AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mind?” His dad hugged Addie closer. “We’ll consider it an honor.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight. You got settled into your lake house all right?”
“Your mother loves it, and that’s half the battle.” His father was teasing, but earned a dour look from his mom. “It’s got everything we need, including basic groceries. And did you know the store in town delivers?”
Jacob did know that, but most folks ran into Grace Haven to get their own groceries. “It’s an amazing convenience.”
“I’ll say.” His mother touched his arm, then stepped away. “We don’t want to hold you up from work.”
“See ya.” He hugged Addie. “Have fun, squirt. Show Memaw and Pawpaw all your favorite places, okay?”
“Okay, Dad!”
They headed off, three adventurers, on a quest for fun. His mother had noticed Addie’s voice at Christmas, how a northern twang seemed to be replacing her Southern drawl. And who would have expected a child Addie’s age to fall in love with a place? A theme park, yes. He got that. But a town? A way of life? And yet Addie had taken to this northern town as if born to it, but his mother wouldn’t like the idea of their being so far away. She’d already lost so much. Too much.
He put his thoughts on hold as he pulled into the lower parking lot of the inn a short while later. Most of the construction tape had been removed, allowing better access to all four sides of the sprawling building. He got out of his car, and the first thing that struck him was the scent of smoking meat, but along with the scent came an image… Not of barbecue, but of the woman creating the barbecue.
He cut through the nearly finished lobby, ducked through the deliberately downscaled Bayou Barbecue and paused when he spotted Josie. She was demonstrating smoking techniques to a rapt group of construction guys. She’d braided her hair. Pulled back, it accentuated her profile, the high cheekbones and expressive eyes.
Alive in beauty.
He wasn’t generally the most expressive of men, but the phrase came to him, watching her.
The crew listened as Josie explained what she was doing with the multilayer smoker. It wasn’t her lesson that stopped Jacob. It was the look of interest in a tall, dark-haired carpenter’s eye as she explained her process.
His chest went tight. His jaw firmed, and it was all he could do to keep from rolling back his shoulders in challenge. He purposely shut the emotion down as he pushed through the screened door separating the kitchen from the newly covered and vented smoker area, trying to sound casual when he might actually prefer to stake a claim, nice and loud. Except he had no claim. “How’s it working?”
Josie looked up quickly. She smiled just as quick, and when she did, a spark of interest that went beyond business brightened her gaze. Or maybe it was wishful thinking on his part. But when their eyes met again, it wasn’t wishful thinking that made her tuck a wisp of hair back, behind her ear, watching him. “It’s amazing, Jacob. The guys did a great job putting it together, and once we tweaked the vent levers, I had wonderful control of the timing process.”
“Well, that venting brought me this way.” He didn’t mention the second reason he hurried through the spacious hotel entrance. “Is this the practice session?”
“Yes. I was telling the guys we’ll do sandwiches for the crew later on. I’m going to fill the roaster oven with Idaho potatoes, too, so we can have everything synchronized for the take-out shack.”
“Looks great, Josie.” One of the crew tipped his hat as he went off to work. “Let us know when the dinner gong goes off.”
“Gladly, Rick,” she called as she readjusted a small vent on one end. “By the end of this week, I want to know this machine from top to bottom. Temperature variations are part of the scientific equation.”
“Gotta love a woman who can mix science with great ’cue.” It was the dark-haired carpenter who spoke, and Jacob was relieved when Josie barely glanced up to acknowledge him.
He waited until the guy walked away and Josie had straightened. “Let me know if you need anything adjusted, okay? We can get the guys right on it.”
