Elmer greeted her at the door with a warm, welcoming smile and showed her into his cluttered but comfortable home. Landon had told her his grandfather never threw anything away because he loved to be surrounded by things that made him happy. He wore a red flannel shirt rolled up over his forearms and jeans held up by red suspenders. Central casting couldn’t have found a more perfect character to play the role of the doting grandfather.
“What can I get you, my dear?”
“Whatever you’re having is fine with me. Thank you.”
Elmer made cups of hot chocolate and topped them with whipped cream from a can. “I don’t know about you, but I need something sweet around this time of day to pick me up.”
“I never say no to something sweet. I used to get in trouble for eating the whipped cream right from the can.”
“Ah, yes,” he said, chuckling, “I think every one of my grandchildren has been in trouble for that particular thing at least once, particularly your friend Landon and his twin.”
“Whipped cream is always worth the trouble.”
“On that we agree.” He brought a tin of chocolate cookies when he joined her at the table. “You may be noticing a theme here.”
“We also agree on the magic of chocolate.” Amanda took a sip of her drink. “Delicious.”
He sipped from his mug and ate a cookie. “I heard you met with Mildred yesterday. How did that go?”
“It was great. She’s such a lovely lady.”
“That she is. She’s worked for my family’s business for more than eighty years.”
“It’s quite an accomplishment.”
“Indeed it is, but that’s what our business is all about. Family first. One of my greatest pleasures in life is that many of my grandchildren are involved with running the business my parents started. They’re fourth-generation proprietors, which is a huge source of pride to me. Imagine, the little general store my parents started way back when now employs so many of their descendants.”
“How do you think they’d feel about that?”
“They’d be tickled pink. No doubt about it. They used to tell me there’s nothing more important than family. We’ve tried to instill that atmosphere in the company. Do you know that many of our employees are the second, third and even fourth generation of their families to work for us?”
“I’ve heard that.”
“What I love the most is how the kids have found their own niches within the business. We’ve got Hunter doing the books, Colton and Max making the maple syrup, Hannah’s jewelry, Wade with the health and wellness, Lucas’s woodwork, Landon running the Christmas tree farm, Will with the Vermont Made line, Ella and Charley overseeing the store and the sales force and inventory, and Grayson handling all the legal work. It’s truly a family affair with new family members being added to the team all the time.”
Amanda took notes as he talked. “How do you think the arrival of the catalog will change the business?”
“I predict it’s going to grow in leaps and bounds. Ever since Linc pitched the idea to me, I’ve been eager to see how it would work out.”
“Does Linc still consult you on business decisions?”
“We talk about most of the big stuff, but then again, we talk about most everything. He’s like a son to me.”
“I’ve heard rumblings about a side project you two have been involved in having to do with some matchmaking, perhaps?”
“Not sure where you would’ve heard something like that.”
She smiled at him. “I hear you and Linc are determined to see all your grandchildren settled down.”
“Nothing but rumors,” he said, his eyes twinkling devilishly. “Speaking of that, how are things with Landon?”
Amanda loved the not-so-subtle segue. “Things are good.”
“Just good? It’s seemed a little better than good to the casual observer.”
“Are you fishing for information?”
“Absolutely.”
Amanda cracked up. “I’ll only tell you that your grandson is a wonderful guy, and things are really good between us.”
“That’s what I want to hear. I have a confession to make.”
“What’s that?”
“From the first time I saw you with Landon, I had a feeling about you two.”
“Even though Lucas was there, too?”
“Even though. I can’t explain why, but the thought popped into my head that you’d be great for our Landon. Maybe because I saw the way he looked at you.”
“How did he look at me?”
“Like a man who’d just stared directly into the sun. A little gobsmacked after having seen the light.”