Page 26 of Shelter from the Storm

“Me either,” Gretchen added, looking at Theo. “I had some for lunch my first day here. It was delicious.”

He smiled. “Between that and Mom’s potato salad, we’ll be set.”

Manny’s shoulders fell. “Your mom is making her potato salad? Damn. Wonder if I can talk my buddies into meeting for dinner another night.”

Theo chuckled.

“It’s that good?” Gretchen asked. As the dinner progressed, Theo noticed she was talking more and more, genuinely interested in their stories.

“Best on the planet,” Manny said.

“Tell you what, Manny.” Theo lightly tapped the table. “I’ll send some back with Edith for you, so you can have it for lunch Saturday.”

“Bless you,” Manny breathed, as if Theo had offered him manna sent straight from Heaven.

Gretchen giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, the joyful sound far too short for Theo. “What makes her potato salad so good?”

“She uses the secret ingredient,” Edith said.

“What’s that?” Gretchen asked.

Edith said “love” at the exact same time Theo and Manny both replied “bacon.”

All four of them laughed.

Once dinner was over, Edith rose and pulled the glass lid off a cake stand, revealing a bakery-worthy chocolate cake. “Well, now. I hope you saved room for dessert.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful cake. “Edith,” she said, her tone laced with amazement.

“What’s a party without cake?” The older woman’s eyes twinkled, clearly delighted by her surprise. “Made it this morning while you were out exploring the shops on Main Street.”

Theo couldn’t help but notice the sheen in Gretchen’s eyes, and for a moment, he wondered if she was going to cry. Over chocolate cake.

“It’s too pretty to cut,” she said, after clearing her throat. “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”

Edith, pleased by the praise, brushed off Gretchen’s concerns. “I was delighted to have a reason to pull out the recipe. It’s been too long since I’ve made this cake.”

“Tell me about it,” Manny chimed in, rising from the table to pick up one of the dessert plates next to the cake. “You know…this is my favorite too,” he reminded his aunt.

Edith, who had a silver cake server in her hand, poked Manny’s plump stomach playfully. “I know it is, which is why I only make it for larger groups. Otherwise, you’d devour the entire thing yourself in a single night.”

Theo knew Edith worried about Manny’s weight as he got older, just as he knew she blamed herself for her nephew’s burgeoning waistline. Theo had walked in on Edith and Mom chatting in the B&B’s kitchen one afternoon a few months ago, Mom sharing lightweight recipes with Edith, who admitted she didn’t have a clue how to cook without butter.

Edith sliced each of them a generous piece of cake, then went the extra mile, adding a dollop of vanilla ice cream to the plates before returning to the table.

Gretchen closed her eyes, moaning after the first bite, and Theo had to look away because fuck if her expression of pure pleasure didn’t send his thoughts down some very naughty paths.

“Big fan of chocolate?” Theo asked.

“Sweets were a treat I didn’t get very often when I was younger,” she said, before shoving in another large bite.

Theo believed her, because she was eating the cake quickly, as if she was afraid someone was going to snatch it away from her grip.

“No sweets?” Manny said, his mouth full of cake. “I can’t imagine. Were your parents health nuts or something?”

Gretchen paused mid-bite, her fork halfway between her plate and mouth. Theo suspected she hadn’t meant to let that little tidbit slip.

“No.” She put her fork back down without taking the bite. “They weren’t very nice.”

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