Page 34 of When Morning Comes Around

“Dad, this is Jake. He’s the one who fixed the minivan for me.” She looked over her shoulder. “He’s Dominic’s nephew.”

Jake moved toward her dad’s armchair, hand extended. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“It's good to meet you, too,” her dad said as they shook hands. “I hear you bought Art Jurgen’s old place. He struggled the last few years before he retired, you know. You think you can make a go of it?”

“I do – I know I can. No disrespect to Art, but from what he told me, he was just marking time those last few years. He was waiting to retire – not trying to grow the business.”

Her dad chuckled. “Yeah, you got that right. Attitude is everything – and it seems to me that you have a good one. I reckon you’ll do well, especially if you can get your name out there.”

“I’m working on it,” said Jake. “I already joined the Chamber, and I’ve been throwing out business cards like they’re confetti.”

“There’s a chamber in town, now?” Sadie asked.

“There is,” her dad told her. “Gabe Morgan came back from New York, and he’s shaking things up – for the better. He’s breathing new life into the town, but at the same time, he’s making sure that we don’t get overrun with tourists.”

“Gabe Morgan?” The name sounded familiar, but Sadie couldn’t place him.

“Doc and Lizzie’s oldest boy – Gabriel.”

“Oh! Right. Of course.” She shook her head. “That’s why I couldn’t place him – I was expecting someone my own age.”

Her dad laughed. “You have to remember that you’re an old bird, now. The young’uns coming up behind you are the ones in charge, isn’t that right, Jake?”

Jake laughed. “I think I’ll just smile and nod and stay out of it, if that’s all right with you.”

Her dad laughed. “That’s just fine by me, kid. I reckon that attitude will serve you well as you build your business.” He turned to Dominic. “It’s good to see you again, too, son.”

“And you. I followed Jake over here so that I can give him a ride back.”

“I figured that was it. Are you going to stay and eat before you head back to the lake?”

Sadie shot him a puzzled look. Was he inviting them to stay for dinner? She could probably rustle something up but…

Dominic looked uncomfortable, and she felt bad. While she was wondering what she could say to let everyone off the hook, it was Jake who piped up.

“Uncle Dom told me about the diner over here, I’ve never eaten there. Is it any good? I was thinking we could maybe eat there before we head back.”

Her dad grinned at him. “That’s exactly what I was going to suggest.” He checked his watch. “You need to get over there for your shift, don’t you, Savannah?”

“I do.”

“Why don’t you take Jake with you? I don’t want to make you late, and it’ll take me a while to get in the car.”

Sadie could only stare at him. He was organizing the evening for all of them? It certainly seemed that way.

“Do you want to?” Savannah asked Jake.

He checked in with Dominic, who nodded. “Sure, I’d love to.”

After they’d gone, Sadie raised her eyebrows at her dad. “Are you trying to matchmake?”

He chuckled. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I was trying to be efficient. Savannah needs to get to work. It’s going to take a little while to get me down the path and into the car. I didn’t reckon Jake would enjoy hanging around for that. So, it makes sense to send them off.” He turned to Dominic. “Don’t you think?”

Dominic chuckled. “It does, but don’t think you’re fooling anyone, Harvey.”

She loved the way her dad smiled at him. She was going to have to ask one or both of them how they’d gotten to know each other. The way they behaved made it clear that Dominic was more than just a customer at the garden center.

“Maybe not,” her dad said. “But we’d better get a move on. I wasn’t joking that it’ll take a while to get me in the car.”

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