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Grace stuffed her mouth full of the yeasty warm bread and said around a mouthful, “I hate public speaking.”
“Finally some truth out of your mouth.”
She chewed and swallowed. “I always tell the truth. What do you think I’m lying about?”
Her grandfather stared at her. “Why you’re single.”
“Grandpa,” she said sternly. “I’m going to leave if you keep it up.”
“Will the stuffed shells stay though?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Nope. I’ll take them with me.”
“Then I’ll stop. I promise.”
“You won’t,” she mumbled.
“I heard that.”
“You hear everything even though you complain your hearing isn’t great. I think it’s all a ruse.”
Her grandfather laughed at her and continued to eat his bread.
When they were sitting at the table eating dinner, she thought for sure the topic had finally been dropped, but she was wrong.
“What do you think about me introducing you to someone?”
“Someone?” she asked. “As in a date or work?”
“Could be both. Maybe you need someone that does the same work as you.”
“Nope,” she said. “Been there and done that.”
The guy didn’t like she was the boss. Didn’t like she got more attention for her cooking either.
The last thing she needed was someone who turned a relationship into a competition.
“I didn’t know that,” her grandfather said. He reached for the casserole dish and got himself a second serving. It did her heart well to see him eat her food.
She’d been cooking for him since she was a child when she visited. She’d joke that was why he always wanted her to come visit.
She didn’t care. Grace had known what she wanted to do from a young age and since he owned and ran The Retreat, he was the one to tell her what the expectations were.
In her mind, the more he loved her cooking, the easier it would be for her to work there.
Just because her family owned it didn’t mean it was guaranteed she’d end up with the job. There were plenty of other hotels with restaurants in the family she could work at.
No way. In her mind it was The Retreat or nothing at all.
“I don’t tell you everyone I date,” she said.
“When was the last time you were on a date?”
“I don’t remember,” she said. “I don’t even care.”
“Do you even try? Do you have your eye on someone and maybe you are waiting for him?”
This was too close to the truth. She didn’t want to lie and say no, but if she said yes then he’d ask more questions.
