She smiled brightly. “Yes. Absolutely. It’s just been too long, and I knew if I didn’t make time, it wouldn’t make itself.”
Jeff exhaled slowly, relaxed for the first time since he’d gotten her call that morning. As much as he pretended to be an optimist, these days Jeff spent more time waiting for the other shoe to drop. And while he knew Kennedy was blissfully happy with Sawyer, he still worried about his only child.
Kennedy leaned forward. “Did you really think something was wrong?”
He forced a smile. “No. But a dad has a right to worry, right?”
She smiled, the move reaching her pretty hazel eyes that looked so much like his, most people didn’t realize she was adopted. Not that he shared that news with many people. As far as he was concerned, Kennedy was his flesh and blood, his most prized accomplishment in life.
“You look tired,” he told her. Not that he was surprised to see dark circles under her eyes. His daughter worked too hard, and what time she didn’t spend at the veterinary clinic, she was making up for her time away with her kids and Sawyer. Sometimes he wondered if she ever sat still.
“Yeah, well, I’m getting used to it. So, how’s work?” she asked, opening her menu.
Matthew took Jeff’s menu and mimicked his mother’s movements, staring down at it intently as though he could make out the words.
He pointed to a picture. “I want that, Pawpaw.”
“I’m not so sure you’ll like liver and onions,” he told the boy. “How about chicken nuggets?”
As though he’d just lassoed the moon and dragged it down from the sky, Matthew threw his arms around Jeff’s neck. “Yes! Chicken nuggets. That’s the best idea!”
Jeff laughed, peered over at Brody. “And what about you, little man?”
The little boy nodded excitedly.
“Chicken nuggets it is.”
It took a few minutes, but they managed to order drinks and dinner, then settled the boys with packages of saltines while they waited.
“Back to my original question,” Kennedy said with a chuckle. “How’s work?”
“Same ol’, same ol’. It’s been quiet, actually.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Figure it’s the calm before the storm.” He was used to certain incidents in Coyote Ridge—neighbors bickering, minor infractions such as shoplifting, complaints about the disrepair of the roads—and when things got too quiet, it usually meant something big was coming.
“Did you see the sign in front of Moonshiners?” Kennedy asked, keeping her voice low.
Jeff leaned back when Matthew reached over him to pass Brody another cracker.
“Yeah,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as disappointed as he felt.
“When Sawyer told me Mack was selling, I thought it was a joke. Then I saw the sign.”
Jeff hadn’t thought it was a joke, but he’d honestly been hoping Mack would change his mind.
“Have you talked to him?” she asked.
“Not about the bar, no.” That much was true.
Kennedy studied him for a moment, and he knew his daughter saw more than most people did. Then again, Jeff didn’t try to hide anything from her. While he’d never come out and told her he was gay, he hadn’t lied about it when she’d confronted him. When she was growing up, he’d focused solely on being the best father he could be, and that had left little time for relationships, so it never was an issue. From the moment her adoption went through, Jeff had found his way, the path he was meant to be on. Raising her had been the highlight of his life, and watching her now, seeing the intelligent, beautiful woman she’d turned into made him proud whether he deserved any credit or not.
“I find it hard to believe he wants to up and leave Coyote Ridge,” she said, her eyes intently focused on his face as though reading every line.
“Yeah, well.”
“Dad, his son’s making him do this.”
