“Where did you learn to make cheese grits?” Besides the cheese grits, he’d fried up the grouper and made the best hush puppies Sarah had eaten in a long time. Since they were a regional specialty, that was saying a lot. She leaned back in the patio chair and rubbed her full tummy. Luke was gorgeous, kind to his nephew, and had a soft spot for dogs. Plus, the man could actually cook. If she didn’t watch out, she was going to start liking him.
“A chef never tells his secrets,” Luke said.
“Oh? You’re a chef now?”
Toby barked as if agreeing with Sarah and even Cameron laughed.
“I’m beginning to feel very unappreciated here,” Luke grumbled.
“I think I can guess your secret ingredient,” Sarah said. “Gouda cheese.”
“How did you know?”
“It’s what I put in my mac and cheese that you seem to love so much.”
“The secret ingredient in my cheese grits is the same as in your macaroni and cheese?”
“Looks like it. Although I use a lot of butter and other things you don’t normally eat so your taste buds must be on overdrive when you sneak eat it.”
Cameron looked surprised. “You sneak eat, Uncle Luke?”
Luke made a grumpy man noise that made his nephew laugh.
The three of them, four if you counted Toby, sat around the backyard patio of the beach house, their empty plates evidence of a meal much enjoyed. After finding Toby in the woods, they’d gone back to Cameron’s house to pick up the fish and make sure Buttercup was taken care of. Sarah had fed Buttercup while Luke had cleaned out her litter box. Remembering the look on his face when he’d emptied it still made her giggle.
They were trying to figure out the stove when Cameron had suggested they go back to the beach house for dinner. “You promised Toby could play in the water,” Cameron had said. So, they’d packed up Cameron’s things for the night, stopped by The Bistro so Sarah could put away the quiche ingredients and get her car, then they’d headed back to Luke’s.
After dinner, at Sarah’s suggestion they’d made a small bonfire and roasted marshmallows over the flames to make s’mores. “No chocolate for Toby,” Luke warned. “It’s bad for dogs.”
“Poor dogs. I would die if I had to live without chocolate,” Sarah said, taking a not-so-delicate bite of the gooey, graham cracker delicacy. “I don’t think I’ve had a s’more in ages.”
“Me either,” Cameron said.
“I don’t think I’ve had one in a couple of decades,” Luke said, grinning.
They ate themselves silly, and now, with their bellies full and the fire dwindling, the evening was coming to an end. She sighed. The quiches would not make themselves. “I should probably hit my bed. I have an extra early morning tomorrow.”
“Aw, can’t you stay up a little while longer?” Cameron pleaded, obviously still wired up from the day’s events. “We could play cards. Or Monopoly. Or even watch a movie. You can pick.”
Luke gave his nephew a look. “Sarah gets up early, Little Man. Plus, she’s right. It’s getting late. We’ll play Monopoly tomorrow.”
“Can I at least take Toby down to the water?” he asked.
Luke craned his head to inspect the shoreline. It was past ten, but there was a full moon tonight and the lights from the beach houses along the shore provided enough illumination to be able to see well. “Okay. But just until this fire dies. Then it’s time to hit the sack.”
“Deal! C’mon, boy!” Cameron took off running for the beach with Toby following behind.
Sarah stood to get out of her Adirondack chair but Luke waved her down. “Stay a few minutes. I could use the company. Please?”
He said it quietly, in that same tone he’d used earlier, making it impossible for her to refuse. Luke could certainly be charming when he wanted to be.
“I guess a few more minutes can’t hurt.” She took another sip of her wine and watched as Luke toed off his sneakers and stretched his legs in front of him. They sat with their chairs side-by-side, keeping an eye on Cameron as he tossed a stick to Toby, who ran down the beach to retrieve it. Cameron’s laughter and Toby’s happy bark drifted back up to the patio, making everything feel warm and cozy.
“He’s a great kid,” she said. “You must be really proud of him.”
“I am.” He glanced at her. “I know I already said this, but thanks again for tonight.”
She shrugged. “You would have found Toby eventually.”