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fifty-eight

DANIEL

I added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the sauce I was making. So far, so good. The ribs I’d bought from the local butcher had been marinating for nearly an hour. In a few minutes, I’d wrap them in foil and grill them for the next ninety minutes. By the time Ben arrived, they’d be tender, juicy, and hopefully finger-lickin’ good.

“You could go on one of those TV shows you like watching.” Patrick stood on the other side of the kitchen counter, sniffing the peppery scent of the sauce.

I sent him a sheepish grin. My brother and granddad were the only two people in the world who knew I was a closet BBQ Pitmaster fan. “It takes a lot more than a good sauce to get through the elimination rounds.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t try. What time is Ben arriving?”

“Six-thirty.”

“Hmm.”

I glanced at my granddad before covering the ribs with a sheet of foil. “What does that mean?”

Patrick picked up his glass of wine. “Nothing.”

“Hmm isn’t nothing.”

“Sure it is, especially where Ben’s concerned. What are your intentions?”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “My intentions depend on what Ben wants.”

“What he wants is a man he can trust. You have to tell him what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter. It was four years ago.”

Patrick shook his head. “You can be as stubborn as an old cantankerous mule.”

I picked up my beer. “Didn’t you say I was a chip off the old block?”

“I should have listened to your grandma. She warned me about Emanuel Ricardo, but I didn’t listen.”

“It wasn’t your fault. No one knew what was going to happen.”

Granddad grunted. “Your grandma was a shrewd judge of character. All Emanuel wanted was his moment in the spotlight. Well, he got it, but not in the way he expected.”

“Nothing turned out the way we thought. Even grandma was shocked by what happened.”

“Talking about your grandma…” Patrick looked around the cottage. “We need flowers.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“It’s good luck. You can’t romance a man without giving him flowers.”

If my granddad was trying to make me less stressed, it wasn’t working. “I’m not romancing Ben. We’re having dinner. With you.”

“On my first date with your grandma, I gave her a bouquet of daisies. From that moment forward, we never left each other’s side.” Patrick’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “You deserve a man who loves you like there’s no one else in the world. Someone who gives you the best of who he is and doesn’t expect anything other than the best of who you are. If Ben is that man, give him flowers.”

I looked at the pride on my granddad’s face, the love for his wife that would never die. My grandparents had found a once-in-a-lifetime love that changed their lives. It had given their son a glimpse of what could be, and their grandsons a life filled with joy.

With tears in my own eyes, I walked around the counter. I hugged my granddad and wondered where the years had gone. “Grandma loved you and so do I. I’ll find some flowers for Ben.”

Patrick’s arms tightened around me. “Good boy. I’ll make the salad.”

With the story of my grandparents’ courtship ringing in my ears, I headed outside. If there were any flowers around Willow Lake, I’d find them. If there weren’t, I’d have to be a little creative.