Kate looked at the scene around her. Ben's mug sat exactly where Pop always put his, to the right of the napkin holder. Tom had his legal pad out, already covered in notes in his precise handwriting. James had two phones on the table, both face down, both vibrating with messages he was ignoring.
“We saved you a pancake,” Dani said, sliding off the counter. She grabbed a plate from the stovetop, Marcy's blueberry pancakes, Pop's recipe. “Ben helped make them. Turns out he knows Pop's secret ingredient.”
“Everyone knows it's nutmeg,” Kate said.
“Not everyone,” Ben said quietly. “Just people who pay attention.”
Their eyes met across the kitchen. He'd been paying attention to their family recipes, their rhythms, their stories. Three weeks of working on the inn, and he'd absorbed more than just the structural problems.
Tom cleared his throat. “So about those permits…”
“I can handle the permits,” Kate said.
“But I have experience with historical building regulations,” Tom insisted, tapping his legal pad. “Just last year I worked on a case involving…”
“A case in Boston. This is Maine.”
“Regulations are regulations.”
James stood abruptly, grabbing his coffee. “Ben, want to show me that roof section?” He was already moving toward the door, eager to escape the rising tension.
Ben glanced at Kate, a question in his eyes. She looked away.
“Sure,” he said, pushing back from the table. “Tom, you're welcome to join us if you want.”
“I'll review the paperwork,” Tom said stiffly.
After they left, Dani started washing dishes with unnecessary force. “What was that? You could try being nicer.”
“I could try a lot of things.”
Tom gathered his papers, his movements sharp and efficient. “We're trying to help, Katie.”
“By taking over? By making friends with my…” She stopped.
“Your what?” Dani turned from the sink, eyebrows raised. “Your contractor? Your boyfriend?”
“He's not my anything.”
Tom snorted. “Right. That's why you practically froze him out for sitting in Pop's chair.”
“That's not…”
“It's exactly what you did.” Tom stood, his lawyer voice clicking into place. “You walk in, see us all getting along, and immediately go into defense mode. Classic Kate.”
“Classic Kate?”
“Push everyone away before they get too close. It's what you do.”
“I do not.”
“You're doing it right now.” He picked up his laptop, his phone, which buzzed immediately with what looked like dozens of messages. His face tightened as he glanced at the screen, then quickly darkened it. “I'm going to work in the office. Let me know when you're ready to discuss the permits like adults.”
After he left, Dani dried her hands slowly. “He's not wrong.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“There aren't sides. We're family.” Dani refilled her coffee, adding three sugars, stirring slowly. “You know, Ben asked about you this morning. Before you came down.”
