Page 57 of First Bride to Fall
“Okay, good. Want to say seven?”
“Sure.”
“Want to meet there, or—”
“I’ll probably want to go home and change first.”
“Yeah. Where do you live?”
“On Galloway Ridge near the cranberry bog?”
“Oh yeah. I know it. You rent that little cottage at the end of the lane?”
“Not rent it. I own it.”
He admired her. “Well, look at you.”
She giggled. “It’s actually not far from your store.”
“Just what I was thinking,” he told her. “Why don’t I pick you up?”
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll make a reservation for seven thirty to give you extra time.”
She sighed. “Can’t wait.”
Grant was glad to have that settled. He leaned back against the sofa and picked up his tea while still holding Nell’s hand. She drank from hers, too, and they both studied the leaping flames in the woodstove for a bit. After a while, he became curious about her job and her family.
“How do you like working at Bearberry Brews?”
“Truthfully?” She grinned. “I love it. It’s great working with my sisters and my parents. Lucas, too. He’s been with us since he was fifteen. His dad died in a fishing accident, and he needed the cash to help his mom look after their family.”
“That’s sad.” Grant frowned. “For Lucas.”
“Yeah, but he did okay. You know? Really pulled through. If it hadn’t been for him, his little brother, Ramon, wouldn’t be doing so well.” She smiled proudly, her affection for the Reyes family clear. “Word is, he’s college bound, thanks to Lucas’s tutoring.”
“Who’s your barista? She seems nice.”
Nell smiled. “You must be talking about Mei-Lin. She and Misty have been best friends forever, and she works at the café part-time. She’s in grad school online to become an ESOL teacher.”
“ESOL?”
“English for Speakers of Other Languages.”
“Oh yeah. I think they used to call that ESL back in our day.” He chuckled like that was so long ago, and maybe in some ways it was. “Sounds like a nice work environment,” he said. “We’ve got a great crew at my store, too, including Jordan. He’s the best.”
“He’s not native to Majestic, is he? I mean, I don’t remember seeing him around before last year.”
“Right,” Grant said. “He moved here from Chicago. Wanted to live somewhere more outdoorsy so he could pursue his interests.”
“Of?”
“Being outdoors.” Grant laughed good-naturedly, and then he studied her a moment. “Doesn’t that ever get tight, working with your family? Jordan and I are friends, but it’s hard to imagine me working with a brother. I mean, do you and your sisters ever get on each other’s nerves?”
She smiled. “Sometimes, but not as much as we used to. When Misty, Charlotte, and I were teenagers and all living at home togetherandworking part-time at the shop, things could get a little iffy then.”
“Iffy?”
