“I care for Retta,” Duncan said. “I want to be there for her and make her happy.”
Even behind the sunglasses, he could feel her scrutinizing stare.
“Good,” she finally said. “She’s been hurt before, and she deserves someone dependable because she throws herself fully into everything she does.”
Duncan nodded. He couldn’t be that guy, but he wholeheartedly agreed Retta deserved the best.
“When she and her brother were younger, they’d come down here for winter breaks,” Ms. Edie said, pausing for a moment to pet Levi who’d taken to lying beside her. “We took them skating on the lake one year. They’d both never done it before. Her brother gave up once he fell a few times, but she spent hours that day trying to get the hang of it.”
“Did she?” Duncan asked.
“Oh yes, she was able to skate around the lake once without falling. That’s the kind of commitment she deserves.”
Something tightened in Duncan’s chest.
He was about to say something when the topic of their conversation stepped out of the house, carrying two glasses of punch. She looked charming in her apron covered in flour and her unruly coils.
Duncan moved to get up, but Retta said, “No, stay. I’ll join you. I thought you two could use something to drink.”
She handed him and Ms. Edie each a glass before taking a seat in the grass with them.
The older woman took a sip and said, “Thank you, love.”
“It’s good,” Duncan said as he lightly smacked his lips in response to the tangy cranberry flavor. “Thank you.” Without so much as a second thought, he leaned in and kissed the side of her face.
He wished he could say the move was part of his performance as her boyfriend, but it came too naturally.
“You’re all sweaty,” Retta said, smiling and dramatically wiping her face with her apron.
He teasingly went in for a hug. “Come on, it’s only a little perspiration.”
Giggling, Retta ducked to avoid him. He then grabbed her ankle and attempted to pull her toward him.
“Is this my punishment for not letting you share a bed?” Ms. Edie asked, watching them over her sunglasses.
They both froze.
Retta scooted out of his reach and cleared her throat before saying, “The sour cherry pies are done. All I have to do is put them in the oven before we eat dinner.”
“I’m excited to try it,” Duncan said.
“Not to brag or anything, but the recipe won me the final mini-challenge onWinner Bakes All.”
“Nice—”
“You told him about the show?” Ms. Edie asked, her thin eyebrows high on her face.
“Yeah, it came up,” Retta said, playing with blades of grass.
“Hm,” Ms. Edie said before turning to Duncan. “I guess you are worth knowing after all.”
ChapterSeventeen
It was stilldark outside when Retta’s alarm went off. Whenever she visited her grandmother, she was compelled to watch the sunrise at least once. She’d never been someone who was awed by nature until she’d experienced a Cedar Lake sunrise as a teen. A rendering of it was submitted for her high school senior art project.
After getting ready, she did her best to descend the stairs and not hit the squeaky points. She had no gripes about going alone or with Levi, she actually preferred it, but she also knew Duncan slept in the living room and might appreciate an invitation.
She felt her way into the living room, almost tripping over a dog toy. Squinting, she cautiously approached Duncan. He’d somehow pretzeled himself onto the couch, and it didn’t look remotely comfortable.
