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“Totally pro-bacon over here,” I answer.
“Good.”
We walk inside of his home, and my mouth drops open. It’s as stunning inside as it is outside. I walk to the living room and to the large glass wall that overlooks the mountain. The view is breathtaking.
“I would stare out this window all the time,” I tell him.
He comes up behind me. “I do a lot of that. It never gets old.”
“I bet not.”
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asks.
I nod, and he leads me over to the massive kitchen.
There is a set of sliding glass doors that lead from the kitchen out onto a deck with a built-in gas grill, a griddle top, and a charcoal pizza oven.
Impressive.
I can see the boys skipping stones in the small stream tucked behind the house.
They’re talking up a storm and laughing.
Graham opens a bottle of red and hands me a glass.
Then, he opens one of the doors and calls to the boys, “Chef Graham needs his sous-chefs to come wash up.”
They drop the rocks they were holding and come running.
I watch as they wash their hands. Graham starts grabbing supplies from the large stainless steel refrigerator and instructs the boys to gather what they need from the pantry.
I offer my assistance, but Caleb banishes me to the living room, so they can cook for me.
I sit on the plush, large sofa and enjoy the view of the three of them moving around in the kitchen.
Graham is patient with them and lets them help with every detail of the meal, except for the grilling of the steaks themselves. They chop up vegetables for a salad and fry bacon and shred a block of cheddar for the twice-baked potatoes. He even teaches them how to make an Italian apple cider vinegar dressing from scratch.
When the food is ready, they set places for us out on the deck and proudly escort me to my seat. Tucker pours us all glasses of water, and Caleb helps Graham load our plates. He sets mine in front of me with a look of overwhelming pride.
“Thank you so much, buddy. This looks delicious,” I praise.
He grins at me and stands there, patiently waiting as I pour dressing over my salad and take the first bite.
“Mmm,” I moan.
His eyes light up, and he hurries over to the seat beside Tucker.
We take our time eating the tasty meal and talk about everything from soccer to fishing to the next time they will cook together as the sun sets behind the mountain.
The boys discuss the Independence Day picnic and parade.
Tucker tells Caleb how amazing the fireworks display is in the valley and invites us to park with them in his church parking lot because it’s the best viewing spot in town.
It’s a lovely evening, and my heart is full and grateful as I watch my son make a new friend.
