“Oh?” Charles was immediately interested.
“I have friends who promised to visit me here as soon as they can figure schedules out and such. They’re all couples and I’ve known them for years. Hell, if I could get Joel and Aiden to take a break from their restaurant that could be nice, too.” Francis got excited at the prospect. “I’ve been meaning to look for a house to rent somewhere near enough of Acker for whenever they can make it, but I haven’t gotten to—”
“Nonsense, if you have family coming over, they’re more than welcome to stay here,” Charles interrupted him. “It would be good for us to have new people around even if for a short time.”
“Means you’ll have to clean the guestrooms and you’d have to move yourself to the master bedroom up there, but it’s all space going to waste anyway.” Henrietta looked determined.
“Uh….” Francis really hadn’t meant for this to happen.
The corner of Mark’s mouth twitched as he tried not to smile. Francis sighed and raised his gaze to the ceiling. “I stepped right into that, didn’t I?”
Charles chuckled. “We have told you to take the master bedroom. Anything else is just a plus. If these are people you trust, then they are welcome in our home whenever.”
“Yes. You must miss them, even though it hasn’t been that long since you moved to Acker. Why don’t you give them a call? We aren’t going anywhere,” she said, then glanced at Charles in a way that told Francis she knew what Charles and he had been talking about on the porch earlier. “And if we are, then we might as well make the most of it.”
* * * *
It took a lot of scheduling, but eventually everyone managed to get time off in June.
Minnie, Zinnia, Rita, and Jack would be able to spend a whole week in Acker. Joel and Aiden were still figuring it all out, but they’d spoken about staying for a long weekend.
They were all going to fly from Newark to Rhinelander, which was about an hour away. The five-hour direct flight was worth its cost compared to driving for two days, they all said.
Francis’s friends were going to bring the Grahams presents, because the couple had refused to let them pay for the lodging.
Francis saw a lot of maintenance and yard work being done while everyone was there, and Joel and Aiden would probably cook up a storm, too. Their trip was weeks away, so for now, Francis just had to try and not get too impatient with how time seemed to have slowed down.
“Why are you smiling?” Padraig asked, looking at him over the diner table.
“I’m just happy my people are coming over, you know? I’ve missed them.”
“I can understand that. I love that they’re coming, too. I can’t wait to meet everyone. I haven’t seen Joel and Aiden in years.”
“Kaos will adore Minnie and Zinnia. They’re just his type of people.” Francis grinned. “Oh, how’s the puppy?”
Padraig launched into an explanation of how the Border collie puppy a client of his had given him and Kaos was getting on with Hestia, their older dog.
Seeing Padraig so happy he was practically glowing made Francis feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. He felt pretty sure that Padraig hadn’t felt this good in close to a decade. There had been the lukewarm last years with Marcus, and then the four years of loneliness that had brought on depression.
The door to the diner opened and Kaos walked in. Today mindset had to be more feminine, because he wore a flowy black skirt and a T-shirt with women’s cut. His blond hair was pinned back with colorful barrettes, and he had light makeup on.
“Hey, am I late?” he asked, and leaned down to kiss Padraig. Then he slid into the seat next to Padraig and smiled at Francis.
“No, not at all. I’m thinking about having a milkshake for dessert. Maybe I’ll take some for the Grahams too. They deserve a treat.”
“Great! I had a session run longer than I thought,” Kaos said as he looked around for Leah.
“Was this the… where were they from?” Francis tried to remember. Kaos’s tattoo business was starting to pick up and he’d had a few people travel to Acker to get inked by him.
“He’s from New Mexico. We have a common friend from way back and I guess he talked about my work.”
“Kaos! What can I get you?” Leah asked, her notepad in hand as she smiled warmly.
Once Kaos had ordered and Leah bustled away again, Padraig smiled at his partner. “The guy was visiting family in Minneapolis. He rented a car and drove for five hours to get to Acker and he’s staying over the weekend so he can get the tattoo done. That’s how good Kaos is.”
Kaos flushed lightly and ducked his head. “Well, I have a very particular style and if people want my tattoos, then I guess they’ll have to come here now.”
“Where are your kids?” Francis asked.
