by Judi Lynn
“That’s less than three weeks away.”
“Everyone’s donating something.” Hank tore off a little of his hot dog to feed Chester. “I’m baking cookies and Sadie’s making different flavors of frozen custard to make ice cream sandwiches.”
Miriam’s eyes lit up. “I bought three of those last year. My favorite was the cherry custard between chocolate crinkle cookies.”
Hank bent to scratch behind Chester’s ears. “Those were Chester’s favorites, too. Grams talked about asking Joel to donate plain hot dogs for the kids.”
“I think he’d go for that.”
Sadie gathered up their trash to throw away. “We’d better go. Steph’s doing us a favor. We don’t want to take advantage of her.”
Miriam stood, too. “I’d better get back to work. I just came to pester you during my lunch break.”
“Glad you did.” Hank tugged on Chester’s leash and led him to his truck.
When Miriam went back inside, she told Joel, “You’ll be getting a phone call from Grams about her church social on the Fourth. If you’re smart, you’ll give her whatever she wants. She knows everyone in the entire area and all of them love her.”
“You’re telling me it’s good business to keep Grams happy?”
“Pretty much.”
Joel wrapped an arm around her waist. “I like spoiling the special women in my life.”
Miriam gave him a quick kiss. “Good answer.”
They spent the next hour getting ready for the supper rush. Just as she’d expected, they had plenty of business, but nothing they couldn’t handle.
“We owe Harley a beer,” Joel said.
“I’d throw in a free hot dog, too.” Miriam went to grab Adele to leave the brewery a little early. “If you can make it, Tyne and Daphne invited us for supper tomorrow night.”
Miles was just walking into the dining room and said, “Go. Sunday nights are probably slow. People have to go to work Monday mornings. I can cover for you here.”
“Are you sure?” Joel really wanted to go; Miriam could tell.
Miles gave him a look. “Go. We’ll be okay.”
“If it’s a madhouse tomorrow, we can change our plans, but thanks. I’ll take you up on that.”
The brothers were both looking awfully happy when Miriam and Adele left them. On the drive home, Miriam thought about how lucky Joel was that Miles had come to work for him. It was good for both men. And tonight, when Joel walked out the brewery’s doors, he’d come to stay with her. Seven days a week. That was even better.
Chapter 34
Joel didn’t open the brewery until noon on Sunday. At two thirty Nick and Meg walked in, right after the lunch crowd had thinned out. He was happy to see them. He’d thought about Nick off and on. “Hey, how’s the new job and the renovation?”
Nick looked at Meg and grinned. “It’s going so well, we’ve gone in together to buy the rundown apartment complex on County Road.”
The brewery was busy, but they weren’t buried, so Joel sat down at their table. “The apartment complex? That’s a little away from town, isn’t it?”
“Not too bad.” Today, instead of her usual jeans, Meg wore short shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs. A scooped neckline displayed her perky breasts. A good move, Joel decided, because Nick kept glancing at them. “The apartments are close to Harley’s winery.”
Joel remembered now. Halfway between the lake and the winery. A great location. “So you’re going to become apartment owners?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. We’re going to convert the place into a motel.”
“Brilliant.” Tourists stopped in Mill Pond on their way to the national park and its lodges because there wasn’t any place to stay in town besides Ian’s resort. The people who stayed there rented rooms by the week, not just for a few days at a time. Joel guessed a motel would almost always be full.
Nick grinned. “We think it will be a great investment.”
Joel had to agree. “Before we know it, Mill Pond will be even busier than it is now. How many rooms?” he asked.
“Ten, and there’s an apartment off the office for the manager to live in.” Nick looked at Meg. “We thought that would be a good incentive if someone wanted the job.”
“How much work does it need?”
“A lot. The more we do, the better the sale price.” Nick was talking specifics when Miles walked past the table, and Joel stopped him to introduce him to his friends.
Meg smiled at the two of them. “You look like brothers.”
“Yeah, but I’m the good-looking one,” Miles teased.
Meg nodded knowingly. “My sister Maddie always left me in her dust.”
“Not anymore,” Nick said, and Meg’s eyes went wide. Nick grinned at her. “You’ve turned into one helluva looker, kid.”
She blushed all the way to her hairline, and Miles motioned to the food counter. “Can I get you something?”
“We still haven’t seen your menu and our lunch is on Joel.” Nick tore off one of his free meal tickets and handed it to Miles. “We might have one of everything on the menu.”
“Be my guest,” Joel told him. “Besides the dogs, our sausages are really popular. Just spread the word how good our food is.” Nick started to stand and Joel slapped him on the back. “Nice seeing you again.” He went to help Collin in the bar. Miles drifted to the counter, and Nick and Meg went to place their orders.
The pace stayed steady through the afternoon until five o’clock drew near; then there was a small surge in business. By six things were getting quiet again.
Miles looked at Joel. “Go on. Get out of here. Have a nice supper with your friends.”
“Thanks.” Joel felt funny walking out of the building while the OPEN sign was still in the window, but Miles could handle the rest of the night. He went to pick up Miriam and Adele, then headed to Tyne and Daphne’s. They reached their cabin by six thirty.
Daphne grinned when she opened the door for them. “I’ve lost my tenant. He’s found better quarters to live in. Seems my best friend is stealing my renters.”
Miriam snorted. “You already have a great roommate. You don’t need mine.”
She patted Joel on the head and Tyne called her on it. “That’s the way Hank pats Chester. Joel’s a guy, not a dog.”
Joel lifted Miriam’s arm and put it over his shoulder, making their height difference obvious. “She can touch me any way she wants to. I love it all.”
Adele frowned, a little lost. “Miriam pets her cats. She doesn’t pat them.”
“That’s because they don’t drool over her,” Tyne teased.
Adele smiled, but she’d smile at anything Tyne said to her. She was besotted with the man. If he showed a dimple, she would sign her life away.
Joel ignored him and sniffed the air. “Something smells good.” Garlic and onions drifted toward him, along with wine and oregano.
“My lady picked the menu tonight—marsala chicken, mashed potatoes, and spinach salad with warm bacon dressing.”
Adele pouted. “No dessert?”
Tyne’s dimples showed and Adele blinked. Ian was handsome, Harley was good-looking, but Tyne was downright sexy. “Daphne watched The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network on Saturday mornings. We’re having Ree Drummond’s recipe for hot fudge chocolate cake.”
Adele looked excited. So did Miriam, and Joel made a mental note to always have chocolate in the house. “Is there ice cream?” Adele asked.
“Yup, and maraschino cherries.” Tyne gave Daphne a naughty glance. She raised an eyebrow at him and he didn’t say anything else.
“So all right already.” Miriam started for the kitchen. She and Daphne had been friends since grade school. “Are you going to feed us or not?”
Daphne laughed. “We thought we’d eat on the back porch. Tyne screened it in. No bugs. And it’s beautiful outside.”
“I brought a cooler full of beer,” Joel said. “Want me to get it?”
“You get the drinks and I’ll get the food.” Tyne headed to the kitchen.
Joel went to the pickup and came back with an interesting assortment of bottles.
Ten minutes later they were sitting at a big, round table on the back porch. Tyne hadn’t just screened it in, he’d made it into a three-season room. With the windows open, it felt almost like being outside, but without any rain or insects. Joel thought about Miriam’s back patio. The lake was so beautiful, a room like this would make it livable a lot longer.
The food, as always, was droolworthy. Joel understood why Tyne made so much of it; people always wanted seconds. Every time Joel left this cabin, he’d probably gained five pounds. He told them about seeing Nick and Meg at the brewery and their plans for a motel.
“That’s damn smart,” Tyne said. “I swear, every time I turn around, more people come to Mill Pond.”
“That won’t affect your resort, though, will it?” Miriam asked. “You and Paula are already worked half to death.”
Tyne shook his head. “We’re full to the brim, but more people can’t hurt us. The more people who come, the more who might want to book with us during the slow season. Ian’s doing decadent specials for holidays during the winter months, but the resort’s fun even when the weather’s bad. Instead of outdoor activities, guests can enjoy being pampered when it’s rainy or cold.”
Miriam told them about her family’s get-together this afternoon. She smiled. “Clair’s tummy is beginning to poof out a little.”
Tyne shook his head. “Kids. They’re a big responsibility.”
Joel glanced at Adele. “Yeah, but they’re worth it.”
His daughter smiled. Joel had always told her how lucky he was to have her. Miriam smiled, too, and Joel realized she was becoming almost as attached to Adele as he was.
Daphne had a big, goofy grin on her face when she looked at her old friend. “We’re pretty damned lucky, aren’t we?”
“You’d better know it.” And Miriam’s satisfied tone made Joel drown in happiness. It was like Mill Pond had been his ticket to good things. He was working with Miles, he was living with Miriam, and Adele was as happy as he’d ever seen her. What more could he ask for?
Chapter 35
Miriam waved off Joel and Adele when they left for the brewery on Monday morning. Joel had insisted on taking Adele with him. “Sometimes it’s nice to have a day completely to yourself. She’s had a big weekend. She can chill in my office today.”
Miriam had to admit the idea of being blissfully alone sounded like heaven. For starters, she carried a cup of coffee and a book to her chair overlooking the lake. Tommy and Tuppence followed her, happy to explore the yard. The usual duck paddled by, slowing a little to tease the cats because it was in deep-enough water. She watched the sunlight dance on the ripples of the water, let her mind drift, enjoying the moment, and then opened her book and submerged herself in its pages. By ten thirty, she started to get restless, so she went inside and surprised herself by looking through her cupboards and refrigerator for ingredients that might make a meal.
Sad news: There were none. Joel had promised to bring food home tonight so he wouldn’t have to cook, but she felt as though most couples or families probably had more groceries in their kitchens than cans of soup, milk, bread, cereal, and three gallons of ice cream. She decided to remedy that.
She stripped the beds and started a load of laundry before she headed to Art’s Grocery. When Art saw her with a grocery cart, he looked again and grinned. “I’m putting this on my calendar. I never thought the day would come.”
“I’m making an effort here.” She pointed to the long coolers filled with meat. “Do you still have any of those recipes Mary made for people who don’t like to cook? Either that or I’m just going to grab anything that looks good and hope for the best.”
“Give me a minute. I have some in my office. I still print them once in a while and put them out during tourist season.” He disappeared for a minute and she studied different cuts of meat. Her mom loved to make ham steaks, so she put one of those in her cart. Her dad loved pork chops, so she added a package of those, too. She recognized the chuck roast. Tyne had cooked one of those in a slow cooker. Everyone liked hamburger, right? But there were three different kinds. Which one was which?
“Get the ground chuck,” Art said, coming to hand her a small stack of papers. “Eighty percent meat and twenty percent fat for flavor.”
She tossed two packages in her cart, then frowned at the variety of Mary’s recipes. “I’m going to buy everything on these lists. Then I should be able to make all kinds of things, right?”
Art nodded. “Those are pretty foolproof, but you’re going to be here a while. You’ve never visited half the aisles in this store.”
She gave him her schoolteacher look, but he knew her too well. He just laughed at her and headed back to his office. “Good luck!”
Luck wasn’t enough. It took her over an hour to find everything she needed. Then she had to check out, take the groceries home, and put them all away. No wonder she’d never cooked before. She remembered Joel telling her that Adele loved chicken breasts dipped in crushed potato chips, so she left one package of chicken in the refrigerator and put the other one in the freezer. Mary’s recipe for spaghetti with meat sauce looked good to her, so she left the tube of Bob Evans bulk sausage in the fridge, too. Mary browned the sausage, then added frozen chopped onions and frozen diced green peppers. Sliced mushrooms were optional, according to a side note. When the vegetables were soft, she stirred in a big jar of spaghetti sauce and dropped the spaghetti in to boiling water. Miriam decided she could do that. Maybe.
When she had everything in its place and had taken out the laundry, she was too tired to fix herself more than a peanut butter sandwich. She carried that onto the back patio, downed it with a bottle of beer, then put on her gardening gloves and got to work. Tommy and Tuppence came to help her. They chased every bee and butterfly that flew past them.
She was working on her third bed when she glanced at her watch. Six o’clock. How the hell had that happened? She finished up and went in to take a shower. It was seven by the time she made the beds and carried a bowl of ice cream out to eat in her chair. She waved at a friend who went by in his boat. He and his wife had their grandkids staying with them this week. The kids waved from the backseat.
Miriam heard herself sigh. When had she started doing that? Was it a bad thing? She was too happy. Joel was easy to live with, to spend time with. She loved kids but had never wanted any of her own. Adele was nineteen, but she felt like a kid. Miriam enjoyed her. She’d never felt vulnerable before, but she did now. She understood how Daphne had felt when she’d thought she’d lost Tyne. Devastated.
What would she do if Joel and Adele moved out and moved on? She already knew the answer. She’d crumple, but she’d survive. But God, it would hurt.
She went into the house and sank onto one of the chairs by the fireplace. She opened her book, started reading, and the next thing she knew, she heard Joel’s truck pull into the drive. She jerked awake. Her book had fallen onto the floor and she’d drooled a little when her head lolled to the side. Doggone!
She pushed to her feet and went to greet them, but she felt groggy. How long had she slept? She had no idea. Adele hugged her on her way inside, and then Joel hugged her next. He had two bags in his hands that smelled like sausage and tomato sauce. Her stomach growled.
“Sausage rolls.” He shook his head. “You didn’t eat anything, did you? You’ve been waiting for us.”
“I’m starving.” She didn’t mince words. Food was an integral part of her life and Joel knew it.
He laughed and headed to the kitchen. “I’ll get the paper plates.” When he opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water for Adele, he froze. “There’s food in here.”
She’d come up behind him and smiled. “I went to Art’s Grocery and stocked our kitchen today. I got recipes Adele and I can make, too.”
&n
bsp; “You even have eggs. I can make breakfast before I leave in the morning.” He turned and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Is this the same girl I met at Chase’s bar?”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. It’s no fun cooking for one person.” She grimaced. “Who am I kidding? I’m never going to be a great cook, but I can feed us. And when you want something better, you can cook.”
He pulled her close to hug her. “I love you just the way you are—no cooking skills required.”
“How much do you love me?”
He blinked. “A lot.”
“Then feed me.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
Very funny. “Enough with the mushy talk, I’m hungry.”
Chuckling, he carried the food and plates to her small kitchen table. She meant to be polite. She really did, but she ended up eating one of the sausage rolls all by herself. Joel and Adele shared the second one.
When they went to the living room and turned on the TV, Miriam had trouble staying awake again. Everyone looked tired. Finally, Adele said, “I’m going to my room to watch a little TV.” She wouldn’t last long. She was yawning as often as Miriam and Joel were. Joel did his best to stay awake, thinking Miriam would like some company, but for the first time ever, she looked at him and said, “I’m wiped out.”
He pulled her to her feet and they called it a night. She couldn’t even work up the energy for one good romp. They stripped out of their clothes and she collapsed onto the bed. Would he take that as lack of interest? Would it make him rethink things? But then he turned to her and spooned her against him. “I’m happy just holding you. I love you, Miriam.”
Oh, how wonderful was this man? She fell asleep, feeling secure in his arms.
Chapter 36
Joel could feel the excitement building for the Fourth of July. People in Mill Pond took their holidays seriously. His life had settled into a warm, fuzzy routine of happiness. He loved his work and he loved Miriam and Adele. Miles and he had found a pattern that made the brewery hum like the clichéd well-oiled machine. He’d hired enough people so he could take Sundays and Mondays off to spend time with Miriam, and Miles got Thursdays and Fridays off. His brother was beginning to meet people and become a part of the community. Joel offered to hire another cook so Dave could have a free day, too, but quickly gave up on that idea when he made it clear that work grounded him and he didn’t want some interloper in his kitchen.
