Chapter 12
CHAPTER
TWELVE
“Right here?” Cash asked, and he pulled into a parking space.
“This is as close as we’re going to get,” Lark said.
The sun had set an hour ago, and Cash and Lark had made the hour-long drive from the house in Dog Valley to the fifty-five-plus community in Coral Canyon, laughing and talking about his cousins and the day they’d experienced.
Cash couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such full days, and it felt like he and Lark had been flirting and dancing around each other, holding hands, confessing feelings, and attending church together for two years instead of two days.
He put the truck in park and looked over to Lark, the orange glow of the streetlights easily illuminating her face. “What else have they said?” he asked, and his heart felt full to the brim with love for his cousins…and affection for Lark.
He couldn’t believe he’d nearly started crying at lunchtime, but looking at everyone sitting at the table at a meal that he’d prepared and invited them to had warmed him so completely.
Cash had truly felt part of a family in that moment, for the first time in a very long time, despite the cousin nights and the other ways that his family—half-siblings, aunts and uncles, and cousins—had shown love to him.
For some reason, the fact that they’d shown up, no questions asked as to whether he could cook or not, had changed something inside him profoundly.
He still had bits and pieces of Lark’s prayer flowing through his mind, and she’d revealed so much about her character and faith in less than sixty seconds.
He’d seen his family converge on someone and wrap them up in the middle of a huddle-hug only one previous time in his life, and that had been for Bailey McAllister at Bryce and Codi’s wedding.
But standing there in his comfortable space and having all of his adult cousins swarm him had testified to Cash that he’d needed to be home in Coral Canyon.
He still wasn’t entirely sure why, but he now knew he belonged.
“Nothing much more,” Lark said. “Kassie still wants the recipe for the meatballs, and Corinne wishes she’d left her family dinner to come for lunch.” Lark handed his phone back to him. “Oh, and Cole says he feels really bad he missed it, and he does want to stay at the house tonight.”
Cash took his device and reached for the paper plate that held two jam-filled doughnuts for Lark’s grandmother. “That’s okay, right? I mean, I’ve let him stay in the house plenty of times. He just sleeps in the guest bedroom across the hall.”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Lark said. “You’re the one in charge of the house, Cash. I’m the visitor.” She unbuckled and turned to get out of the truck.
He didn’t believe her for a moment, but he did the same while she collected the containers of meatballs and mashed potatoes they’d brought for her grammy from the backseat. It didn’t seem like much, and Cash had a much bigger container of doughnuts for his family.
He and Lark walked side by side down the sidewalk toward the condo buildings. “My grandparents live here,” he said. “But over on the other side.”
“Oh, do they?” she said. “Maybe Grammy knows them.”
“We’ll have to ask. My grandma’s still social, but my grandpa is pretty quiet, and he’s had a lot of health problems lately.”
Lark reached over and took Cash’s hand in hers, and besides her lifting his face to look at her in the bedroom earlier today, he thought it was the first time she’d initiated the physical contact between them.
“Your hands are cold,” he murmured.
“That’s because it’s negative ten degrees out here.”
He smiled despite the grumpy tone Lark had spoken with. “Wyoming’s not for the weak-hearted,” he said.
Lark led him to the back side of one of the buildings, and thankfully, they didn’t have to climb any stairs.
Cash could have done it, but he was tired, having gotten up early, and he really had been working all day long, either with his hands on the food, or with his mind on the sermon and then Lark, or displaying his charming personality with all of his cousins and their different demeanors.
Entertaining certainly was hard work, and he still had two visits to get through. No, three, he told himself, as he’d still be awake when Jet and Wade arrived later tonight.
Lark knocked on the door and tried the doorknob but found it locked. “Grammy? It’s Lark.”
A bump came from inside the condo and the sound of a raspy woman’s voice, but it still took several long seconds before her grandmother opened the door. Lark beamed from ear to ear, and Cash had never seen her quite like this.
“Grammy,” she said, and she released his hand, shoved the bag with the containers of food in it at him, and practically threw herself into her grandmother’s arms.
“Oh, my girl,” her grandmother said, and she hugged Lark tight as well.
Cash’s heart ached at the display of loneliness that Lark let him see. She was strong too, and she said she talked to her mother often, but she really had been alone in college, taking care of herself and worried about her grandmother.
“How are you feeling today?” Lark asked as she stepped back. “This is my friend, Cash. He’s staying in Momma and Daddy’s house.”
Her grandmother looked at Cash like he’d been caught stealing her precious jewelry. “He’s staying at the house? Why is he staying at the house?”
“Remember, Grammy, Momma and Daddy are in Costa Rica,” Lark said, her voice nothing but chipper and filled with positivity.
Cash wondered how much that cost her, but he simply kept his smile in place and said, “It’s great to meet you, ma’am.”
“Cash, this is my grandmother, Helen.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He dipped his hat at her and lifted the plate of doughnuts. “We brought you dinner and dessert.”
“Oh, my,” Helen said. “Did you get those at The Cupid Cupcake?”
“No, Grammy,” Lark said, turning that gorgeous beaming smile on him. “Cash made them.”
“You made these?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “My step-mom used to own Hole in One, and she taught me how to bake when I was fourteen years old.”
“Oh, how wonderful,” Grammy said. “Come in, come in. It’s so cold outside.” She bustled away from the door, swiping up a shawl that had been laid over the back of the recliner.
Cash followed Lark inside and closed the door behind him. He immediately smelled the evidence of cats, and he found food and water bowls over by the small two-person dining room table in the alcove to his right.
“Cash made meatballs and mashed potatoes, Grammy,” Lark said. “Where’s Mister Muffins?”
“He’s around somewhere,” her grandmother said, hobbling into the kitchen. “Do you guys want water?”
“No, Grammy, we brought you dinner and dessert,” Lark said. “You don’t need to get us anything.” She turned back to Cash and took the plastic bag of food from him. “I’ll get it heated up, okay?”
Cash slid the plate of doughnuts onto the counter, not quite sure where he fit or what to do next. A black cat with white facial features and a white-tipped tail rubbed along his ankles, yowling for some of the meatballs Lark had just slid into the microwave.
“Oh, hello there,” he said. “What’s your name?”
“That’s Pepsi Cola,” Grammy said. “He’s the nicest of my cats.”
“How many do you have?” Cash asked.
“Three,” Grammy said.
Cash really didn’t want her to come stay at the house. Then guilt swept through him, but Lark hadn’t brought it up again either.
She looked over to him. “Will you check their food and make sure they’ve been fed?”
“Sure,” he said, but he turned back to Lark.
“Where’s Sweetie?” At the mention of her name, the little dog lifted her head from the couch.
“Ah, there you are, girl.” He moved over to her and watched as her tail wagged and wagged.
She pushed into his hand as he stroked across her head.
“I think you’re coming home with us tonight. ”
“She is,” Lark said. “Remember, Grammy? I’m taking Sweetie.”
“Oh, she’s been the best girl,” Grammy said. “But Mister Muffins doesn’t like her.”
“No, I bet he doesn’t,” Lark said.
Grammy told them all about her potluck lunch, what someone named Harold had brought, and then how Louise had shown up without anything. What a scandal, Cash thought, a smile touching his soul.
He stayed quiet as he filled the water bowl for her cats and poked around in the galley kitchen until he found the cat food to feed them. All three of the cats and Sweetie came running then, and he wondered how long it had been since she’d fed her pets.
Lark sat at the dining room table with Grammy while she ate, and Cash found himself sitting on the end of the couch going through the texts Lark had already read to him on the drive here.
The Young family had an enormous family text that everyone fifteen and above was on, but he and his older cousins had their own message string as well.
That had been the one that had been on fire that afternoon after the lunch he’d hosted.
At first, his heart had squeezed when he’d seen Harry’s post, because he hadn’t invited everyone.
He hadn’t invited Liesl or Corinne or Rosie, and Beth had traveled home for the holidays today.
Boston and Cora had been going to Uncle Mav’s after their luncheon to have dinner and spend time with her.
Cash supposed he’d invited everyone who was an adult, because Rosie, Liesl, and Corinne were still in high school. They’d liked the pictures and responded to the texts, with Rosie demanding that Cole get her a doughnut that night and bring it to her for breakfast in the morning.
Cole had grumped right back at her with, I’m not coming back to the house in the morning. I’m going back up to Whispering Pines to work.
I’ll bring it to you, Cash said. But I’m planning on sleeping until noon tomorrow.
I’ll be done with work by then, Rosie said. I can come by and pick it up.