An Excerpt from Dealing with Denver by Carolynn Carey
At eight thirty the following morning, Denver stood on his brother’s back porch and held his breath, straining to hear any noises that might be coming from Dallas’ kitchen. Denver didn’t want to disrupt his brother’s household on a calm Sunday morning, but he sure hoped either Dallas or Beth Ann would be up and about.
Ah! At last he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. He quickly raised his hand and tapped on the door facing. A second later the door was pulled open. His brother, wearing pajama bottoms, a white tee shirt, and a disgruntled expression, glared at him through the screen door.
“Denver? What on earth are you doing here at this hour of the morning? I thought you were still in Atlanta.”
Denver hated when Dallas affected an expression of superiority. “Well, guess what, my all-knowing brother. I’m not in Atlanta. I’m on your doorstep and I need food and lots of it.”
Dallas’ frown deepened. “You don’t look that hungry to me.”
“It’s not for me, dense one. It’s for the woman I’ve invited to have breakfast with me at your cottage.”
“Have you been drinking, Denver?”
“Do you have any food or not? If you don’t, at least tell me where I can find a grocery store open at this hour on a Sunday morning.”
A female’s voice sounded from behind Dallas. “Did I hear someone inquiring about food?”
A second later, Beth Ann Stanfield Vance pushed her body between her husband and the screen door. Dressed in jeans and a tee shirt with her red hair pulled back in a ponytail, she didn’t look old enough to be little Matthew’s mother, let alone the mother of a 14-year-old son by her first husband. She unlatched the screen. “Denver, honey, I’m so glad to see you. I wasn’t expecting you this early but I’m delighted you’re here. Come in.”
Denver glared at his brother until Dallas finally took a step back and made room for him to come inside. He glanced around the bright kitchen and immediately found the sight he’d hoped for. Matthew, his only nephew, was seated in a high chair surrounded by half a dozen soft toys.
“Hey, big guy!” Denver hurried over to Matthew’s side. Reaching out a hand, he used one finger to gently touch the soft down on the baby’s head. “Are your Mama and Daddy treating you okay?”
Dallas pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and dropped into it. “Do you think he’s grown since the last time you saw him?”
“You mean since last week? Yeah, I’d say so. He definitely looks bigger to me.”
“I agree. He’s going to be tall like his daddy.”
“And like his uncle Denver too.”
“Yeah, yeah. What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I need food.”
Beth Ann, who’d been standing back and shaking her head at the brothers’ banter, instantly stepped forward. “Oh sweetie, are you hungry?”
“No. I need food to take back to the cottage with me. I’m having company for breakfast.”
Beth Ann’s eyes widened. “Back to the cottage? Company? What am I missing?”
“I wouldn’t mind knowing that myself,” Dallas interjected.
Denver quickly explained how he’d gotten into town late the evening before and run into Mattie at the cottage. “Good thing she wasn’t spending the night there,” he told his brother, “or I’d have been waking you up at midnight.”
“Your nephew does that often enough. I guess I could have tolerated you waking me up too.”
Denver grinned. He and Dallas had always enjoyed picking at each other. It was how they showed their mutual affection. “I wouldn’t have minded waking you up, but I didn’t want to disturb Beth Ann or the baby or Trevor.” He turned to Beth Ann. “Speaking of Trevor, where is that young man?”
Beth Ann heaved a sigh. “He’s a teenager now, Denver. That means there’s no way on earth he’d be out of bed this early on a Sunday morning.”
“Of course. What was I thinking? I’ll see him later then. I think I’ll be staying a few days in the cottage if you folks don’t mind.”
Both Dallas and Beth Ann stared at him. “Stay?” Beth Ann said.
“For a few days?” Dallas chimed in.
Denver lifted his chin. “Hey, if you don’t want me, just say so, okay?”
“No, no, sweetie.” Beth Ann stepped to his side and gave him in a quick hug. “We want you to stay. It’s just that…”
“What?”
Dallas pulled his brows down in a puzzled frown. “It’s just that you’re usually in a mad rush to get back to your routine in Chicago.”
“Oh! Well, maybe so, but have you forgotten that my house was flooded? I can’t go home again. Literally.”
“I know about your house, Denver,” Dallas said. “But I still expected you to rush back to Chicago and move in with Dayton until your house is ready. In fact, I distinctly remember you mentioning that as a possibility when you stopped by here last week on your way south.”
“I decided I’d rather stay in the cottage a few days. Is that so hard to understand?”
“Yes,” Dallas said.
“No, of course not, sweetie.” Beth Ann glared at her husband for a second, then smiled at Denver. “Stay as long as you want. We’re not renting the cottage through the summer months. Now what’s this about you needing food? You’re having a guest, did you say?”
Denver nodded. “I invited Mattie for breakfast, and she agreed to join me at ten this morning. Then I remembered that the cottage refrigerator is empty except for some cream Mattie bought for her coffee. Do you have any breakfast food I can borrow?”
“Absolutely. I’ll mix up a breakfast casserole that I can bake for you. That, along with some cheese grits and scratch biscuits should do it.”
“Cheese grits?” Denver repeated, frowning. “Scratch biscuits?” He looked at Dallas and lifted his shoulders.
Dallas raised his brows. “Just go with it, Denver. It’ll be great.”
“If you say so, brother.” He turned to his sister-in-law. “You’re a lifesaver, Beth Ann. Thanks a million. You want me to come back in about an hour to pick up the food?”
“That’ll be fine, Denver.” Beth Ann sported a grin as she opened a cabinet door and pulled a box of grits off the shelf.
Copyright © Carolynn Carey.
This excerpt is copyrighted material.
It may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the author, Carolynn Carey.
