If Mr. Clarkson didn’t include Gus in some capacity in his movie—and it had sounded like he wasn’t planning on it—Gus wouldbe humiliated in front of his daughter. If Heather was planning to attend the showing, it might be for all the wrong reasons.
Gus was a cranky old man who drove everyone crazy, a black sheep in their untraditional little family. But he was their blacksheep, and she didn’t want to see him get hurt.
* * *
Jayce had set the alarm on his phone Friday night, hoping to get up and downstairs before anyone else. With only 20 percentbattery left, he’d have to remember to charge it at the cave. His father had scheduled everyone for work today since they’dlost so much time due to the rain.
Lizzie had been trying to beat Rose to the kitchen every morning, but Jayce knew the elderly sisters were spent. And if theyhad to eat another one of Rose’s meals, he worried his father might come unglued. He was already a man on edge because ofthe weather delays.
Jayce had three pounds of bacon cooked and was scrambling eggs when Lizzie shuffled barefoot into the room, her head covered with a scarf, and still in her robe, minus her teeth.
“Go back to bed, Lizzie.” He glanced at her before he sprinkled salt and pepper in the pan, then added a little shredded cheesehe’d found in the refrigerator. “I got this.”
“Step aside, Jayce.” Lizzie nudged him with her elbow. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
He grimaced in good humor. “As a matter of fact, I do. And I know you’ve been trying to beat Rose to the kitchen the lastfew mornings.” He added a small amount of cottage cheese to the bowl of eggs. It made them go further and added a fluffinessthat complemented the effort.
“Who adds cottage cheese to eggs?” Lizzie shook her head.
“My mom did. I used to love watching her cook when I was a kid.” He paused, thinking about those happier times. “Go back tobed.” He glanced at the older woman, whose dark circles under her eyes were a testament to how tired she and Esther both were.“Just trust me. I used to own a deli, and believe it or not, I can cook. If Rose shows up soon, maybe she’ll learn something.But I don’t think any of us want to suffer through another one of her meals. I’ll help you cook as much as I can.”
Lizzie eyed him skeptically. “A deli sells sandwiches.”
Jayce grinned. “Yeah, but we also provided hot meals. I took some cooking classes before I opened it. We even had a few breakfastitems on the menu—gourmet eggs with chives, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs—”
“Stop.” Lizzie raised her hand. “Let’s just see if everyone can tolerate that cottage cheese you’ve got going in there.” She leaned closer to have a look, then sighed. “I’m too tired to argue. Have at it.”
“Don’t worry, Lizzie,” he said as she shuffled back to her bedroom.
A few minutes later, Rose rushed into the room fully dressed. “Ach nee. That’s mei job.” She tried to pry the wooden spoon from Jayce’s hand. “I wouldn’t be earning mei keep, and why is there cottage cheese on the counter?” She gasped. “You didn’t put that in the eggs, did you? That’s notsuitable for eggs.”
He lowered the flame below the eggs and kept ownership of the wooden spoon. “Please let me do breakfast this morning. It mightbe a little different than you’re used to, but I enjoy cooking.”
Rose squinted at him. She was a beautiful woman, tall and slender, with gorgeous big brown eyes. And when she opened her mouth,she had perfectly straight white teeth. But then her mouth stayed open and never closed. Right now, though, she seemed a bitspeechless, a welcome reprieve from her constant chatter. He convinced her to go set the table in the dining room.
Jayce turned when he heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and hoped it was Jesse, Hal, or Giovanni. But it was hisfather.
“Well now, there’s a sight.” His dad chuckled. “My son cooking breakfast in an Amish kitchen.”
Jayce shrugged. “Esther and Lizzie have been getting up early to cook, so I decided to give them a break.”
His father went to the percolator, poured himself a cup of coffee, then added enough sugar to wire him for the day. “I guess anything is better than what that new girl cooks. The older ladies make a great meal, but that new gal can’t cook worth a . . .” His father rattled off words Jayce was used to, but when he lifted his eyes from the skillet, Rose stood at the entrance to the kitchen. Her eyes were watery, her bottom lip trembling.
“I just came to get more forks.” She tucked her head as she moved toward the drawer where the silverware was stored.
When she left the room, Jayce glared at his father.
“Don’t look at me like that. We paid for rooms and meals. The rooms are barely tolerable, so the meals should at least bedecent.” His father left the kitchen with his coffee cup and went back upstairs.
“Ignore him,” Jayce said when a teary-eyed Rose came back in the kitchen. “He’s a jerk.” This was the quietest Rose had everbeen, and while he wanted to enjoy the peacefulness of the morning, he didn’t like that his father had upset her. “Come here.”
She slowly made her way toward him. “People from all over the world cook all kinds of different ways. And not everyone hasthe same taste. But I can show you a few tricks to make a meal taste awesome.”
Sniffling, she nodded. “I know I don’t cook very gut. I’m worried Esther and Lizzie might fire me. But I try to do mei best even though mei mamm said cooking would never be mei strong suit. I do pretty well
