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“Where are you going?” Olivia asked Noah as he took his coat off the rack.
“I’m going to Amanda’s for dinner, remember?”
“No, not tonight. I’m not feeling well, so Peter and I aren’t going out; you can just stay here with me.”
“Oh, he told me when he picked me up from school that he was still coming over to see you and that Sonny would give me a ride to Amanda’s apartment.”
“Did he now?” Olivia half-laughed, wondering what other surprises Peter was involving Noah and her coworkers in. “I think everyone has their dates mixed up.”
There was a knock on the door, and sure enough, when she shuffled over to answer it, Sonny was standing there. “Hey, I’m here to pick up Noah,” he said. “We’ll try not to have him home too late since Billie goes to bed early anyway.”
“I can’t wait to meet Billie!” Noah said. “Mom, come on, please. I haven’t seen her yet; only in pictures.”
“She’s only a few months old, sweetie. Just be careful around her and don’t get too loud once she goes to bed.” Olivia turned back to Sonny. “How’s Jessie doing?” she asked.
“Slowly getting adjusted to having a little sister. She went through a brief episode of jealousy for a few days when Billie was a bit cranky and needed extra attention. And Amanda seems more settled this time around too.”
“Good. Well, I have no idea what’s going on here; I told Peter we could cancel but apparently, he can’t take my word for it. Do you know anything about this?”
Sonny laughed. “I do, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Now come on, Noah. It’s pizza night!”
“I don’t have to eat olives on my salad, right?” Noah asked.
“Not if you don’t want to. Jessie doesn’t like them either, so we don’t make her eat them.” He winked at Olivia, and she shook her head in disbelief.
“Thanks for doing…whatever this is now.” she said to Sonny.
“Hey, no problem. Have a good night, and hopefully you’ll feel better soon.”
Not long after Olivia had settled back on to the couch, the doorbell rang again. Now Peter was there with a bag of groceries.
“What are you doing and why don’t I know about it?” She decided to at least try to have a sense of humor about the surprise, or at least as much humor as she could muster while dealing with the flu.
“It’s nothing extravagant, but I know you were looking forward to tonight, so I wanted to bring the date night to you. Since we can’t have steaks, I kept it simple…grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.”
“That sounds good. I actually don’t feel too nauseous, so I can handle a small dinner.”
He walked into the kitchen and started setting up. “It looks like Noah’s already gone. Did Carisi still pick him up?”
“Yes, and trust me, I was wondering why Noah was getting his coat and telling me he was having dinner at Amanda’s apartment when he knew our plans were canceled. I would think that now that she has another infant, she would have been happy to get out of babysitting.”
“I would have thought so too, but when I told her that I still wanted to see you, she was on board. Come on. It’s not like you take very many breaks. And oh, I got us each a cannoli from this bakery Carisi recommended.”
“A man that brings me dinner and dessert…what’s not to love?” She coughed and blew her nose. “I just hope I don’t pass any of this to you.”
“It’s a small price to pay. I work a lot too so I guess I shouldn’t judge too much.”
Peter started making two sandwiches, and she watched him in admiration. She loved his family-oriented side, although this was the first time he was cooking for her. He often joked that cooking wasn’t his best skill, but he would do his best if it meant playing a bigger role in hers and Noah’s lives.
“Oh, and grilled cheese and soup. You’re really stepping up your culinary game.” Olivia added, still trying to tease him.
“Come on, cut me some slack. I got fresh cheese from the deli, not the Kraft pre-packaged stuff. Although the soup is canned. I’m not advanced enough yet to make homemade soup.”
“I guess I can’t have everything I want at the same time.”
“Actually, you can. I’m making dinner; I know you wanted me to try. We’re still having a date, even though you’re home and not feeling well. And Noah’s having fun with Jessie, which means you and I get some quiet time together. Weren’t you just saying we haven’t had enough dates lately?”
“I was, even if I technically don’t see this as a romantic dinner,” she said. “But that’s not your fault. You had the right idea. I’m glad you came over so I can get a break from childcare while I’m still feeling crappy. I love Noah, but you know he’s in that picky eater phase and has had a bit of an attitude lately.”
“Don’t have to tell me.” Peter chuckled. “He was thrilled when I told him he was having pizza for dinner. I don’t mind making these again when you’re doing better, by the way. He’ll enjoy them, and I feel like he might be more willing to try tomato soup.”
“He likes ketchup. We’ll just tell him it’s made of the same thing as ketchup.”
“I like the way you think.”
First, Peter was cooking dinner and now he was getting behind her idea to help Noah try new foods. It felt almost too natural to Olivia, but it still lifted her spirits. At least the flu didn’t make her feel any less in love.
“Dinner is served.” He put a grilled cheese sandwich on a plate and scooped out some tomato soup. “Where should we sit? Do you want to stay at the island or go in the living room?"
“Normally I’d insist on eating in the kitchen, but tonight feels different. Let’s sit on the couch and be adventurous.”
They sat down, and Olivia grabbed a blanket and put it over both of their laps. “This isn’t too close for comfort for you, right?” she asked. “Given the whole flu thing and all?”
“Well, love isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it’s just hanging out at home when your partner’s sick and figuring out ways to have time together as a couple. I like to think I accomplished that. But you tell me.”
“You did.” She took a bite of her grilled cheese. “Ooooh, this is actually really good, but maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t had a lot to eat the last few days.”
“Or maybe I’m just a top chef now.”
“Don’t get that cocky. Now if you’d excuse me, I’m going to try and eat nice and slow so this night lasts as long as possible.” She smiled at him, and he kissed his hand and then put it to her forehead.
“Had to get that in,” he said. “Enjoy your dinner date.”
“I already am.”