Home to Stay (The Long Road Home #2) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,61
to his house so we can all have dinner together.”
“Whoa, seriously? Are you sure? I mean, if you just want to have dinner with your Gramps, that’s fine.”
“Of course, I’m sure. We decided to see where we're going in this relationship, and part of being together is going to be involved with each other’s families. And believe me, when Gramps gets his mind set on something, it’s best to go along with it. He wants you at the dinner table tonight.”
“Well, alrighty then. Looks like I’ll be having dinner with the Roster men. And by the way, I had already planned on inviting you and your Gramps to my family’s Memorial Day picnic. You just happened to jump the gun on meeting the families, but I call dibs on getting everyone together.”
“Sounds good, babe. Be careful and avoid Paula if you can. I’ll pick you up at your place as soon as I get off work.”
Disconnecting, she leaned back in her chair again, her heart much lighter with thoughts of John filling her mind. Then, due to the idea that she was going to have to have cameras on her house because of her former friend’s stupidity, she almost lost her good mood again. Pushing that to the side, she decided to spend her next few minutes planning what to take to dinner as she waited for her class to return.
Lucy waited on the front porch, her hands full. She’d baked a strawberry crumble pie, glad that she had fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market and a frozen pie crust in her freezer. Her gaze stayed on the drive, anxious for John to arrive. She’d only said goodbye to him yesterday, but it would be the first time they would be around someone else since they had become a couple.
She shifted the pie to one hand so she could smooth her skirt with the other. Deciding what to wear had taken almost as long as deciding what to bake. Meeting his only relative, the man who’d helped raise him, was a big deal. Too dressy would seem like overkill considering John had described his grandfather as a practical man, but then jeans would feel like she didn’t care to make a good impression. She’d finally decided on a casual skirt that fell to her calves, a T-shirt with lace at the top and little cap sleeves, and sandals.
The rumble of a large vehicle had her gaze jump back to the lane, and seeing his smile through the windshield of the SUV eased her nerves. She hurried down her front steps, tripping at the bottom on a loose nail then righting herself quickly before she lost control of the pie. He jumped down from behind the wheel, hustling toward her.
“Are you okay?” He took the pie plate from her hands, his gaze glancing back at the steps.
“Oh, yes. Just a loose nail I keep forgetting to hammer in all the way.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the passenger side where he assisted her up into the seat, handing her the pie once she was buckled. “The boards in the steps should be screwed in. That would make them more secure.”
She scrunched her nose and sighed. “Oh. Well, I’ve just replaced a few of the boards, but I need to work on the whole thing. I suppose I need to add that to my list of things to get done.”
His deep chuckle filled the air. “How long is that list now?”
“Hmph.” Grousing, she play-slapped him on the arm.
It only took fifteen minutes to drive to Gramps’ house, and he spent most of that time warning her about his grandfather. “I don’t want you to be put off by him, but he’s a bit of a curmudgeon.” Sliding his hand around the back of his neck, he squeezed. “Actually, he’s a lot of a curmudgeon.”
“It’ll be fine,” she assured.
“I just don’t want you to be offended by anything he says. He’s pretty blunt but harmless. He takes care of himself but his arthritis makes it a little more difficult.”
She twisted and placed her hand on his leg. “John, stop worrying. It’ll be fine.” She leaned forward in her seat as they turned off the main road, driving through thick trees. At the end was a clearing, a grey-clapboard house coming into sight. “Oh, I love it,” she enthused.
He swung his head to the side as he parked next to the house. “Only you would see an old house