Trenton had hoped the weather forecast would be accurate. It’d predicted unusually warm temperatures for the tail-end of March. Luckily, the forecast was spot on. Today’s blue skies and bright sunlight had made the perfect complement to the date he’d planned.
Those very sun rays broke through the leafy tree overhead as Trenton eyed the remains of he and Andie’s picnic. A small wedge of cheese rested alongside a spreading knife, an array of crackers, and what was left of the meat.
“Are you the one who put all of this food together?” Andie asked while folding her legs beneath her.
“Afraid not,” Trenton admitted. “Mable, you know, she’s been a chef at The Homestead forever. A couple years back she talked Milt into offering the catered picnic baskets to guests. They’ve been a real hit ever since.”
He liked the appreciation that spread over her face at his answer. “That’s genius. And it’s reallytasty, too.”
He grinned. “I figured you’d prefer the cheese and fancy sandwich stuff over the fried chicken, biscuits, and cold slaw. That was our other option.”
“Hmm,” she said. “That sounds good too.”
“Next time,” Trenton said, hoping there’d be a next time. As different as he and Andie were, he couldn’t help but feel a camaraderie between them. The way she took an interest in the inn, appreciating things like last night’s gathering or Mable’s picnic baskets.
And the way she’d offered to look into his past. The concern he’d seen on her face. Raw and genuine. It had him thinking about things like giving his heart to her. Which, as ridiculously premature as the thought was, also had him longing to lean in and taste her kiss. That, after she’d opened up about her ex-fiancé and his ulterior motives.
He needed to be certain about hisownmotives before he made some cheap pass at her. Which meant that he had to leave her quiet, private cabin and go for a different setting entirely.
“What was it like growing up at the inn?” she asked, lifting her chin to a breeze as it blew in. A wisp of her brown hair twisted and twirled before brushing against her cheek. Trenton caught himself staring at that face of hers time and time again. Dark lashes, flushed cheeks, and full, pouty lips.
He tore his gaze off her face and dropped it to the blanket they sat on. Yarn tassels poked up from the corners of each square. Trenton wrapped a pair around his finger as he considered life at The Homestead.
“It was good,” he decided. “Like I said, my granddad was quiet, private, and he didn’t show affection in the ways most people do. But having Betty, and a number of staff who’ve been like family to me here, that gave me a well-rounded upbringing, I believe.”
He chuckled slightly as a memory came to mind. “I’m pretty sure Betty saved my life on more than one occasion. When she mentioned busting me with things like cigarettes and girls, she was careful what she told Milt about and what she kept between the two of us. I’ve thanked the good Lord for her on many occasions,” he admitted.
Trenton wouldn’t mention the other prayers he lifted. Pleas that Grandpa would tell him about his past. Was it possible that the old man was right? Was Trenton really better off not knowing?
He lifted his gaze to see Andie studying him, a thoughtful expression on her pretty face. “I should have thanked the heavens for my parents while they were living,” she said, her face pinching in shame. “All I did was complain. And vow to never be like them. I was so focused on the things I didn’t like, that I couldn’t even see the good in them.” She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and shivered.
Trenton reached for the extra blanket, her words seeping into deep wounds of his own. He moved in closer, tossed the fuzzy quilt over her shoulders, and rubbed a hand over her back as she continued.
“I still don’t want to be like them, if I everdoend up being a parent, which I doubt will ever happen…but I feel terrible for not appreciating the good things about them while they were still here.”
There was so much to digest in that sentence that Trenton had to pull it apart in his mind. She didn’t want to be a parent? A sense of sadness came over him at the thought.You don’t want to be a parent either,an inner voice razzed. So why did he care?
He forced himself to move to the other detail she’d shared. The guilt about not appreciating her folks while they were living.
“What are the things you appreciate about them most?” he asked.
Her face turned wistful. “I have this one memory of a time we were all getting settled into the private jet. Normally, we would all scatter into our own little spaces and tune into whatever entertainment device we brought along. But this time, for whatever reason, my father decided we should all watch these cartoons he used to watch as a child. He wanted to show us, I guess. And I tell you, he laughed harder than I’d ever seen him laugh.”
Andie’s smile widened as she shook her head. “The show itself wasn’t even funny, seriously. All of us kids were looking at each other like,what’s so hilarious?But pretty soon we were all laughing, even my mom. But we weren’t laughing at the cartoon. We were cracking up at how entertained he was by that silly thing. It was…endearing,” she decided. “Very. He had a contagious laugh—on the rare occasions we heard it, anyway.”
“That’s a great memory,” Trenton said. “I imagine that your brothers have moments like that too. Do you guys ever talk about your folks? Share your memories to, I don’t know, keep them alive in a way?”
She gave him the subtle shake of her head. “Weshould, but no. We haven’t. Like I said though, we were each leading very separate lives before we came out here.”
Trenton didn’t say so, but to him, it seemed as if they still lead pretty separate lives. It was a rare occasion that he saw more than one of the family in the same room at the same time. A work in progress, he decided.
Andie leaned into him then, her head soft against his arm. “This has been really nice.”
Trenton was quick to lift that arm and wrap it around her, allowing her to curl into the nook he’d created. “It has,” he agreed, enjoying the feel of her so close and warm.
“I thought you were going to take me riding,” she said softly.
He lifted a brow. “Would youliketo go riding?” Why this made his heart skip two beats, he couldn’t be sure. It was just that he very much liked the idea of her taking to that as a pastime.
