She cleared her throat, hoping he hadn’t noticed her unexpected brain freeze. “Welcome to our home. I’m glad you didn’t get lost.”
“We only got a little bit lost,” Adele said with a grin. “But Dad worked out where we had to go and turned around.”
Joseph held up a cooler. “I brought some dessert with us. Where would you like it?”
Shona pointed to the kitchen. “Come with me. There’s plenty of room in the refrigerator.”
Adele looked around the open-plan living room. “I like your home.”
“I like it, too.” Before they’d arrived, she’d raced around the house, picking up scraps of fabric and half-finished quilting projects. Nate loved seeing what she was working on, but sometimes it could look messy.
Nate walked through the large set of French doors. “The meat’s cooked. Hi Adele and Mr. Adams.”
Adele grinned. “Hi, Nate. What did you cook?”
“Steak and chicken. You can help me bring it inside, if you like?”
Joseph stepped forward. “Before you collect the meat, I’d like to thank you for the birthday present you made. It’s a great replica of the tiny homes.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He took two plates out of a cupboard. “Come on, Adele. We’d better bring in the meat before it gets cold.”
She went with Nate, asking him questions about the model of the tiny home he’d made.
Joseph followed Shona into the kitchen. Three bowls of different salads sat on the counter, and two loaves of bread were cooling on a rack. “You’ve been busy.”
“I’d already prepared most of the food before we went into town. I like trying different recipes when Nate’s home.”
“It’s more fun cooking for two people.”
“Exactly.” Shona opened the refrigerator and moved some food around. “Will that be enough room?”
“Plenty.” Joseph placed a cheesecake on one of the shelves and added two cartons of ice cream to the freezer. “Do you enjoy living out here? It’s a long way from town.”
“When my husband and I bought the property, I never considered how far it was from the stores. All I saw were the wide veranda with the gingerbread trim and the view of the mountains.” She poured Joseph a glass of lemonade and handed it to him. “It wasn’t until we lived through our first winter that I realized it might have been better to be closer to town.” Her heart ached at the memory of Chris trudging through thigh-high snow. Living here was different from anything she’d known, but they’d had a good life.
She poured a glass of lemonade for Adele. It gave her a chance to gather her thoughts and focus on the here and now. “Do you enjoy living in town?”
“We do. Adele’s school is only a ten-minute drive from our house and it takes me about the same amount of time to drive to the old steamboat museum. When I lived in Los Angeles, it took more than an hour to get to work.”
Shona opened the cutlery drawer. “It sounds like coming to Sapphire Bay was a good idea.”
Joseph’s smile disappeared. “It was the only thing I could do.”
Before she could ask what had happened, Nate came into the kitchen with Adele.
“Here’s the meat, Mom.”
“It smells delicious. Leave it on the counter so we can help ourselves.”
It didn’t take long for everyone to choose what they wanted to eat. By the time they sat around the picnic table, their conversation was flowing from one topic to the next. Nate kept them amused with stories from college. Adele’s eyes were full of wonder as he talked about the design projects he was working on. When she told them about the after-school programs at The Welcome Center, her voice was full of enthusiasm.
Nate picked up his glass of lemonade. “You should show Adele the quilt you’re making for The Lakeside Inn, Mom. If she enjoyed the flower arranging class, she’ll like that one. It looks like a bouquet of roses.”
Out of all her projects, that was Shona’s favorite. Quilted in small blocks of soft pink, apricot, and pale yellow fabric, it was a tribute to the Terry sisters’ grandparents. They’d loved their rose garden, spending hours looking after the delicate blooms. After they died, their granddaughters turned the gorgeous home overlooking Flathead Lake into an inn. The roses flourished, and Shona’s quilt would be placed on a rocking chair overlooking the garden.
Adele frowned. “How does a quilt look like flowers?”
“It depends on the fabric and the pattern you make.” Shona lifted a cob of corn off her plate. “If you want to see it, I’ll show you after dinner.”
