Chapter 54

fifty-four

BEN

On Sunday night, I opened my front door. When I saw who was standing on my veranda, my mouth dropped open. "Mr. Devlin? What are you doing here?"

Daniel's grandfather smiled. "I believe you've received a booking for Acorn Cottage for the next seven days. I'm your new guest."

"Are you sure? The only reservation that came through was for a Mr. Potts."

Patrick shrugged. "Daniel told me he hasn't spoken to you for a couple of weeks. I was worried you wouldn't accept my booking if you knew it was me. In my haste to get here, I borrowed the name of my neighbor's cat."

Despite my shock at seeing Patrick, I smiled. "I would've been more concerned if Daniel was standing in front of me."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that."

I studied the innocent expression on Patrick's face. "Daniel said you worked long hours and never took time off."

"That was the old me. From now on, I'm going to enjoy life. And it starts with a relaxing vacation." He turned toward Willow Lake and took a deep breath. "This is a beautiful place to call home."

"It is." I still wasn't convinced Patrick's intentions were entirely honorable, but he'd come a long way and I wasn't going to turn him away. "I'll take you across to the cottage. There's an information pack in the cottage with lots of ideas about things you can do while you're here. I can book any tours you want to do."

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the things Daniel told me about."

"If there's anything he did that you can't find, just let me know." Taking a set of keys off the hall table, I stepped outside. Patrick's car was parked by the cottage, so I didn't have to worry about carrying his suitcases across the grass. "There's a basket of local food on the dining room table and fresh milk, bread, and butter in the refrigerator. If you need anything else, I'll be happy to bring it across."

"Do you treat all of your guests so well?"

I smiled. "You're extra special." I slowed my pace to make it easier for Patrick to walk beside me. Coming all the way from Manhattan was tiring for anyone, but for a man in his mid-eighties, it would be worse. "Have you had dinner?"

Patrick stopped and caught his breath. "I bought a sandwich at the airport in Boulder."

"Would you like to share some of my soup? I made it this afternoon and, if I do say so myself, it's delicious."

The twinkle in Patrick's eyes was good to see. "Homemade soup sounds wonderful. Did I tell you that Daniel's grandma loved making soup? Mary had a favorite recipe for each season."

I smiled at Patrick. "No, you didn't. Which one did you like the best?"

As he told me about the pumpkin soup that was better than anything he'd ever tasted, I sighed. Regardless of why he was here, I'd make sure Daniel's granddad enjoyed every moment of his stay. I just hoped he hadn't told Daniel where he'd gone. One Devlin male was enough to handle. Two would be impossible.