Page 77 of The Candlemaker

“Pleasure to meet you. Thank you for having me—oomph.” I broke off when she pulled me in for a hug.

“We hug around here,” she informed me with a friendly pat on the back. “Now, let me introduce you to everyone.”

I received warm welcomes from Frankie’s cousin, Harper—the one from the photo in the hall, Frankie’s sister-in-law, Violet, her other cousin who owned the flower delivery service, Max, and her almost sister-in-law, Aurora. The other three men in the room greeted me a little more guardedly.

“Chandler.” Nox extended his hand, and I shook it, but he looked much less thrilled to see me than the day we met at the Candle Cabin.

When he moved to the side, the last two stepped forward. Frankie’s older brothers.

“Kit Kinkade.” The one who inspired Frankie’s candle business.

“Chandler,” I said and gripped his hand, his stare hardening on me with dislike.

They had to know who I was—who I was to them. It would’ve been foolish to presume anything else.

Aurora came to his side and placed her hand on his arm. When he looked at her, she smiled, and instantly, his whole demeanor changed. Like a knight shedding his armor, everything about him softened for her, and something in my chest twinged.

I looked away and came face-to-face with the last of the Kinkades.

“Jamie.”The oldest.Her father figure.

He gripped my hand firmly, his gaze just like Frankie’s when she measured me up. One look was all it took for thetwo of them to size up not just a man’s character but his soul.

“Pleasure.”

He drew back and folded his arms over his chest. “So, you’re the one who won’t sell the inn to Lou?”

“Jamie Kinkade, there is no business talk at family dinner,” Gigi said curtly, giving the back of his leg a light whack with her cane, that I still had yet to see her use to walk.

Jaime grunted and mumbled an apology.

“Jamie, now that Frankie and Chandler are here, you and Kit should start grilling the chicken.” Ailene handedthem the full platter with a smile and shooed them from the kitchen. “Frankie, you’re with Lou and Harper on table duty.”

Frankie caught my eyes, and then joined her sister and cousin in the dining room. Her other cousins didn’t even need instruction before Max went to the bar and Nox started taking drink orders. And that left me, Gigi, and Ailene.

Frankie’s mom smiled at me. “So, Chandler, I hear you’ve been working at Frankie’s store?”

“I have.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Why don’t you help me slice the vegetables and tell me all about it?”

Dinner passed in a blur of conversation. Between the twelve of us, there wasn’t a moment open for silence before someone filled it, but never with discussion about the inn. Like she was the queen, everyone abided by Gigi’s edict to keep business off the table. Well, except for Harper, who was allowed to discuss at length her new beekeeping venture.

Maybe it was because there were so many of them…or maybe it was because of who they were…but I didn’t feel like an adversary here. Hell, I didn’t even feel like an outsider.

But mostly, I watched how they interacted with Frankie. Howthey all instinctively looked to her to chime in at every turn. I didn’t know if they realized it or not, how often they turned to her. Even when they teased her. Even when they shared stories about her pranks. They still anchored their conversation around her.

Maybe because it was so easy to find comfort in her warmth.

I would know…I had, too.

“Frankie, dear, can you help me and your mother in the kitchen?” Gigi asked as everyone stood to move the conversation to the couches in the living room.

Frankie flashed me an apologetic smile and followed Gigi, leaving me to follow the rest of her siblings and cousins into the living room. I settled on a spot next to the fireplace, standing with my shoulder propped against the hearth and my gaze anchored on Frankie. Sipping the last of my drink, I savored her infectious laughter that reached me all the way from the kitchen.

It was definitely a mistake to join them for dinner. A line that shouldn’t have been crossed. But there was no going back now—I was afraid there never would be.

“Mr. Collins.” Lou stepped in front of me, blocking my view of her sister. I should be seeing the same thing. The same honey hair. The same almond eyes. The same plump pink lips perpetually pinned in a tempting smile.

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