Oh my God. What is happening right now?
There was no concealing my snort with that zinger.
“Well, put us to work,” Uncle Hal says once they’re gone.
“Oh, I think you’ve done enough, Casanova,” I say.
He beams and bows. “Why, thank you.”
I groan. “You’re going to be a pain in my neck, aren’t you?” As much as I try to sound annoyed, it comes out fondly.
Uncle Hal stretches and bops my nose. “Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea.”
“Ignore him. I’ll keep him in line,” Papa says.
Uncle Hal gives me a deadpan look. “He’s spent a lifetime trying. Hasn’t worked yet.”
Papa lets out a long-suffering sigh. “He does keep me busy.”
I laugh, and when the timer goes off, I lift my thumb toward the kitchen. “I’ve gotta get that out, but you’re welcome to get settled at the house whenever you want. It’s open.”
Papa frowns. “You don’t keep your door locked?”
“It’s Windy Harbor,” I say. “Not necessary here.”
He blows out a breath. “It’s such a good thing I’m here.”
CHAPTER THREE
THE GOODS
CAMDEN
Dad’s humming along to an old Billy Joel song, his fingers tapping in time to the music as we drive down the winding, snowy road toward Duluth. The lake is frozen in places, and yet the waves still crash along the shore.
He looks better.
Not like the man he was before the diagnosis, but not like he did a couple of months ago in the thick of chemo either.
“You nervous?” I ask.
“Yeah. I guess I am a little worried they’ll say something I don’t want to hear.”
I nod. “That’s fair. We need some good news.”
The appointment takes a while, and I sit in the corner paying attention to every detail so I can relay it all to my siblings. Dad hasn’t let us come to his appointments. He’s been very stubborn about it, and I’m not sure why he had me come today, but I’m glad he did.
I spent all morning at the restaurant prepping for my day off. I’ve only worked with my team for a short time, and it’s too soon to be taking a day off, but I trust that they’ve got things under control. Bobby is invaluable, and so is Marilyn, the line cook. Katie and Bentley have already proven to be excellent bartenders. I was most concerned about how Annie and Hannah, Lorraine’s twin daughters from The Loon, would be because they’re young and distracted by Joey, Bob and Helen’s son from The Hungry Walleye, but they’re all doing great. It’s ironic that they’re working for me instead of their parents, but I think all parties involved are enjoying a little break from one another. They know the restaurant business, and it seems like they’re not afraid of hard work…when Joey’s not flirting with the twins, that is. And actually, that’s pretty much all the time…but he’s still getting the job done.
The only weak link is the pastry chef. Britney started this week, and so far, it seems like she’s just in the way and with very little to show for her efforts. If only she put more time into her baking than her flirting. Every time she’s in the kitchen, she’s staring at me, and it’s annoying as hell. If she could produce excellence, it would be different, but her desserts haven’t blown me away so far. We’ll see how it goes.
Dad smiles at me when the nurse leaves. “Not what you signed up for, is it? Do you regret leaving Colorado for all this?”
“Regret time with you? Hell no. I would do it again a hundred times over. No restaurant matters more than this right here…you.”
He blinks slowly, his eyes welling with tears. He’s become a lot more sentimental since the diagnosis.
There’s a quiet knock on the door, and the doctor steps in. He says hello to my dad and then shakes my hand.
