The next time he came, it was because Alex invited him again, while his arm was still in its sling. Her mother protested, because she was making tamales for the first time (she'd been watching Tyler Florence recently) and didn't want to embarrass herself with bad Mexican food in front of Dr. Linus. But they were delicious tamales, and he was impressed.
But the third time, it was all Mom's idea. She was going to make her famous bouillabaisse and said to Alex that morning, as if it was a sudden impulse, "Do you think Dr. Linus has ever had a real French bouillabaisse?"
Alex laughed to herself, because she knew it hadn't been a sudden impulse any more than her first invitation had been, and said, "Even if he's had a dozen real French bouillabaisses, he'll love yours, Mom."
And Mom had looked oddly pink and pleased.