Page 107 of Matchmaking On The Menu

I glance between them. “Do you all interrogate people like this?”

“Yes,” both women say immediately.

“Good to know.”

Mildred smiles slightly into her coffee. “So?” she presses.

I exhale slowly, buying time I probably don’t need.

“I like her,” I finally admit.

The simplicity of it surprises me because there’s so much more to it. Mildred studies me for another second, and somehow I get the feeling she hears everything I don’t say.

“She likes you too,” she says.

Heat creeps unexpectedly up the back of my neck. “That obvious?”

“To everybody except the two of you.”

“That feels mildly insulting.”

The doors to the kitchen open and I look over as Dannica appears, tying her apron on as she moves. It’s like my body instinctively knew she was there. Her eyes find me almost immediately, surprise flickering across her face before it shifts into something softer.

I take her in. Hair tied back, apron hanging loose at her waist, pen tucked behind one ear. She looks slightly rushed, slightly distracted, and somehow that makes her even more beautiful.

“You’re back,” she says, looking from her grandmother to me. There’s something in her voice that warms my chest before I can stop it.

“Turns out I like it here.”

Her smile softens slightly at that. “Careful,” she says. “That’s how they get you.”

“I’m starting to suspect this town’s running some kind of organized emotional ambush.”

“That sounds right.”

She slides into the booth beside Mildred and snatches one of the fries.

“Hey,” Mildred complains.

“You raised me. You knew this would happen.”

Mildred mutters something about ungrateful descendants while Dannica turns back toward me.

“So,” she asks, resting her forearms against the table, “has Grandma threatened you yet?”

“She implied I’ll eventually be forced into manual labor.”

“That’s basically a proposal around here.”

I laugh softly, and God, it’s easy with her. Too easy. “It would seem many things around here are considered proposals.”

Mildred turns in her seat to look at Dannica. “Beverly tried to set him up with Peyton.”

“I heard about that.” Dannica says.

“You heard about that?” I ask. A horrifying thought occurs to me, Dannica might think I actually entertained that.

She shrugs. “It’s a small town.”