He sat back in his chair, taking in the festivities as a breeze carried in the earthy scent of the ancient grains that grew in the fields surrounding the town. The rollicking square-dance tune ended, and the crowd applauded the musicians and the caller.
“Is this how you remember it, Gran?” he asked. Ruben had brought her over earlier in the day. And while she hadn’t said much, her eyes were alert.
Margaret sat down next to his grandmother. “Isn’t this something!” she exclaimed as the band started playing another song, and couples hooked arms, following the caller’s commands.
Red-cheeked from dancing, Sally joined them at the table along with Elias and Claudine.
That was the other thing. He wasn’t sure if Mabel had noticed since she’d barely stopped moving today, but he’d bet their entire berry crop that Claudine and her dad were an item. And while Elias and Claudine had only danced to one song, and Mr. Muldowney took it much slower than the others, he hadn’t seen his boss that active in years—or that animated.
Perhaps love was in the air.
Love.
He allowed the word to float in his mind as the image of Mabel asleep in his arms materialized, and his limbs ached to hold her.
“It’s been ages since we’ve had a night like this! What a day!” Sally remarked, fanning herself.
“At least twenty years,” he answered, still musing on Mabel’s sweet kisses.
Mr. Muldowney clapped him on the shoulder, and he pushed his thoughts of the man’s daughter aside.
“You did good, Cal,” he offered.
“Thank you, sir. But the credit goes to Mabel,” he answered, then glanced around the square, looking for her. He checked his watch. It had been a good thirty minutes since he’d last seen her chatting with a group of customers.
“And you’ll never believe this,” Margaret chimed. “Betty and I were talking to a couple who used to work at the factory next to the quarry. When we told them how interested people were in purchasing Eat Elverna shirts and hats, they suggested looking into manufacturing the items at the factory. Can you imagine if we got that going again?”
Cal shook his head. He and Jamie had never dreamed that people would want clothing supporting their sustainable farming initiative.
“And how are you, Gladys? You look quite lovely in that scarf. Is that the one Mabel gave you?” Sally asked.
His grandmother didn’t respond. She continued watching the dancers and softly tapping her feet to the music.
“She’s not saying a whole lot, but she’s more alert today,” he offered.
Margaret patted his grandmother’s hand. “Oh, Gladys! I must tell you Cal and Mabel did a wonderful job planning the Saturday farmers’ market and the square dance. I’m sure you’re so proud.”
The ghost of a grin bloomed on his grandmother’s lips, but the woman looked tired.
“I better get her back to the skilled nursing center,” he answered, starting to stand, but Elias shook his head.
“I can take your grandmother home,” the man offered.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Elias held his gaze. “Not at all. I think you earned a little downtime. When you see Mabel, let her know that she deserves to have some fun tonight, too.”
Cal did his best to hold back a look of total shock. Mr. Muldowney was a good man and a fair man, but he was never one to heap on praise or let his hair down, so to speak.
“Will do. Thank you!” he answered.
“I’ll join you, Elias. It’s a lovely night for a walk,” Claudine added warmly.
Cal kissed his grandmother’s cheek. “I’ll see you real soon, Gran.”
“And Mabel?” the woman whispered.
He nodded as emotion thickened in his throat. “I’ll bring her along.”
Mr. Muldowney gave him another pat on the shoulder before releasing the wheelchair’s brakes. He and Claudine said their goodbyes to the old Young sisters, then headed toward the sidewalk that led to the skilled nursing facility.
He glanced around, searching for Mabel. But she was still nowhere in sight.
“Are you looking for Mabel?” Margaret asked.
“I wanted to pass along her father’s message. Do you know where she is? I haven’t seen her in a while,” he replied.
Sally shared a look with Margaret. “Last I saw her, she was talking to that nice young man.”
Heat that had nothing to do with the summer humidity welled in his chest.
“Nice young man?” he repeated, reminding himself that Mabel had talked to many people today about Eat Elverna. But the caveman inside of him still didn’t like the idea of her with another guy—be it nice, young, old, tall, or short.
“A handsome man, for sure. I think he said that he’d come from Chicago,” Sally added.
Chicago. At the mention of the city, the heat in his chest rose to his cheeks.
“That’s right! It was Chicago,” Margaret replied. “He had three helpings of our summer vegetable casserole and purchased two pies. He also asked about ordering more. I can’t remember what he said he did, but he was a lovely man.”
He clenched his jaw. Some lovely, handsome man from the city was not part of what he had planned for Mabel this evening. Not even close.
“Did he seem to like Mabel?” he asked, fishing for more information as he scanned the crowd and again came up with nothing.
Margaret chuckled. “Oh, Cal, what’s not to like about Mabel? She’s a beautiful girl—and smart to boot. Look at what she’s done for the town.”
“She sure is a real catch. I’m surprised no one’s snapped her up,” Sally added.
His cheeks had gone from warm to scorching hot.
“Which reminds me,” Margaret mused, removing her cell phone from her pocket. “We need to pay her. It’s safe to say that she came through on her end of the bargain.”
“Five thousand now and another five thousand at the end of the summer?” Sally questioned.
“That’s right,” Margaret replied, tapping away.
“You’re doing that from your phone?” he asked. Between worrying about Mabel being whisked away by some good-looking city douche bag and noticing how many old people in this town had become tech-savvy, a topsy-turvy feeling set in.
“Yep, I’m using something called an app,” Margaret replied, enunciating the word.
“Not an appetizer, Cal. It’s short for application,” Sally instructed.
Sweet Jesus! What was going on with the old people in this town?
“I’m familiar with apps,” he answered.
Sally squeezed his hand as if he were five years old. “Good for you, Cal!”
This was getting too weird. He didn’t want to be a jerk, but he needed to find Mabel.
“That’s five thousand big ones! I’ve transferred the money,” Margaret finished, pocketing her phone.
“Where did you see Mabel last?” he asked, going for nonchalance.
Sally pointed toward the road. “Down the block a bit. I believe she and that nice handsome man were chatting next to his car. A very fancy car.”
“Quite fancy,” Margaret chimed. “You don’t see a lot of luxury cars in Elverna.”