He stepped inside and glanced around at his first peek inside the house. The front room was decorated in a comfortable, coastal theme. No surprise there. An overstuffed sofa and chairs made a cozy corner on one side of the room. He followed Emily through the room and into the kitchen.
Livy turned from the stove as he entered.“You’re right on time. I’m just finishing this up and need to pop it in the oven for thirty minutes. It’s a crabmeat casserole.”
“And it’s delicious,”Emily added.“My fav.”
“And I brought home a loaf of sourdough bread that Evelyn made today. She’s been busy testing out the commercial oven.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Mom, I’m going to go do some homework. Call me when dinner’s ready.”Emily disappeared out of the room.
“So would you like to sit out on the lanai? We could have a beer or wine?”
“Either is fine.”She had a tiny bit of flour on her cheek and he resisted the temptation to swipe it from her flushed face.
“Then just look in the fridge and pull us out two beers.”
He peeked inside and found the local craft beer he knew she liked and pulled out two bottles. He popped the caps, handed one to her, and followed her outside.
They settled into two wicker chairs facing the canal. The view was peaceful. He could imagine sitting out here all the time and just watching the water slip by, or the world slip by for that matter.
Livy kicked off her shoes.“Ah. Nice to be off my feet.”
He felt a bit guilty that she’d worked all day—probably crazy busy preparing for the opening—and then came home to cook for him.“I do appreciate the offer for a home-cooked meal.”
“After all you’ve done? It’s the least I could do.”
She had on a simple t-shirt dress and her hair was tied back, though a few curls had sprung loose and framed her face. She raised the bottle of beer to her lips and took a sip. He tried not to stare…
She glanced over at him and caught him watching her.“Oh, I guess I should have offered up glasses. I usually drink mine right out of the bottle.”
“Bottle is fine.”He took a sip to prove it and cover up his discomfort at being caught staring at her.“Things coming along for the opening?”
“They are. Day after tomorrow. Friday. I think we have everything ready.”She laughed.“At least I hope so. Evelyn is going to be busy making things tomorrow. She’s going to bake the bread for the sandwiches and a few pies and sweets to serve. We don’t really know what kind of business we’ll get, so we might be over making things at first. I’m sure Evelyn will figure it all out as we go along.”
“I bet it is hard to figure out how much you’ll need of everything.”
“We did get a part-time worker, though. Melody. That should help.”
“If I can do anything to help, just let me know.”
“As if you aren’t doing enough already. Emily said you showed her how to get the ordering software installed. And you’re right, it wasn’t too pricey. I appreciate that.”Her eyes shone with gratitude.
“I’ll show her how to get the items set up and how to add new items and prices. You’ll be all set for whenever you want to add in the online ordering.”
Her timer went off on her phone and she rose.“Stay, finish your beer. I’ll just put the finishing touches on dinner.”
She went inside, and he stared at the water slipping by the seawall behind her house. If he had a house like this on the waterway, he’d sit outside here all the time. At the far end of her property, there was a dock and boat lift with a small skiff on it. Must be nice to just walk out and take a boat out for a spin. Not that it sounded like Livy had much free time. And he didn’t know a thing about boats…
Emily popped her head outside.“Dinner’s ready.”
He rose to go inside. The tantalizing aroma had already made his stomach growl in anticipation.
Livy was pleasedshe’d thought of this delicious casserole to make. It had never failed her, and part of it she made last night, so there wasn’t much left to do tonight but finish the last details of the sauce, pop it in the oven, and make a salad.
They sat at the table in the kitchen—the house was small and didn’t have a dining area. That didn’t bother her because the house was just the right size for her and Emily. Though, it might have been nice to have a dining room for company tonight, not that Austin seemed to mind the casual dining.
Austin took a bite and nodded in appreciation.“This is wonderful. Seriously. Rivals any of the fancy dinners I’ve ever had. It’s delicious.”
