Mom joins Dad by his side. “No, please come in.”
Gavin and I stand as well. “Hi, Dr.Blaire,” I say.
“Elena, it’s nice to see you again. And this must be your brother, Gavin. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Likewise,” Gavin says, sticking his hand out to shake hers. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Sorry for the interruption. We were hoping to catch you before you sat down to dinner,” Dr.Blaire says.
“We’re eating earlier than usual since I skipped lunch to go to Hal’s after the town council meeting,” I explain. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Ah, I see.” Dr.Blaire nods. “Well, we would have come sooner to welcome you to the town. But we wanted to let you settle in first.”
“We heard you borrowed Jean’s truck to move some things in,” Mayor Beecham says. “Figured now was a good time to visit.”
“Still getting settled, as you can see,” Dad is quick to say.
“It’s a work in progress,” Mom says self-consciously.
“What house isn’t?” Dr.Blaire says, paying no attention to the mess. “You should see the state of our home. This one is good at starting projects around the house. Not so great at finishing them.” She points to her husband, shaking her head.
“I guess we’re all works in progress.” Mayor Beecham shrugs. Everyone laughs, effectively setting Mom and Dad at ease. “Speaking of works in progress”—Mayor Beecham gestures outside—“Blaire says you have plans to grow produce and join the co-op.”
“The former tenants left the field in such good condition that we’re almost ready to plant new crops,” Dad says. “Just need to figure out what it is the town could benefit most from.” He shares a knowing look with Dr.Blaire.
“We can’t begin to thank you for lending us the tractor. It’s been a huge help,” Mom says. “Really, you must charge us for it.”
“No, no, no.” Mayor Beecham puts his hands up and waves off Mom’s notion. “In Blaire we take care of one another. I can’t in good conscience profit off of any of our residents, no matter how new they are to the area.”
“If there’s anything we can do to repay the debt, please let us know.” Mom seems touched.
“Being in Blaire, we depend on one another. So I’m sure there’ll be a day I’ll call on you for a favor.” Dr.Blaire smiles kindly.
“What’s in the cooler?” I ask, noticing the insulated bag Dr.Blaire brought in with her.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” She hands the cooler to us. “It’s a test batch of the honeycomb ice cream you suggested. I think it turnedout better than anyone expected, and I had to bring you some since it was your idea.”
I squeal. “I can’t wait to try it after dinner.”
“Speaking of…Daniel, we should get going and let the Oks get back to their dinner.”
He nods, agreeing with her. “Wouldn’t want to keep you from it.” He inhales deeply. “Whatever it is, it’s making my mouth water.”
“You should join us. We have more than enough food,” Gavin offers. Mom and Dad seem mortified by the suggestion at first. Then Mom warms up to the idea.
“Yes, please join us.” Mom gestures to Mayor Beecham and Dr.Blaire to sit.
Before they can refuse, I pull out two plates and place them in front of the extra chairs.
“It seems it’s decided. You must stay,” Dad says, changing his tune.
“If you’re sure it won’t be any trouble,” Dr.Blaire says hesitantly.
“At this point it would be rude to refuse,” Mayor Beecham says. He’s already sitting down, making himself comfortable at the table.
Gavin goes into the kitchen to retrieve the burgers that were previously hidden. When he sets the plate down on the table, I can’t help but notice how the now-cooled burgers are deflated and the buns are flattened. Maybe it was because Mom made the point that people eat with their eyes, but they seem unappealing, even to me. Mayor Beecham blanches. A nervous look washes over Mom and Dad, as if the thing they feared the most is coming true.
“They taste better than they look, I promise—” Gavin starts.
