Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Boone claimed the seat next to Mila, just as he had the previous three weeks for Sunday dinner.
Lena had left a couple hours earlier, after what was a surprisingly pleasant visit.
Of course, Boone knew who he had to thank for that.
Mila had joined them for dinner Wednesday night, making Sadie’s favorite meal as promised.
Lena had been quite friendly and charming, regaling them with stories about her humorless sister, Carol. The evening reminded him why he’d been attracted to her all those years ago, and made him feel just a little less stupid about marrying her.
Mila had kindly shown her around the farm when Sadie was in school, and on Saturday, Remi took his daughter and Lena on a trail ride, which his ex raved about for the rest of the evening.
There were still more than a few times over the past four days when shades of Lena’s self-centeredness showed, but rather than get annoyed, Boone was able to be amused.
Because Mila always managed to sneak him a wink or make a horrified face that only he could see. She helped him to laugh it all off.
When Lena left, she promised to return soon, giving Sadie and Mila hugs before driving away. Boone had intended to talk to Sadie prior to dinner, but she hadn’t even come back into the house, following Mila instead to the B&B to help Claire cook.
The Storms were a chatty group, the mealtime conversations always entertaining.
Sam was grumbling about some shit the former mayor was stirring up with the city council.
Unhappy with his loss to Sam, Scottie Grover had apparently decided to become a pain in the ass, bitching about the city’s proposed budget to anyone who’d listen.
Gretchen was talking to Kasi about the wedding that had taken place at the event barn the day before, sharing some of the cool things she thought Kasi might want to include in her own reception.
From there, the discussion branched into what food Kasi and Levi might want for their rehearsal dinner and the reception.
Mila’s suggestions were met with a lot of enthusiasm.
“You are so good at this!” Kasi gushed.
“She should be a caterer,” Boone said, shooting Mila a grin. She rolled her eyes—but when he said the word “caterer,” her family sat up and took notice.
“Oh my God, you totally should,” Theo chimed in. “If we could offer that as part of the event barn’s options…”
The second he said that, Gretchen and Nora jumped in, also excited.
“Finding a good caterer is the number one complaint we hear from people renting the barn,” Gretchen added.
“Tell them your ideas for the winery and brewery menus.” Boone was aware he was putting Mila on the spot, but he also knew she was facing the dreaded tasks of cleaning all those damn cabins this week after yesterday’s wedding.
“What ideas?” Nora asked.
Mila described her idea for the grilled cheese and wine pairings, then talked about her plans to expand the brewery menu, as well.
“If we served meals instead of just appetizers, we could keep people at the brewery a lot longer,” Theo observed, clearly impressed by the idea.
“The truth is,” Mila admitted, “catering would be my dream job. I love working in the brewery and winery kitchens.” She lifted one shoulder. “There’s just never enough time with…”
“The cabins,” Remi filled in. “I thought you liked running the cabins? Decorating them and all that stuff.”
“I…I…uh…” Mila stopped talking.
“You kept doing it to help me,” Claire said.
Mila started to shake her head, then stopped. “It’s pretty physically grueling, Aunt Claire, and with your back issues—”
“I’ll take over the cabins,” Remi offered. “I would have offered before, but I honestly thought you liked running them.”
“It’s a nice offer, Rem,” Mila said, “but there are a lot of times when the cleaning duties overlap with your trail rides.”
Once again, Remi had the answer. “Then we’ll hire Lark to work here full time.
She’s already waiting tables part time and performing on the weekends.
She was just saying the other day she really needs to find a job with more hours.
She can help clean cabins. She’s tired of living at home, and she’s trying to save enough money so she can move out. ”
“She’d have more money if she wasn’t constantly spending hers on concerts and trips,” Jace muttered.
Remi rolled her eyes. “Who cares what she does with her money? She’s a free spirit. Point is, Lark’s a great worker.”
“When she’s here,” Jace stressed. “You better nail down her hours up front.”
Boone was surprised by the hint of anger in Jace’s tone. Of all the Storm brothers, he was the most easygoing, which was saying something.
Rex nodded. “I think hiring Lark is a fine idea, Remi.”
“Then it’s settled,” Claire announced. “Remi is now in charge of the cabins, we’re offering Lark a full-time job, and Mila is Stormy Weather Farm’s kitchen manager and, more importantly, our official caterer.”
Mila blinked a few times, then turned to him, smiling widely. “Dream job,” she whispered.
He patted her hand. “Congrats.”
She laughed, leaning closer to whisper, “Thank you.”
The rest of the meal felt like a celebration as Rex opened a few bottles of wine, everyone toasting Mila’s new job title.
Once dinner wound down and the dishes were cleaned, he, Sadie, and Mila said their goodbyes.
As they approached the fork in the path, one lane leading to Mila’s farmhouse, the other to his cabin, Sadie turned to face them. “When are you guys going to tell me you’re dating?”
Mila and Boone stopped in their tracks.
“What?” Mila asked.
“I’m not an idiot,” Sadie said, with enough exasperation that Boone couldn’t help but smile.
“No one thinks you are, Sadie,” Mila was quick to reassure her.
“How long have you known?” Boone asked.
“I saw you kissing by the car the night I snuck out. I got up to get a bottle of water and,” Sadie shrugged, “there you were.”
“That was well over a month ago, Donut. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”
Damn if Boone wasn’t proud of the young woman who was blossoming before his very eyes.
Of course, that pride was mingled with sadness, because Sadie wasn’t his little girl anymore.
Part of him wanted to keep her five years old forever, the two of them spinning in the kitchen, her in her yellow dress, him playing the Beast.
“To be honest, I planned to talk to you about this tonight,” Boone admitted. “I know I haven’t really dated much since your mom.”
Sadie snorted. “You’ve never dated anyone, Dad.”
Boone glanced at Mila. “Sometimes I wonder why I taught her to talk.”
The three of them laughed.
“Are you okay with me and your dad dating, Sadie?” Mila asked.
Sadie’s expression said it all. “Of course, I am.” Then she looked at him. “You’re happy with Mila. You weren’t before.”
Boone wanted to argue, but Sadie didn’t give him a chance.
“I’m not saying you weren’t fun or nice, but that’s different. You were whistling in the kitchen the other morning.” Sadie turned to Mila. “Whistling,” she stressed, like it was the most unheard-of thing in the world. “You laugh more. And talk more.”
Boone didn’t realize until that moment just how quiet their fall had been. Sadie was furious about the move, and after too many arguments about it, and then her silent treatment, he supposed he’d stopped trying to convince her that coming here would be a good thing.
Then…he realized their house had always been too quiet, even before the job offer. They sat together for dinner, and he asked about her day. But after the meal, they tended to drift into silence, watching television together without much conversation.
Boone hadn’t considered himself unhappy, but now that Sadie pointed it out… God. He’d always thought protecting Sadie was the most important thing, but by denying himself happiness, he’d been sending her a horrible message. Choosing fear and a risk-free life over love and happiness.
“I am happy, Donut,” he admitted. “Happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
That confession left both his girls smiling widely.
“I’m glad.” Then she turned her attention back to Mila. “Are you going to move in with us?”
Mila’s gaze flew to Boone, slightly panicked. “No. I mean, not right away. And not unless you’re okay with it. Or…”
Boone wrapped his arm around Mila’s shoulders, taking her off the hot seat. Now that they’d started this conversation, it was time to drive home—to his daughter and Mila—just where he saw this going. “I want Mila to live with us, but you get a say in that, Donut.”
“I think she should move in tomorrow. Think about it, Dad,” Sadie said, eyes wide. “Meatloaf and buffalo wings whenever we want. No more frozen lasagna or yellow dinner.”
Boone laughed, ruffling Sadie’s hair. “Chip off the old block. The way to a Hansen’s heart is through their stomachs.”
“Tomorrow might be too soon,” Mila replied, but Boone didn’t agree.
He shook his head. “Tomorrow’s not soon enough.”
Mila studied him…and he realized he and Sadie were going to get their way. There was no reticence, no hesitance in her eyes. Just excitement.
“Can I spend the night with Nora and Remi?” Sadie asked. “Since tomorrow’s the start of spring break, they invited me. We’re watching both the Mamma Mia movies in honor of the kittens being born.”
Boone nodded. “Sure. That’s okay.”
“Just Nora and Remi?” Mila added. “What about me?”
“Remi said you and Dad wanted to start a puzzle tonight.”
Mila flashed him a look, while Boone tried to keep his poker face in play, because he honestly couldn’t tell if Sadie understood that was code for sex.
“Oh, um, yeah, right. I forgot we’d planned to do that,” Mila replied. She was going to have to work on banking her expressions. She was currently bloodred and slightly twitchy.
Boone covered his mouth with a hand, trying to play his chuckle off as a cough.
“Do you need anything for tonight? I can grab it and bring it over to the farmhouse,” Boone offered.