Miss Lily blushes and gives a dismissive wave. “Oh, stop with that. I didn’t know you were coming to town. Your mother must be delighted.”
“She is,” I confirm.
“Well, I saw Grace and Noah heading into your dad’s store. They look happy as ever. And it’s nice to see your dad looking healthy, too. I know it’s a load off your mother’s mind. She says the cookbook is doing well?”
“It is.”
“Good, good. If you’re not tied up this evening, come on over and watch fireworks. My grandsons are shooting them off, so it might be a lot of foolishness, but there will be cold adult beverages and good food.”
“Thank you, Miss Lily. We’ll keep it in mind.”
She takes her usual seat with her canasta friends, and I turn to look at Sawyer, who’s grinning at me. “That’s pretty much what it’s like living in a small town.”
“It’s like that in Martha’s Vineyard. My grandparents had a place there. I remember how everyone kept tabs on each other every summer.”
“Welcome to the mix. I promise you word of my new gentleman friend will reach the end of Main Street before we even finish breakfast. Now you tell me what it’s like growing up in Boston.”
He does, talking about his family, including the two sisters he’s only mentioned in passing, his parents, their high expectations, their house, his private school, the constant fear he wouldn’t be able to keep up at MIT.
We pause only when the egg sandwiches come so I can watch Sawyer’s eyes widen at the first bite, and it’s worth it.
“Careful or you’ll swoon,” I tease.
“For real, if it were legal to marry a sandwich—”
“I’d have already married this one. Sorry.”
“Fair.”
Whatever questions I have, he’s happy to answer them, and when we finish breakfast and start walking toward the hardware store, I ask him why. “You weren’t this open when we were counselors. What switch flipped?”
“When I was a counselor, everything I had was because of my parents. It was weird to talk about it like it was mine. Myparentshad a nice house. Myparentspaid for my nice schools.
"But my success now is my own. My inheritance gave me a good boost, but even with it, I couldn’t have built up my company like I have if I wasn’t good at what I do. It feels okay to say that. What I have, I earned.”
He says it without any arrogance, and it issexy.
We stop in front of Handy’s Hardware. “Thisis the first date,” I say. “This is my dad’s store. I worked here from the time I was a kid, and I thought you should get a taste of what I can do besides camp activities and cooking. I think it’s something we might have in common.”
“I’m already into it.”
“You don’t even know what it is yet.”
He gives me a cute smile. “I love hardware stores. There’s nothing we could be doing in there I won’t like.”
“Come on, then.” I bring him in and introduce him to Paige, explaining her many connections to our family now. She flicks a glance at my outfit and winks. I’m wearing my own white jeans, but I borrowed another shirt from her, a red Swiss-dotted halter blouse with white buttons up the front and tie around the waist.
“Hi, Tabby,” Evie says, smiling from beside her mom. My dad must have brought her over to hang out with Paige while she works, just like he used to bring us with him. I introduce Sawyer to her too, and she gives a solemn nod. “I know who you are. I’m teaching your workshop.”
“Our workshop?” he repeats.
“Yes,” she says. “Let’s go.”
She flies around the corner and beckons us to follow her to the back of the store. My dad is waiting for us in the “Builder Buddies” corner where he holds Saturday morning workshops several times a year to teach kids basic woodworking and construction.
“Hey, Dad,” I say, and Sawyer straightens beside me. “This is Sawyer Reed.”
“Hey, son,” he says, holding out his hand for a shake. Sawyer takes it, and when they let go, my dad gives me the slightest nod. He likes a man with a firm handshake. First test passed. “Take your seats and we’ll get started on today’s project.” He pats a wooden box beside him. “Your mother has requested another outdoor planter.”
