“You can drive to my parents’ place or I can walk from here,” Cody suggested as casually as he might suggest having a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. His irresistibly charming smile as he spoke irritated her. “Either way, I’m not risking the wrath of my mom by missing an annual family breakfast that rivals our Christmas morning feast.”
Jenna climbed into the truck and waited until Cody fastened his seat belt to back out of her spot. She could kill an hour while he had breakfast with his family. Take Graham for a walk along the water. The pup would enjoy that after being cooped up in the truck for so many days. “Okay, we can start on the list after you’re done eating. What should we do first?”
“Breakfast is only the prelude to a very busy day.”
“What do you mean?” she dreaded asking.
“I have a business to close up for the winter. After we stuff ourselves full, the whole family heads to the shop to prepare everything for the chilly elements while I’m out of town.”
Jenna followed his pointed finger, taking a left turn onto a residential street. “You leave town a lot?”
“Every off season.”
“You said something about three years, though.”
Cody rubbed Graham behind the neck, the two acting like old friends. She felt both annoyed and touched. Graham didn’t warm up to just any man. He was a lover of women, but most men kept him on edge. When she offered Cody a ride earlier, she wasn’t sure whether her dog would tolerate him or snap at him. But she hadn’t expected the pup to practically melt at Cody’s touch. “This time I’m gone a little longer.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s the contract I signed.”
Jenna didn’t want to admit her curiosity, so she feigned disinterest in the details. “How long will this winterization take?” She pulled along the curb as directed by Cody. Several cars filled the driveway of the massive log cabin. The home was nearly the size of the local lodge, where Jenna was currently staying.Thiswas where his parents lived? “Couple of hours?”
He let out a laugh that annoyingly spread warmth through her chest.So he has an attractive laugh. Get over it, Jenna. The man is leaving and won’t be back anytime soon.
“It’s an all-day event,” Cody explained, hand on the door handle. “We’re happy if we finish up before sunset.”
“What am I supposed to do all day?” she asked. “If I do any of these things on the list without you, they won’t count.”
He pushed open his door, giving Graham a final rub along his neck. “You could join me. If you’re brave enough to meet my family. Fair warning—they’re a little crazy.” Cody winked at her before he shut the door, causing her heartbeat to skip and flutter.
“Join you?”
“You have something against the world’s best breakfast?” he asked through the open window Jenna was waiting to roll up halfway.
“No, but—”
“Come on, then. We might get wrapped up a little sooner with an extra set of hands, you know.” When she hesitated, he added, “Graham can come too, as long as you don’t mind my mom slipping him bacon scraps.”
Graham whined eagerly at the mention of his favorite word. Jennawashungry. She’d swiped a lemon poppyseed muffin from the lodge earlier, but her rumbling stomach reminded her that it’d been hours ago. “Fine, okay. But the second we’re done, we knock out everything on this list we can tonight. Deal?”
“Deal.” Cody clapped the truck door with his hand. “Now, hurry up before my dad eats all the cheesy hashbrown casserole.”
Jenna wiped sweaty palms against her jeans as she followed Cody inside, Graham happily trotting at her side on a leash. She could hear the dull roar and occasional burst of laughter from an open window. His family sounded . . . blissfully normal. Like the large kind of family she’d often dreamed she was really a part of.
Except, since a young age, Jenna only had her grandpa and older sister.
Now it was only Whitney.
“Sorry I’m late,” Cody announced as they stepped into the dining room. The large table seated eight—nine if you counted the baby girl in a highchair. Six of the chairs were filled. A massive spread of waffles, crepes, bacon, sausage links, a couple of casseroles, and fresh fruit covered the table. “I brought us some help.”
The room fell silent as several sets of eyes zeroed in on Jenna, making her wish she could disappear. She hated attention from strangers in situations such as these. What on earth had she been thinking by accepting Cody’s invitation? It wasn’t too late to shuffle backward and slip out the door. She could findsomethingto do to kill time until this evening.
“I’ll grab another plate,” the young woman seated next to the highchair said. Her dark chocolate hair was pulled into a messy bun and her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Jenna guessed the girl was still in high school. “Cody didn’t tell us he was bringing afriend.”
“Jenna’s the granddaughter of a dear friend of mine,” Cody explained, guiding her to an empty chair. “And this is her dog, Graham. Since we have an empty chair, I invited them to join us.”
“Eddie Kingsley,” the eldest woman in the room said, recognition in her tone. Jenna guessed the woman with chin-length silvering blonde hair was Cody’s mother. Her soft smile radiated warmth, helping calm Jenna’s frayed nerves as she slipped into a chair. “You’re the spitting image.”
