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Max and Cory had three kids each, and Gretchen did love being their aunt. Now that she’d returned to the Coastal Bend of Texas, she felt ready to be a mother. At thirty-seven years old, she didn’t have much time to build her family.
She pictured fair babies, with blonde hair and skin that freckled like hers. Will was fairly fair too, and she giggled at the wordsfairly fairin her head. She plucked her phone from her pocket to check her messages, but the few she’d gotten weren’t from Will.
Her friend who owned The Culinary Cabin had finally gotten back to her. Gretchen’s heart raced as her eyes scanned the texts.
We’re full this week, Gretchen. I’m sorry.
We have an opening next Wednesday evening for two. Or next Friday for four.
Then we’re into the next week, and it’s mostly open, except for Saturday, which is already full. I’m doing those Very Veggie tours on Saturdays, and they come with a reservation for lunch or dinner. That’s why Saturday is always full.
Gretchen’s heart settled somewhere in the soles of her feet. She didn’t want to wait ten days to go out with Will, but she really wanted to take him to The Culinary Cabin on their first date.
Thank you, she typed out to Ingrid Olsen, her friend who owned and ran The Cabin.Will you put me down for two next Wednesday?
Will’s schedule had seemed pretty open, barring any emergencies around the farm. It was her schedule that felt stuffed to the brim, or sometimes overflowing, despite her Sunday afternoon broth party with her father.
A snore came from his direction, and Gretchen looked over to find him fast asleep in his recliner. He did that a lot lately, and her soul pinched and then warmed with love for her daddy. She took a quick snapshot of him and sent it in the sibling text she had with Cory and Max, saying,he’s asleep again. He does that a lot more often lately. Please come visit him when you can.
Gretchen feared her daddy might not be with them for much longer, and the thought weighed heavily in her mind as she looked around the cluttered, dark living room. The very idea of cleaning out this house gave her hives, and she wondered if she’d be strong enough to do it.
After a deep breath, she knew she would be. She wasn’t the oldest, but Daddy’s estate would be split in thirds upon his death. She wouldn’t have to worry about Cory taking something from her she wanted.
He lived out in the Hill Country, on his wife’s family farm, which he worked alongside Vivi. Max lived in the Fort Worth area, now separated and taking care of all of his children alone. If Gretchen wanted the house and land, she could probably have it. She ran the candy shop, and she could see a future right there for herself.
In it, a certain reddish-blond cowboy emerged, and she wondered if William Cooper would ever leave his family’s generational dairy operation to live in this hundred-year-old house twenty minutes away.
She wouldn’t know if she didn’t ask. “Not on the first date,” she murmured to herself, quickly navigating over to the text string they shared. Before she could start typing, Ingrid confirmed that she had Gretchen down for next Wednesday for two, and that made her smile.
The Culinary Cabin is full this whole week, she tapped out.The soonest they have is next Wednesday, so I booked that. Is that okay?
She sent that text, her mind firing at her to keep going.We can go out before then. Anywhere is fine, honestly.
Tuesday still?Will asked.Or do you want to go on a day you’re not busy with your daddy?
Gretchen looked over to her snoozing father. She was busy because of him every day. He did have crucial medications she monitored on Mondays, and she changed his oxygen tank those days too. On Thursdays, she had to take him for his afternoon doctor’s appointments, and then he always wanted to stop and get a double-decker chicken salad sandwich at Barney’s in the mall. So that took up her whole evening by the time she drove, waited, got any new medications, asked her questions, and they got the sandwiches.
Tuesday, Wednesday, or the weekend, she told him.Any of those work for me.
I already talked to Trav about Tuesday, so let’s stick to that.
Gretchen smiled at the speed with which his text came in. No typos either.Okay, she started to type, but she got another message from Will.
What are you doing right now?
Her pulse went crazy, and Gretchen looked up as alarm ran through her body. Right now, she was doing nothing. She sat with Daddy most Sunday afternoons, just to keep him company, talk about the candy she’d make that week, and spare herself from spending most of her time talking to her brother’s cat.
She looked over at him, asleep. Cooing at Elvis might actually be a better use of her time…
Gretchen smiled as she tapped to call Will, a tactic that had worked to her advantage last night. His line rang a couple of times, and when he answered it with, “Howdy, Gretchen,” it sounded like he might be a bit winded.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked.
“No,” he said, but another voice came clearly through the line too, saying, “Get back in here! You can’t get out of dish duty just because Gretchen called.”
She started to giggle, but she pulled the phone away from her mouth to do so. She didn’t want Will to think she was laughing at him—or worse, Travis.
“Leave me alone, Lee,” Will growled. “I’m a grown man, and I’ll get my chores done.”
