"We're in the back," Rico told him. "I hear you've only been invited for dessert."
"No, we were invited for dinner too, but Wyatt was already in the middle of cooking dinner and I was still at work," Sam explained. He worked at the café so Grandma should have known he couldn't come. "Wyatt and the kids will be here soon." Wyatt was Sam's fiancé, and he had two little nephews. They were the ones Grandma wanted Sammy to meet.
As he took Sam around the corner to the back, Rico took in the sight of Mitch leaning on the railing. Throwing his arm over Sam's shoulder, Rico got close so he could whisper, "You see what I have to deal with."
"You poor thing," Sam mocked him.
As they walked up to Mitch, Rico did the introductions. "Here comes more proof that Grandma's people sense is never wrong. Mitch McEvers is the new handyman in town. This is Sam James. He works at the café and Grandma adores him."
"Don't say that," Sam said as he shook hands with Mitch. "I'm going to go say hi to Mrs. Del Rio. Don't say anything weird about me." With that Sam went inside.
"He's so easy to embarrass. It's adorable," Rico said as he looked after him.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Mitch asked, and Rico was surprised that he would be so blunt.
"No way," Rico told him.
Now Mitch had a different question. "So you aren't gay?"
"Of course I am. But Sam is practically some guy's husband," Rico informed him then watched Mitch frown.
"Husband? Really?" Mitch said, and Rico couldn't tell how he felt about it.
"Yeah, don't tell me you have a problem with that because I don't want to hear it," Rico warned him.
"I don't," Mitch stated evenly.
"Good."
"I just thought he looked young," Mitch said to explain himself.
"So maybe you're jealous that someone snagged himself a hot, young husband?" Rico taunted him.
"No. I'm straight," Mitch said and Rico sighed.
"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Rico grumbled under his breath. Then he spotted Wyatt and the boys rounding the corner and tromping into the back yard. "That's Sam's husband to be and his nephews, DJ and Riley."
The boys ran ahead and stopped in front of Mitch and Rico. They were a little older that Sammy, and Riley, the younger brother, peered up at Mitch like he was going to challenge him to arm wrestle.
Rico was ready to introduce them, when he caught Wyatt giving him a significant look. It was like he already knew Rico was into Mitch and he wished him luck. Just as Rico finished introducing Mitch to Wyatt and the boys, Grandma brought out the pie. Sam had the plates and utensils and Sammy was bringing napkins.
"I invited this bunch over to meet the new daddy in town and his little girl," Grandma said then she introduced everyone to Sammy. "That's Wyatt Hayes. That's big brother DJ and little brother Riley. This is Sammy. She helped me make this pie."
"You know how to make pie too," DJ said. "I made pies with Sam. He shows us how to cook all the time."
"My dad knows how to cook," Sammy said, getting a little competitive.
"I guess you already met your cute little namesake, Sammy," Rico said to Sam. "He's Sam and you're Sammy. How am I gonna tell you apart?"
"He's bigger, see?" Sammy told him and raised her arm to show him their height difference.
"OK. I'll try to remember that," Rico told her.
"Do they call you Sammy?" she asked Sam.
"No," Sam told her.
She asked about a different nickname, "Sammy salami?"
