Page 18 of Merry Little Sugar Rush
“How was he this morning?” I ask, knowing Gram has already been in touch with the nurses on his floor.
“Ornery and itching to come home,” she states with a chuckle.
I may not know my grandpa as of the last decade and a half, but I can see it. He was always the life of the party, the boisterous man with a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. I’m sure it’s killing him to be laid up in a hospital bed right now, especially this time of year. “I bet.”
She fills my bowl to the brim and hands it off, scooping the rest of the pot into a plastic storage container to put in the fridge for later. I take a seat at the small island and shovel my food into my mouth. It’s just after two in the afternoon, and the line of customers flocking to the farm shows no sign of slowing down.
“It looks pretty busy out there,” Gram says, glancing out the kitchen window that overlooks the farm entrance.
“I don’t remember it being like this when I was young,” I confess.
She turns her attention my way and smiles. “It was, but you were usually running through the rows of trees, playing hide-and-seek, and helping yourself to cocoa and cookies from the snack shack.”
I chuckle and nod. “Yeah, Klint and I had a lot of fun back then.”
Gram is silent for a few seconds before she adds, “He really missed you when you left.”
My throat grows dry as I gaze her way. “I missed him too.”
Her smile is small and sad. “I’m glad you’re here, Burk. We all are.”
The dryness in my throat turns into a massive lump, which makes it a little difficult to breathe. “I’m glad to be here and help. I really missed this place…and you all.”
“Well, you’re here now, and that’s what’s important. What happened in the past stays there, right?”
I nod before taking another heaping forkful of mashed potato and chicken noodle goodness.
“Speaking of past, rumor has it you’ve reconnected with the Campbell girl.”
My fork stalls halfway to my mouth. “Where’d you hear that?”
She just smiles back at me without saying a word.
“Right. Small town.” I clear my throat. “I haven’t talked to her in years. We’re just catching up.”
Gram nods and leans against the counter, watching me. “I understand that. You two were thick as thieves back in the day.”
I continue to shovel my food into my mouth, not really knowing what else to say. Yes, Joy and I were good friends growing up. We played together all the time, especially at the tree farm. But we’d also ride bikes in town, play at the park, and watch movies together in her living room. We had a lot of fun, and I certainly missed that friendship after we moved away.
“You know, she hasn’t dated much in the last few years. I’m sure it has a lot to do with opening her bakery and whatnot, but even before that, she didn’t have many boyfriends. And when she did, it never seemed very serious.”
My fork abandoned, my gaze returns to the woman standing before me. “Why are you telling me this?”
She shrugs. “Thought you’d want to know.”
While a part of me does want to know if she’s been dating anyone recently, it feels wrong to be discussing her like this in my gram’s kitchen. I feel like any talk about her dating history should come from her, but I also can’t help asking, “Anyone I know?”
Gram nods. “A few, I’m sure, since you went to school with most of them, but the one that sticks out was that Bransen boy. What’s his name?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, because only one name comes to mind, and it’s not a good one. “Eli?”
“Yes, that’s it!” Gram proclaims. “What a strange young man.”
Well, that piques my interest, because in the years I knew Eli, I would never have thought he was strange. Cocky, yes. Opinionated, definitely. He was popular and bossed everyone around like they were his little school-aged minions. I never got along with him, mostly because everything I said was always wrong in his eyes.
Before I can ask more questions, my walkie-talkie squawks to life. “Burk, you’re being summoned to the tree farm. There’s a beautiful young woman here, ready to pick out her tree,” Ray says, making me smile. Instantly I know he’s talking about his youngest daughter.
“On my way,” I reply, shoveling the rest of my lunch into my mouth and quickly chewing.
