty and got sidetracked." That tended to happen, George had long since gotten over worrying about what Fred got up to.
A real, happy smile broke out for a moment. Lee and his 'new addition' had done wonders for George's mood, giving him something to focus on. He'd tried very hard to dive into meddling in his elder brother's problems, but Charlie had gone and fixed it himself. This new development with Lee seemed much more long-term.
"She's wonderful," he agreed. "Have you met her yet?"