The silence hung between them for a moment before Abigail stepped forward to Roan’s side and began ladling stew into the bowls.
“Roan, would you get us drinks?”she asked.
“What can I get for you?”Roan asked.
“I’ll just do cider,” Thea said with a smile.“I’ve heard it’s very good.”
“It is,” Roan said proudly.“It’s my grandfather’s recipe.”
“Your grandparents started the tavern, didn’t they?”Thea asked, looking between the two of them.
“They did,” Roan and Nat said in unison.
Nat grinned at his brother, nodding his head toward him, allowing him to tell the story.
“They met when my grandfather apprenticed for Grandmother’s father.He owned an apple orchard that exported fruit to the entire country, and Grandfather wanted nothing more than to impress Grandmother.So he developed his cider recipe, which became well known across all of Galamere.”
Had he never told Thea the story before?
“And then our father took over,” Roan added bitterly, “and it was never the same.”
“We could resurrect the cider business, though,” Nathaniel said quietly.“I know it wouldn’t be easy, but I believe we can do it.”
“You have more faith than I do,” Roan said with a chuckle.“I don’t think we would be able to do as well as our grandfather did.”
“No,” Nat said with a shrug, “probably not.But you never know, and it could be worth trying.”
“I think you should try,” Abigail said as she brought the bowls to the table and gestured for Nat and Thea to sit.“It seems to me that it would mean a lot to both of you.”
“It would,” Nathaniel admitted.“But I don’t know that meaning a lot to both of us is enough to make it happen again.”
Abigail didn’t respond to that, but she glanced at Nat in a way that promised she wasn’t done with the conversation.And oddly enough, Nathaniel couldn’t wait to talk about it more.What if they really could restore their heritage in that way?Maybe he and Thea could serve the cider in the café, too, and it could be something shared between both the tavern and café.
Of course, that assumed he didn’t continue turning into a cat and was able to have a future with Thea.
There was a scratching at the back door and Abigail opened it to let in Beastie, the large white dog bounding into the kitchen and careening toward Thea, who looked slightly apprehensive.
“This is Beastie,” Nat said, stepping in between the two of them, taking the brunt of the dog’s excitement and inability to stop quickly on such short notice.“How are you, girl?”
“She’s good,” Roan said, the affection clear in his voice.“She broke up a brawl the other day before it even started.”
“She’s the best at that,” Nat said, getting down on her level and giving her all the scratches she wanted.
Thea came up beside him and tentatively patted Beastie on the head.
She was more of a cat person.
“Hello, Beastie,” she said.“She’s very pretty.I don’t know that I’ve seen a dog like her before.”
“She’s a half descendant of a wild breed that runs in the mountains,” Roan explained as Beastie’s tail began thumping against his leg.“Ow, Beastie, go on out front.”
The dog obediently trotted off to help Morgan maintain the peace in the front, and Nat stood, placing his hand on Thea’s lower back.
“I love this kitchen,” Thea said, looking around in appreciation.“This is so big compared to the café.”
“Our grandfather wanted only the best here,” Nat said.
“He knew that Grandmother would leave him if he didn’t give her a good kitchen.”Roan laughed.
