Message delivered. Liv got a small garden salad with a side of the house dressing and headed back into the dining room. She wasn’t surprised to find Matt looking at his cell phone when she reached his table. After all, he didn’t have anyone to talk to. But as she set the dish down, he put the device down and looked at her.
“When did you expand the restaurant?”
After more than eight months, she had grown so accustomed to the larger dining room that she no longer noticed it.
“Last summer. Dad had wanted to do it for a long time, and when Milly closed her art gallery and moved to Arizona, he took over the space.”
Matt shifted so he could get a better view of the restaurant and then looked back at her. “Shouldn’t the dining room be even larger than it is?”
She understood his confusion.
“We only used about half the space for the restaurant. The rest we turned into an office for the catering side of things.”
She’d loved cooking from the time she knew what it was. And she’d always known her future would somehow be tied to the restaurant. A few years ago, she suggested they branch into catering—a service no other restaurant in town provided. It had taken a little time for them to convince her grandfather. When they finally had, they’d started small, catering events such as baby showers and office holiday parties. Last spring, when her dad took over, they’d decided the time was right to take on larger events. By taking over the adjacent space, they were able to expand both the kitchen and the dining room. They’d turned the remaining area into a formal space for her to meet with customers looking to hire them for an event. To date, the largest event they’d done was a fiftieth wedding anniversary party with one hundred guests. However, they had two large events booked for the summer. One was in July and the other in August.
“If I ever need anything catered, I’ll know where to come.”
The door opened again, and a group of four entered. With Maggie outside and the evening hostess not there yet, Liv needed to see to them.
“Your bisque should be ready. As soon as I seat this party, I’ll bring it over to you.”
Alone again, Matt picked up his phone and sent off a text to Owen. He hadn’t seen his friend in close to a year and would enjoy catching up the next time Owen was in town.
From the corner of his eye, Matt spotted Liv heading toward the kitchen, and he mentally shook his head. Considering the number of people he’d met in his lifetime, he shouldn’t remember the first time he met Liv, yet somehow, he did.
That semester, he’d planned to stay on campus rather than fly home to California for the Thanksgiving break. When his roommate found out about his plans, Owen invited him to spend the holiday with his family. Despite all the traveling Matt had done over the years, the only parts of Maine he was familiar with were the towns near campus, so he’d agreed.
When they walked into the Middleton house that Tuesday afternoon, mouthwatering scents and Liv rolling out a pie crust while wearing an apron with the Swedish Chef on the front greeted them. After hugging Owen, she pulled out the apple cobbler she had made just for him because it was Owen’s favorite. Then, as she worked on pumpkin pies, the two siblings caught up while Owen and Matt polished off the cobbler. At some point that day, he must have met Owen’s parents and his other sister, Faith, but nothing from those introductions stood out. He didn’t know why the encounter with Liv did. Maybe it had been the apple cobbler or the way she and Owen interacted. They’d teased each other mercilessly, but it had been clear they’d do anything for each other. Although Matt had two younger brothers with whom he got along well, they weren’t as close as Owen and Liv obviously were.
Actually, although he was the oldest, he’d often felt like the odd man out growing up. As identical twins, Theo and Aiden did most things together. To make matters worse, he had little in common with either of them. Growing up, he often spent more time with his cousin Adam, who was the same age as him, rather than his brothers.
He never spent Thanksgiving with the Middletons again, but he’d made multiple trips back to visit with Owen while in college. Each time, Liv reminded him of the stereotypical girl next door. The one everyone in town liked. The one who always greeted you with a smile and asked how you were. And unlike her younger sister, Faith, she always seemed to be dressed for comfort. The most formal thing he’d seen her in was jeans and a sweater. If she had ever worn makeup, it hadn’t been when he was around.
The phone on the table buzzed as Liv set down the lobster bisque.
“Do you need anything else right now?” she asked.
“What craft beers do you have on tap?”
“Keller, Beaverbrook, and Running Shoes.”
“Someone named their beer company Running Shoes?”
Liv shrugged and smiled. “Maybe the names they wanted were taken and they couldn’t think of anything else. Of the three, it’s my favorite.”
“I’ll try it, then.”
His phone buzzed again, reminding him he had a text message. Once Liv was no longer within sight, he flipped the device over and read the message.
Owen: We’ll be there Friday night. We bought a house over on Tall Oaks Drive.
Matt: Your sister told me.
Owen: Do you want to get together on Saturday?
Matt: Whatever works for you and Jenny.
Matt had no plans he needed to work around. He also had plenty of time on his hands for the foreseeable future.
