She watched Rose put water on for tea and she thought about mentioning the caffeine thing, but then reconsidered. One cup of tea wouldn’t hurt. Probably. Besides, she still had a lot on her to-do list and she could use the extra jolt.
“I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that,” Rose said, and it took Liz a second to realize she was still talking about the Mustang being in her driveway. “But speaking of Drew, I wonder where Andy got to.”
“I saw him with the chain saw, so he probably went out to take care of that branch that came down on the edge of the tree line in that last storm. Shouldn’t take him more than a few minutes.”
Liz’s gaze drifted to a counted cross-stitched sampler hanging on the wall that read Bless This Kitchen. According to Rosie, Liz’s mom had stitched it when Sean was a baby, so it had been made before Liz or Josh were born, and it made her smile. This kitchen did feel blessed, and she was overcome again by the certainty she’d made the right decision in coming home.
“I know you didn’t want us to fuss,” Rosie was saying, “but we couldn’t have you walking into an empty house with no place to sit or lay your head but on the floor.”
“It’s perfect. Especially my bedroom. As soon as I walked in the room, it felt like home, so thank you for ignoring me.”
“Anytime.” Rosie winked.
“So what’s up with your car?” Josh asked. “You could have borrowed the plow truck. Nobody’s using it right now, obviously.”
“Let me see...old plow truck or a sweet little Mustang? Tough choice, Josh.” She laughed. “Drew was pretty insistent, actually. He likes the idea of rubbing the car in Mitch’s face.”
“He’s always said he missed a shift.”
She rolled her eyes. “Men.”
“Back to your car,” Rosie said. “How bad is it?”
“Managed to whack both the front and rear fenders, and the back was bad enough so Drew said I couldn’t drive it. He and Butch both implied I’d be better off replacing the entire car.”
The back screen door opened and Andy Miller walked into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw her sitting at the table. “Hey, Liz. It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.” A little weird, since he wasn’t allowed at the lodge for much of Liz’s life, thanks to something he’d done decades before that pissed Rosie off. Now the housekeeper had not only forgiven him, but fallen in love with him and moved him into the lodge.
Definitely weird, she thought when he put his arm around Rosie’s waist and kissed her cheek as the teakettle started whistling. When she swatted at his behind, Liz looked at Josh, who only shrugged.
“Liz was just telling us she went off the road last night and wiped out her fenders on a tree, which is why your son’s Mustang was parked in her driveway.”
That took the weird up yet another level, Liz thought, killing the wince before it could show on her face. Rosie and Drew’s dad being a thing was just one more reason to forget she and Drew had ever had awesome sex that fell short of perfect only because they hadn’t had hours more to spend together.
“Knew there was a good reason,” Andy replied, stealing a cookie from the jar on the counter. “Can’t remember the last time he let anybody drive that car of his, though. I don’t recall Mallory even driving it.”
Liz didn’t want anybody spending too much time analyzing why Drew would let her drive it when his ex-wife didn’t, beyond the superficial reason of annoying Mitch, so she steered the conversation away. “Butch thinks I should take whatever the insurance company will give me and run.”
“One of the most honest guys I know,” Andy said. “If he doesn’t think it’s worth hunting down fenders and repairing the vehicle, he’s probably right.”
Liz smiled her thanks when Rose set a mug of black tea in front of her, and half listened while Andy and Josh talked cars, insurance claims and junkyards. She wasn’t holding out much hope of being able to find fenders in the right color for her car in a junkyard within driving distance, and she wouldn’t be able to afford a new paint job, anyway. She should probably grab a newspaper at the market and see what vehicles were for sale in the area.
“Enough with cars,” Rosie said, sitting down across the table from Liz. “How does it feel to be home?”
“It feels good,” she said honestly. “I had breakfast at the diner this morning and met Tori. I think I’ll like working there, and Lauren’s house is perfect. And I’m tired of sharing everybody’s lives over the phone.”
“I’ve already told Sean I expect him, Emma and the baby to come over from New Hampshire for Christmas this year. I know they celebrated with your aunt and uncle last year because Emma was pregnant, but this will be the first holiday with all of you home since I don’t know when.”