“What’s happened?” He set the plate down and rushed over to his grandmother.
“Ellen.” Jan shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Raven, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She pushed up and wrapped her arms around her again.
Raven had believed she’d spent all of her tears for her grandmother. Yet now, with her grandmothers’ best friend holding tight to her, her eyes stung, and she shut them before she lost full control.
“Let me open this bottle, then you can tell me how she went and catch me up on everything you’ve been doing since I last saw you.” Jan dropped her arms and walked behind the counter to open the wine.
“I’m so sorry,” Cade said softly. He looked over at his grandmother. “We hadn’t heard.”
She shrugged. “As far as I know, only family knew,” she replied quickly, feeling a little uncomfortable suddenly.
“Here, Gran.” He walked over and finished opening the wine bottle for his grandmother. “I’ve got this. Why don’t the two of you head outside on the deck and enjoy the warmth before the sun goes down? I’ll bring the wine out for you.”
His grandmother lifted her hand to his face and smiled up at him. “Thank you, dear.”
Then she took Raven’s hand and pulled her outside onto a massive deck that hung over a pristine backyard with a small brook running through it.
Raven couldn’t imagine a more beautiful spot to live, or to tell her grandmother’s best friend everything she’d lived through in the past ten years.
Even if Cade was tagging along for the ride.
Chapter Six
He who blows on the fire will get sparks in his eyes ~ German proverb
He knew better than to jump to conclusions. But when he’d stepped inside and had seen his grandmother crying with Raven standing over her, looking guilty, he’d done just that.
Now, after hearing that she’d just informed his grandmother of her grandmother’s passing, he wanted to give the two of them some time to catch up before starting the night.
After opening the wine and dropping it and two glasses off outside, he returned inside to finish dinner prep.
He wasn’t the best chef, but he did know how to make the basics. Especially anything that went along with steak.
He’d baked some potatoes and loaded them on a platter along with fixings, including bacon strips, cream cheese, cheese, and onions. Then he pulled the grilled veggies off the grill. Since the sun had gone down and the summer night had turned a little chilly, he set up the table inside. He stepped outside and let Raven and his gran know that dinner was ready.
Both of them looked more relaxed and happier than they had before, which put him more at ease as well.
“Did you two have a good time catching up?” he asked as he pulled out the chair for his grandmother.
“Yes.” She touched his arm as she sat. “Thank you for inviting Raven tonight. It’s just what I needed,” his gran said. “I think it’s what we both needed.” She glanced over at Raven. The smile Raven gave her in response had him tensing again.
Damn, why did she have to look so incredibly hot tonight? And what was with that skintight skirt? Those legs. Had he ever seen sexier legs before? Not in years, he determined as he ate while half listening to the conversation.
She’d straightened her red locks and had on a lot more eye makeup than when he’d seen her in the store. The darkness around them somehow made her crystal eyes more haunting.
He couldn’t figure out why he was being pulled closer to her the entire evening. He started relaxing and forgetting his original mission. At one point, he even started daydreaming about what she would taste like. What her body would feel like up against his.
“Well.” His grandmother stood up suddenly, pulling him out of the fantasy. “I think it’s about time I head home.” She touched his shoulder. “I’ll leave you two young kids to enjoy the pie I made. You should take it out on the deck and light a fire in that new firepit you got last week,” his grandmother suggested.
He stood up suddenly, “Gran, I’ll—”
She nudged him. “Do as your told.” She narrowed her eyes at him. She walked over and hugged Raven. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. Thank you for letting me in,” she said softly.
Raven kissed his grandmother’s cheek. “Thank you for listening.”
“Night,” his gran said. She walked to the door, pulled on her coat, and left.