AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Oh, I always wanted to fly in a helicopter." The tension in her face eased slightly. "We should do that Patrick."
"We should," Patrick agreed. "But why don't we eat first?"
She glanced down at the salad on her plate. "I don’t like tomatoes. Why did you give me tomatoes?"
"You don't have to eat them," Patrick said.
As Drew watched his grandfather deal patiently with his grandmother, he felt both admiration and sadness. Patrick had always been a no-nonsense, rough-edged man who never felt the need to explain or apologize, but with Eleanor he was softer, kinder. She made him more human. Drew didn’t know what his grandfather was going to do without her.
As his grandparents made their way into the living room where the rest of the party was gathered, Drew helped himself to a sandwich and devoured it while he spooned some salad onto a plate. He was halfway through the salad when Aiden and Sara arrived. Aiden was dressed in his usual jeans and a t-shirt while Sara wore black cropped pants and floral top.
Sara was an attractive brunette, who had grown up next door to the Callaways. After returning home last year, she and Aiden had reconnected and fallen in love. They'd announced their engagement right before Thanksgiving and now they were in the midst of wedding planning mania along with his sister Emma, and her fiancé, Max, who had also recently gotten engaged.
Sara and Emma had been childhood friends, so they were both thrilled at the idea of a double wedding. Drew thought that sounded like double the trouble. He had no idea how his brother, Aiden, was managing to keep his cool through all the bridal talk.
"Hi Drew," Sara said.
"Sara." He gave her a hug while he juggled his plate in his hand. "You're looking beautiful today."
Her cheeks turned pink, and her brown eyes sparkled at the compliment. Sara had always been on the shy and quieter side, and he'd barely noticed her growing up, but she'd certainly come into her own.
"Thanks. Have you seen Emma?"
"I heard she's in the attic with Brandon."
"I'll go find her, so you two can talk," Sara said, giving Aiden a pointed look. She grabbed two cookies on her way by the table.
Drew turned to Aiden, seeing an excited gleam in his older brother's eyes. "What do we need to talk about?"
"The Eleanor," Aiden replied.
"Grandpa's boat?"
"Yes. He's going to sell it, and I think we should buy it."
"Are you serious?" he asked in surprise. "I haven't sailed in years. Have you?"
"No, but I used to love it. Burke and I were in a sailboat racing class in high school. We came in second in one of the regattas."
"Maybe you should ask Burke."
"Ask me what?" Burke inquired, as he came through the kitchen door into the dining room.
Burke was the tallest of the three of them, with brown hair that was almost black and light blue eyes. He wore gray pants and a cream-colored button down shirt under a black jacket.
"Good timing," Aiden said. "I was just telling Drew that we should buy Grandpa's boat. Grandpa hates the idea of selling the Eleanor, but he needs the cash. He really wants someone in the family to buy it. And I told him I'd see if I could round up some partners."
"I can't believe he's selling the boat," Burke murmured.
"He said there won't be any more trips on the water with Grandma, and he doesn't want to sail without her. Too many memories."
"That sucks," Drew said, saddened by the whole situation.
"We can make a bad situation better if we buy the boat for the next generation of Callaways," Aiden said. "He'll give us a good deal."
"It's still going to be expensive," Burke said. "Have you considered the monthly expenses, any repairs the boat might need? I don't think they've sailed it the last few years. Where is it anyway?"
"It's in the marina by the Bayview Yacht Club."
"I'm surprised it's in the water. He must pay to rent the slip."
"He said he's been letting friends use it," Aiden explained. "And as for the rest of your questions, we can figure out the answers as we go along."
Drew smiled at Aiden's comment, which perfectly illustrated the differences between his two brothers. Burke liked to plan, to weigh pros and cons, then make a decision. Aiden liked to jump first and think about whether jumping was a good idea later. They'd always been opposites, and Drew had often ended up being their mediator.
