Ryder was earlier than usual Tuesday morning. He’d been antsy since Sunday when Bethany left for New York. He knew she was going there to list her condo, which he thoroughly approved of but a small part of him still worried that she might change her mind and decide to move back there. What if she realized how much she missed the city?

He wanted to believe her though when she said she was back in Quinn Valley for good. Until he’d walked in that morning and his mother announced that she was his new chef, he’d pretty much given up on the possibility. And he’d tried to move on. He really had. But there was only one Bethany.

And unless he imagined it, she was feeling some of the same things he was. He loved everything about her, her laugh, her shy smile, her amazing cooking, her sense of humor, the way she laughed at his lame attempts at a joke and the way she looked. She took his breath away, she always had. There was no one else he’d rather spend time with and he’d been surprised by how much he’d missed not seeing her for the past few days.

He’d quickly grown so used to seeing her every day, and looked forward to sharing a drink after work and chatting about all the crazy things that had happened that day. Yes, it was definitely time for he and Bethany to officially start dating.

“Morning.” The familiar voice made him feel warm inside. He turned and saw Bethany standing in a pool of light that streamed through the open window. She was wearing faded jeans, her hair was in a ponytail and she was carrying a hot coffee. And she’d never looked so beautiful. He fought the urge to go and kiss her senseless. He knew that wouldn’t be appropriate. Instead he smiled and asked how her trip was.

“It was fine and fast. I’m tired today as you can imagine, but I got the condo listed and my realtor thinks it should go quickly. There’s not much available in my price range.”

“So, you’re back to stay awhile,” he teased.

She hesitated for a second and then smiled. “Of course I’m here to stay. How was your family dinner? Did Mr. Peterman go?”

“He did. He seems to go everywhere with my mother now. She keeps insisting though that they are just good friends.”

Bethany laughed. “Well, it sounds like they are really are good friends.”

“Right. Oh, I had a message that my grandmother and her friends are coming today for a late lunch. And she has a special request.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Apparently they all want that lemongrass smoothie that you made for your mother. Word has gotten around that it’s some kind of cure all. My grandmother also wants you to set aside three pieces of chocolate cake for the table to share.”

“Is that all they want? Smoothies and chocolate cake?” Bethany was amused.

“I don’t ask questions. I just do what she says,” Ryder said.

Later that afternoon, Ryder came into the kitchen and looked a bit uncomfortable.

“My grandmother wants to talk to you. If it’s not too much trouble. Her words.”

She laughed. “I’d be happy to talk to her. Where is she?”

“Round table by the window, white hair, purple sweater and pearls.”

Bethany ducked into the bathroom to smooth her hair, added a bit of lipstick to freshen her look and made her way into the dining room. She immediately recognized Ryder’s grandmother. She was sitting in the middle of the table, and the surrounding ladies were hanging on her every word. She finished her story just as Bethany reached the table and the ladies broke into peals of laughter.

“Well, hello there. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you Bethany. It’s very kind of you to come see us.”

“I hope that you enjoyed your lunch? Ryder said that you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes. Tell me dear, how is your mother? Is she doing better? I heard that she’s been ill.”

Bethany smiled. “She’s doing very well. Her doctor says her tests are all showing significant improvement.”

“Oh, that is wonderful news.” All the ladies nodded in agreement.

“That smoothie we had, with the lemongrass, is that what your mother drank?”

“Yes, she still has one every day.”

“You don’t say. And will these be available here regularly now?”

“The smoothies? I think so yes.”

“Good, because we’re all hoping that they might help us too. None of us are as sick as your poor mother of course, but we figure it might be good to keep ahead of things. Build up our immune system.”

Bethany was impressed. “I really do think it helps.”

“And what about the chocolate cake?” His grandmother winked. “Do you suppose that helps too?”

Bethany grinned “I know that it helps. It feeds the soul.”

“That it does. So, my grandson. Are the two of you dating yet?”

“Gertrude!” Her friend Nellie nudged her.

“It’s an honest question. Inquiring minds would like to know.” The ladies all leaned forward in their chairs, listening hard.

“Ryder and I are very good friends,” Bethany said.

“Hmmmm. Well, I suppose that will have to do for now. Thanks for coming to see us.” Bethany fought back the urge to giggle. She was being dismissed.

“Enjoy the rest of your day, ladies.”

She stopped by the bar to get a glass of water on her way back to the kitchen. Maggie was unloading the dishwasher and looked up when she saw her.

“Was my grandmother giving you the third-degree? She prides herself on her matchmaking abilities.”

Bethany chuckled. “Not too bad. She was equally interested in making sure the lemongrass smoothie stays on the menu.”

“Now she’s into smoothies? She’s too much.”

“I hope I have half her energy when I get to be her age.”

“She does pretty well. She doesn’t miss much that’s for sure. Grandma seems to know about everything that goes on around here.”

“I heard Mr. Peterman came to dinner. How was it?” Bethany asked.

“Not as bad as I thought it might be. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. And he’s obviously crazy about my mother, so I have to like that about him.”

“Ryder says that she says they are just friends.”

“That’s right. Very good friends. I don’t think she’s looking to rush anything, which is smart of her. Oh, gotta go. New people needing drinks.”

Bethany made her way back to the kitchen and got ready for the dinner rush. When it quieted down, a few hours later, she joined her mother and her friends. Jill was delivering a baby so she couldn’t make it. But Ryder joined them too.

“I hear you put your Manhattan condo on the market?” Glenda asked as Ivy set down Bethany’s wine and Ryder’s beer.

“I did, yes.” Bethany’s phone beeped alerting her that she had a text message. It was from Gina. She read the message and smiled.

“That was just my realtor, letting me know that she has two showings scheduled for this week.”

“That was fast,” her mother said.

“She said the market is hot. We’ll see what happens.”

“Well, cheers to a quick sale.” Ryder lifted his beer glass and the others all did the same.

“So, I had an interesting phone call a few minutes ago too. Gary and Suzanne were arrested in Las Vegas for running a similar scam on the restaurant they were working at.”

“Wow, they caught them pretty quickly,” Bethany said.

“In Vegas they have cameras everywhere because of the casinos. It wasn’t very smart of them.” He explained to her mother’s friends what they’d done at Quinn’s.

“How awful,” Janie said. “Will they go to jail now?”

“It looks like they will. They won’t be able to rip anyone else off for a long time now.”

“Are you all playing music bingo tonight?” Eddie, the game’s host was handing out score sheets and pads of paper for their answers.

“We’re in,” Ryder said.

Two hours later, they officially came in last place after blowing the final question.

“Oh well, you win some, you lose some,” her mother said.

“That’s right, but it’s always fun,” Glenda agreed.

They settled their bill and everyone left together. Ryder and Bethany walked her mother to her car and then as soon as she drove off, Ryder pulled Bethany to him and brought his lips to hers. He took her by surprise but his kiss was welcome and just as sweet as she remembered.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that. I’ve missed kissing you.” he said.

“I’ve missed it too.”

“Are you ready for that real date we talked about? We could go Sunday night if you’re interested?”

“I’m interested.”

He took her hand and walked her to her car and kissed her again. This time the kiss went on forever, but it was still too short for Bethany’s liking. Ryder gave a final hug before she got into her car.

“Sleep tight, Bethany.”