Tyler attacked his pot roast with no visible loss of appetite. “I love you, Grams.”
Her eyes softened. “I know you do, honey. You’ve always been a wild one, but underneath you have a big strong heart and one day some woman is going to snap you up for the rest of your life.”
Tyler choked on his food. “Not if I see her coming first.”
Jess giggled. “You could hide under the napkin.”
“That would be one use for it.”
“What do you mean men don’t say it enough?” Walter was looking at Alice. “I say it to you every day and have since the day we met.”
“I know.” Alice’s gaze softened and she stretched out her hand. “I came to buy maple syrup—”
“Oh, please, no, not that—” Tyler dropped his fork and pushed his plate away. “And please no kissing at the table. I am done with all this kissing at the table. If people want to gaze at each other then go book an evening in the restaurant and do the whole candles and wine thing. Don’t bring it to family night.”
“Talking of the restaurant, we need more help,” Elizabeth said quietly. “Once the season starts we won’t be able to cope without another member of staff. You’ll need to recruit someone, Jackson.”
Jackson reached for the salt. “I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
“I’ll do it.” Kayla typed a note into her phone. “You have enough to do.”
“You will not be recruiting anyone.” Walter brought his fist down on the table w
ith a thump that made cups and cutlery rattle. Maple dived for cover. “We already have the best chef there is. We don’t need to go looking for another one.”
Jackson put his fork down. “She’s gone, Gramps. She’s gone back to Paris.”
“Because she had things to sort out there. And she’ll be back when she’s done. And in the meantime, we’ll manage because that’s what families do and she’s family.”
Jackson exchanged glances with Sean. “Gramps—”
“And her job will be here waiting for her when she’s ready to return to it.” Glaring, Walter reached for his glass but Sean noticed his hand was shaking.
“She’s not coming back, Gramps.” There was a heavy lump behind his chest. “Jackson has to make decisions about this place.”
“She’s been gone five minutes and already you want to give her job away?”
“She’s gone, damn it!”
“I don’t understand why everyone is shouting?” Alice pushed the food around her plate, too upset to complain about the language. “And I don’t understand why she left. She loved it here. I know she loved it here. Last time we had family night she couldn’t stop telling us how much she loved us.”
“Because she was about to leave,” Jackson said wearily. “It was her way of saying thank you but none of us understood it at the time.”
Sean let out a breath. He understood it.
After what happened with her mother she would never, ever miss an opportunity to tell the people in her life that she loved them.
The irony was that she’d said it to everyone but him.
The ache behind his chest intensified.
“What does she have to thank us for?” Walter scowled. “We’re the ones who should be thanking her for producing food that’s the talk of Vermont, New Hampshire and most of the East Coast. We had people from California here last week who had read about her! So don’t talk to me about finding a replacement because she’s irreplaceable. And if Sean had spoken up, she might not have left.”
Sean swore under his breath and thumped his glass down on the table. “I spoke up! I told her I loved her. Yeah, that’s right—” He met his mother’s astonished gaze. “I told her that. Several times, in fact, so there could be no misunderstanding. And now can we all talk about something else?”
Jackson sent him a concerned glance.
Tyler and Kayla were gaping at him and as for his mother—