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“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Yet again, Drew had managed to dispel her fears.
Beth met him at the front of the vehicle. He laced their fingers together before making his way toward the house. As they drew closer, she saw the outline of a woman in one of the upstairs windows. Drew had been right. She had been spying on them.
He opened the door and let Beth go inside first. Moments later, they heard someone coming down the stairs. They didn’t have to wait long before a woman descended into view. She had brown hair the same shade as Drew’s, but it was mixed with a fair amount of gray. Beth knew that this had to be Drew’s mother.
The woman greeted them with a warm smile, then walked over to Drew and wrapped her arms around him.
Drew hugged her back.
Beth stood anxiously waiting for the introduction she knew was to come. From the conversations they’d had about his family, she knew this meeting was important. Whether Drew admitted it or not, Beth doubted a relationship between them would last if his family didn’t approve. As they pulled apart, his mother’s gaze settled on her.
“You must be Beth.” Instead of the nod or handshake Beth was expecting, Drew’s mother embraced her as well.
Startled, it took a moment for her to return the gesture. Beth looked to Drew for guidance but he wasn’t any help as his attention had turned toward the door.
Things happened fast after that. Beth was quickly introduced to Drew’s father, Bill, before being hustled over to the kitchen table. Nancy, Drew’s mother, placed a towel-covered bowl on the table. “Help yourself. I’m sure you’re hungry after the drive. Lunch will be ready soon.”
Drew sat down beside Beth while Bill disappeared up the stairs. At home in his surroundings, Drew opened the towel and motioned for her to help herself to a roll. Since neither one of them had been eager to get out of bed, they’d been running late this morning. Because of that, breakfast had been nothing more than a bowl of cereal.
“Thanks,” she said, picking up one of the warm rolls.
He smiled. “Mom makes the best rolls. I’ve tried to duplicate them, but they never come out the same.”
Beth pinched off a section of her roll and popped it in her mouth. The moment the taste and texture hit her tongue, she thought she might have died and gone to heaven. The rolls were a perfect balance of sweet and savory. No wonder Drew loved them.
“Good, huh?”
All she could do was nod. Beth’s mind was already working to dissect what was in the rolls.
Drew placed his hand on top of her leg as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’ll give you the recipe when we get home. Maybe you’ll have better luck making them.”
She wasn’t sure if she was experiencing some sort of high from the carbohydrates or if it was merely the fact that she could feel his breath caressing the side of her face, but Beth felt her temperature begin to rise. Placing a hand over his, she removed it from her leg.
He chuckled.
Unfortunately, anything Beth might have said was silenced when Bill joined them at the table. He reached for one of the rolls, took a huge bite, and asked, “My boy here tells us you’re a pretty fine baker. You make anything as good as my Nancy’s rolls here?”
Before she could answer, Drew chimed in. “Her muffins are the things dreams are made of.”
Nancy appeared beside Beth with what looked to be a large pot of stew. “Yes, dear, we’re all aware of how much you like muffins, but I do believe your father was referring to food.”
Beth thought her eyes would pop out of her head as she stared up in shock at Drew’s mother. Nancy only winked at her and turned to get the salad.
Fingers tangled with hers under the table. She knew it was Drew, but she was too stunned to speak.
He squeezed her hand, and she finally turned her head in his direction.
“They like you,” he mouthed.
She swallowed and nodded. They liked her. Okay. That was good. Beth only hoped she could get used to their teasing and not die of embarrassment before they headed home on Monday night.
***
Chapter 27
Lunch was interesting, to say the least. Beth didn’t know what she’d expected, but Drew’s parents weren’t anything like what she’d been picturing. They were older. His dad had to be close to seventy and his mom wasn’t much younger, but they didn’t act that way. As soon as they were finished with their meal, Bill got up from the table and offered to help Drew bring in the bags.
“Actually, I brought my camping gear. I figured Beth and I could sleep down by the creek tonight,” Drew said.
