Chapter 60

sixty

DANIEL

I wiped my hands on my apron and took the oven-baked fries out of the oven. So far, so good. Granddad was keeping Ben entertained with stories about his vacation adventures, and dinner was ready to be served.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ben asked.

The tray of fries landed on the counter, knocking over the ketchup and spraying the wall with thick, red sauce.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Ben reached for the dishcloth, mopping up the worst of the mess while I rescued the fries.

"It's okay. I should have been paying closer attention to what I was doing. Did you enjoy Granddad's story about Alaska?"

Ben smiled. "I did. I thought he was going to tell me the whale swallowed him whole."

"That would've been a little too close for comfort. At least the fishing boat made it back to shore before everyone fell overboard."

While Ben rinsed the cloth, I took the dinner plates out of the cupboard. "You put a lot of thought into what's in the cottage. Your guests must enjoy staying here."

"I wasn't sure what people would expect, so I included everything I'd want in a vacation home. There's probably a little too much, but I thought it was better than forgetting something."

"I agree." I scooped the fries into a large bowl and placed them on top of the dinner plates. "If you could take this outside, I'll grab the sweetcorn and salad."

"And I'll find the butter," Granddad said from the kitchen doorway. He looked at the corn and smiled. "Gordon was right. The vegetables we picked today look fresher and better than those we get in New York."

"Mr. Jeffries is biased, but he knows what he's talking about." Ben handed Granddad the butter. "I never thought organic vegetables tasted any different from other vegetables until I tried the food he grows."

"Did he tell you he wants to build a greenhouse?"

Ben nodded. "It's on our list of improvements. I think Pastor Adam wants to leave it until the tiny home village is completely finished."

Granddad followed Ben and me outside. "That'll be months away."

"It's probably closer to two years," Ben said sadly. "There's only so much money to go around."

"Hmm," Granddad said thoughtfully.

I studied his face. "You can't build a greenhouse for The Welcome Center."

"I wouldn't do anything without speaking to Pastor Adam first."

My eyebrows rose. "That's not like you."

Instead of looking insulted, Granddad smiled. "I've mellowed in my old age."

"Really?" I looked at Ben. "Don't believe anything he says. He's still as determined as he was thirty years ago."

With a heavy sigh, Granddad dropped onto one of the wooden chairs. "Forget determination. I'd settle for having my fifty-year-old body back. It would solve a lot of my problems."

My eyes narrowed. "Is there something you haven't told me?" Granddad hated going to the doctor. If it weren't for Owen and my constant reminders, I doubted he'd even go to his annual checkup.

"There's nothing you don't already know. Now get those ribs off the barbecue before I help myself."

I wouldn't put it past Granddad to do exactly that. "You might be just as determined, but you've got less patience."

Ben handed me a pair of tongs. "They smell divine."

"It's Owen's recipe." I lifted the ribs onto a plate and hoped they tasted as good as they smelled.

When I turned around, Granddad had a napkin tucked in the front of his shirt. "Ben will think you don't get fed."

"Nonsense," Granddad said as he rubbed his hands together. "Ben's just as keen as I am to taste your ribs. You've been tantalizing our taste buds with the smell all evening."

Ben helped himself to a corncob. "It's true. The smell was driving me crazy."

My heart leaped. If I'd known driving him crazy was as easy as cooking ribs, I'd have done it weeks ago.

I placed the plate of ribs on the table. "Help yourselves. I need to get something from the cottage."

"I've got plenty of soda, juice, and wine at my house if you need some more," Ben offered.

I shook my head. "We've got plenty. I'll be back soon."

Granddad picked up a fork. "Come on, Ben. Let's start. It would be a shame if the ribs got cold."

I hurried inside. I was glad Granddad was here. Without his ability to smooth over the awkwardness of seeing Ben again, I didn't know whether the evening would be going quite so well. I just hoped the flowers I'd picked made Ben realize how much I cared about him. If they didn't, I'd have no choice but to send him barbecue spare ribs each week.