Kingston opened his mouth. Closed it. He should tell his mom he was leaving for Hawaii tomorrow morning. That could still happen, if he pulled out his phone when no one was looking and booked the trip. But as he met his mother’s pleading gaze, he already knew his answer. He didn’t wantto disappoint her. She was also right. They hadn’t spent any time together in . . . months? Years? He couldn’t remember. “I’m all yours.”
“Oh, thank you, King!” She clasped her hands together. “This is going to be such fun. I have a committee meeting right before the lesson, so I’ll meet you at Abernathy’s School of Dance at six fifteen.”
Kingston pulled out his phone and entered the activity in his now-empty calendar. “What’s the address?”
“The school is across from Anita’s café.”
His head jerked up. “The lesson is in Maple Falls?”
“Yes. The lovely owner—Sunny is her name, I think—opened her studio a month or so ago.”
“Um...”
“Is there a problem?” Mom asked, her zeal diminishing slightly. Both of his parents were looking at him with curious expressions.
“No,” he said, sliding a little farther down in the recliner. “Not a problem at all.”
And there wouldn’t be if Olivia Farnsworth wasn’t there.
The doorbell rang, and his mother started to leave. “That must be one of your sisters. Or both—wouldn’t it be cute if they arrived at the same time?” She swept out of the room.
Kingston stared at the emerald-green rug on the floor in front of the TV. For a year he’d managed to avoid Maple Falls, including skipping church. Pastor Jared had given up leaving voice mails asking Kingston how he was doing and inviting him to lunch whenever he was free. No surprise since Kingston hadn’t returned his calls.
“You could have told her no, son.”
He glanced at his father, startled by his concerned expression. “I don’t mind.”
Dad sighed. “That’s what you always say.”
They heard several voices coming from the foyer. “Sounds like the gang’s all here.” His father clapped his hands together. “I’m ready to eat.”
“Lobster?” Kingston rose from the chair.
“Are you kidding? It’s liverwurst time.”
Kingston chuckled and followed his father out of the study. Nothing got in the way of that man and a slice of liverwurst. But as he headed for the dining room to join his family, Kingston thought about what Dad had said. He didn’t have a reason or an excuse to tell his mother no, and he couldn’t avoid Maple Falls forever. More important, his acquiescence had made her happy, and he liked seeing her happy.
Feeling a clap on his back, he turned to see Tanner grinning behind him. “Glad you made it,” his brother-in-law said. “Anita’s been missing you. We all have.”
Kingston smiled. It was nice to be missed, and he was starting to realize how much he missed his family too.
They walked into the room together, and everyone started taking their places around the huge table. As usual, his mother had prepared a feast. In addition to the sliced liverwurst and lobster with clarified butter, there was crisp endive salad, huge cinnamon rolls covered in white frosting, an asparagus and zucchini frittata, fluffy pancakes with whipped butter, plenty of boiled eggs, a variety of fruits, cheeses, and nuts, and olive salad. For drinks, they had a choice of cranberry or orange juice and coffee.
“How does she do that?” Tanner said, surveying the dishes.
“Do what?” Kingston asked.
“Make me look like an amateur.” Tanner shook his head. He not only owned and was the head cook at the Sunshine Diner, but he also had a catering service. He was no slouch in the culinary department and could make simple and fancy dishes with ease.
Kingston turned to him. “She’s been putting on Sunday brunches ever since we were kids. She’s got it down to a science.”
“The stranger returns.” A familiar voice cut through their conversation. Paisley grinned as she approached Kingston and gave him a big hug. “Good to see you, bro.”
“You too, sis. Lawyer life treating you well?”
She pushed her long blond hair over her shoulder. “Now it is. Ryan and I scaled back our workload a bit.” She glanced at her husband, who was complimenting his mother-in-law’s efforts as she savored every word. “We were barely spending any time together, and we felt more like an old married couple than newlyweds.”
Ryan glanced up, and their gazes met. She gave him a little wave and turned back to Kingston. “How are the kids treating you? After all this time, I still can’t believe you voluntarily spend your days around rug rats onpurpose.”
