Mamaw is at the screen door, eyes snapping to our hands, and Ryland quickly releases his grip.Thanks, Mamaw!She grins at me and motions for us to come inside. “Dinner is almost ready. Come in and wash up.”
She takes the basket from me and hums in approval. “Thank you for picking these. It looks like we will have enough for me to make some jelly and brew some tea for that old man over there.”
We laugh and look over at Papaw, who pushes himself out of his favorite recliner, grunting in protest as he stands. “Now, listen here. Age is just a number. In here”—he pats his chest—“I feel just as youthful as I did when you first laid eyes on me and fell in love with my good looks.”
I make my way to the sink and wash my hands, listening in on their conversation because I always love how they playfully bicker back and forth. Ryland is behind me. My skin seems to buzz every time he’s near, as if alerting me that he is close.Attention, Raine. That hot guy you claim is your best friend but you secretly have feelings for is near! Try not to act weird.
“Did you forget that I despised you at first?” Mamaw deadpans, and Papaw gives one of his intoxicating belly laughs. “You were such a pain in my butt. Still are some days.”
“But I was persistent and knew that you would have to eventually give in.” Papaw looks over at Ryland and gives him a wink. “Take notes, son. This is good advice.”
Ryland shakes his head, grinning at Papaw, and I study his face for a moment, taking in the way Ryland’s eyes crinkle as his smile grows, how the gold in his eyes seems to shine in the sunlight, and the honeysuckle that is stuck in his messy golden-brown locks. I reach up and snag the flower, tossing it into his face with a laugh, and run around the kitchen island to avoid his hands as he chases after me.
I let him catch me, his fingers tickling my ribs until he stops and places the flower behind my ear. Mamaw watches us with a sparkle in her eye and motions for me to help her prepare thesalad. She hands me a tomato to cut and plants a kiss onto my temple. The scent of her—coffee grounds, dirt, and fresh roses—fills my nose, and it instantly comforts me.
“Ryland, would you care to set the table?” she asks and opens the oven to pull out a peach pie that she made from scratch. My mouth waters thinking about pairing a piece with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ryland looks at the pie and licks his lips. He must be sharing the same thought as me. I focus on distracting myself with work, or my mind will start to wonder about his lips again.
I chop up the tomato and place the pieces into the bowl of lettuce. Once Ryland is out of the room, Mamaw walks over to me, leans close to my ear, and whispers, “So…”
“So what?” I ask, keeping my focus on the tomato I’m chopping and not the way my heart picks up its beat.
“You and Ryland seem to have grown closer lately,” she adds, nudging me slightly with her elbow.
“Yeah, we’ve spent most weekends together since he moved here.” I know where she’s going with this, and I don’t want to discuss it when Ryland is closeby. However, my Mamaw is relentless when it comes to girl talk.
“I saw you two holding hands and the way he tickled you in the kitchen.”
I roll my eyes and look up at her. She is a few inches taller than me. Just the right height that when I hug her, I fit perfectly within her arms and neck. Her hair is pulled back today, but most days, she lets it lay down past her shoulders. She embraced her whitish-gray color as it began to take over when I was just a baby and gets it permed every so often. I've always loved her hair.
“Friends hold hands and tickle each other,” I admit, swallowing back my nerves and look toward the opening that leads into the dining room.
“I often hold your grandmother’s hand and give her a tickle too.” Papaw chuckles from behind us and grabs a hold of myMamaw, tickling her sides, earning a loud squeal from her as she jumps away from his embrace and swats at him.
“Now stop that!” she hisses but doesn’t contain her smile.
“You know I can’t keep my hands off of you,” he adds and gives my Mamaw a pat on the butt.
I laugh at the sight of them. This type of hands-on flirting is normal around my grandparents, and I adore how much they love one another. Even when they bicker back and forth some days, it always ends with a playful comment or a kiss. I’m blessed to have them in my life and want a marriage just like theirs when I’m an adult.
“Stop it!” She swats at him again, and the smile spreads on her face, lighting her up like a Christmas tree. “I was just saying, Raine, that it seems like?—”
“Do you want me to carry anything else into the dining room?” Ryland asks, and all three of our heads snap to him. He stops in his tracks and stares back at us, a dark brow rising up his forehead in question. “Did I miss something?”
“Nope,” I say quickly and grab the bowl of salad. “Just Mamaw and Papaw being gross.”
“Hey now! I’ll show you two gross,” Papaw argues and takes my Mamaw into his arms and plants a kiss onto her lips. I smile at them and make a gagging sound. Mamaw moves away from Papaw to toss the rag in her hand at me. Ryland laughs, and I can’t get past him fast enough as I escape into the dining room.
We sit down and enjoy grilled lamb chops, a salad made with vegetables from the garden, and finish with Mamaw's award-winning peach pie. We are stuffed and stay at the table for an hour afterward, playing cards together. The phone ringsand steals Papaw’s attention right as I shout, “UNO!” I’m so close to winning my second game in a row.
“How are you so good at this game?” Ryland asks from across the table.
“Because I taught her how to play,” Papaw adds before he answers the phone. “Hello. Where ya been today? Yeah. Yeah.” He laughs and looks over at Ryland. “He’s been a good help today. Alright, I’ll tell him. See you soon.”
He hangs up the phone and walks over to the table to retrieve our dishes that have been pushed to the side. Mamaw stands up to help him. “Your Pops is on his way to pick you up.”
“Okay,” Ryland says, a frown taking over his face.
I can feel a frown on my face as well. I know it takes about twenty minutes to get from the cabins to the farmhouse, so we don’t have much time to hang out until we see each other tomorrow at school. Ryland is supposed to be a grade ahead of me, but when his family made the move to Covewood, his mother decided to hold him back a grade. He was bummed about it, but I wasn’t. I loved sharing a few classes with him and getting to see him in the hallways at school. It makes the time in between the weekends more bearable.
