“Wow,” I said, unable to help myself.
Scott beamed at me. “We’re making these in our tasting room now. People can come and taste a bunch of different cured meats and cheeses, and drink wine. We sample local varieties. It’s popular with all the tourists.”
“Interesting,” Ben said.
“I do some work for Hunnie. From the apiary—”
“Have some.” Scott interrupted me, and I helped myself to a cheese cube. “Yeah, I know Hunnie. She’s something.”
“She lives near Grandma and Grandpa. She wants to put in goat yoga,” Branson said, reaching out to snag a piece of what looked like jerky.
“She is doing it. Goat yoga,” Ben said, correcting him.
“She’s putting together a petting zoo too,” I told Scott. “I’m working with her on her honey infusions.”
Scott nodded, understanding. “Gotta capitalize on these people wanting the whole Vermont experience.”
I wondered if this was what Ben would be doing had he not gone to Pressman, and then on to college and med school.
Scott turned to Branson, ending any business talk. “How old are you, Branson? You at the high school?”
“Sixteen. My mom was only nineteen when she had me.”
I wasn’t sure why Branson chose to reveal this tidbit. Ben didn’t look thrilled, and I guessed it was to piss him off.
Scott nodded but shrugged like he knew but it wasn’t a big deal in his mind. “Your mom was so much fun in high school. One of the best. I don’t see her much now . . . I miss her smile. She was always a bright spot in everyone’s day. What’s she up to lately?”
It felt like he was fishing for information, but what exactly, I didn’t know.
“She still is the bright spot in everyone’s day. Right, Branson?” Ben said, both defending his sister and joking with his nephew.
I wasn’t sure how he did that, instinctually knowing how to lighten the mood. I’d been trained to control the room for most of my life, and I still struggled with it.
And just like that, the tension eased and we sat together comfortably, eating and chatting like we were all old friends.
The rain pounded on, thunder rumbling in the background every few minutes or so, and no one seemed to think this was the strangest moment ever. I tucked my hair behind my ear and caught Ben watching me. His eyes crinkled when he smiled at me, and a warmth spread through me.
“She works at the hospital,” Branson told Scott. “My mom,” he said to clarify.
“Oh? With you, Ben?”
He shook his head. “No, my offices are at the medical building over by the Wayside. I operate at the hospital two or three days per week, depending on emergencies. It makes for a little driving back and forth, but it’s okay.”
“She runs the information desk. Uncle Ben got her the job.”
“I didn’t, Branson. She got it all on her own.”
Tension started to build again. Something was a little off with this Scott guy, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Either he was really nosy, or he genuinely cared for Brenna.
“Honestly,” I said to Scott, “forgive me for saying this, but this is all so strange. You guys haven’t seen each other in a long time, yet here we are at your house without an invitation, chatting and sharing food with no end in sight.”
All of that just spewed out of me without my thinking it through first. My mom would have scolded me for being so blunt.
“It’s just the way here. We’re a tight community,” Scott said to me. “You must be from New York City, not the Finger Lakes.”
This made me giggle. “How did you guess?”
“Just a hunch,” Scott said with a grin, and Ben put his hand on my knee.
I lifted a palm in surrender. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I swear. I’m getting used to all of this Vermont niceness.”
Scott pulled out his phone and swiped at his screen. “Something else for you to get used to, the water is going to keep rising. We’ve been so dry, and radar shows it’s supposed to rain straight through the night. Looks like you’re either going to spend the night here, or turn around and go back to where you came from.”
“We can’t do that,” Branson said sheepishly.
“Speaking of which,” Ben said to his nephew, "you have to call your mom and explain what happened. And now you’ll have to explain why you won’t be home on top of it all.” He stood up and headed for the hallway, motioning for Branson to come with him. “Let me tell my answering service what’s going on. I’m not on call. I’d have to call the fire chief if I were, so I guess that’s a silver lining. I’m sure he’d rather not have to rescue me. I should let them know, though, just in case any of my patients call. Then it’s all you, buddy.”
Ben stepped into the hallway with his phone, and poor Branson followed with his head lowered like he was walking the plank.
“What about you?” Scott asked me. “Do you have to call Hunnie? Or you don’t work on Friday?”
“I only work for Hunnie part-time. Actually, I often work Fridays. I’m a barista at the Bean. Luckily, I’m off tomorrow but I’m back on Sunday, opening shift.”
“Over in Colebury? Zara and Audrey’s place?”
I nodded.
“I know the Shipleys. Griffin’s a good friend of mine,” Scott said with a smirk. “Oh, I don’t think you would know about that. He and Zara had a thing, but that’s long over.”
Defending my bosses, I said, “I don’t even think I want to know.”
“Ha.” Scott was teasing me again, and I found myself missing the warmth of Ben’s palm on my knee. Scott was obviously nice and successful, but way too much of a flirt for me. I wondered if he carried a torch for Brenna, since he kept asking about her. “Griff makes the best cider. We serve it sometimes with our platters if he has a new one he wants to share.”
I leaned forward and plucked
