Claire—and Ella—startled, both looking in the direction he pointed and seeing nothing. Turning back around just in time to catch him shoving a cookie into his mouth and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
“Rex Storm!” Claire said, her hands on her hips.
“Mom,” Maverick sighed, shaking his head. “You fall for it every time.”
Everyone laughed, as it was clear Rex’s antics were nothing unusual. Ella couldn’t help but be fascinated by the interplay between Maverick’s parents, how different it was from the way her own parents acted around each other.
Ella had wondered aloud about their relationship once with Gigi, unable to understand why Mom stayed with such a sullen, miserable man. Gigi explained that Ella’s mom had always been insecure, with a bad habit of conforming herself to whomever she was dating. If her boyfriend loved football, Mom loved football. Her boyfriend was a gym rat, and Mom was suddenly queen of the elliptical. When Dad found Jesus, Mom was right there with him, sitting in that pew every Sunday, adopting his beliefs as her own.
“Out of the kitchen,” Claire shooed Rex. “I don’t have time to whip up another batch of cookies and if you stay, I’ll be down a dozen.”
Rex chuckled, giving Claire a sweet kiss on the cheek. She smiled—until she realized the kiss was another distraction technique and he came away with another cookie.
“You scoundrel!” Claire hooted, playfully shoving Rex toward the door.
“Need any help?” Ella offered, though her kitchen skills were practically nil.
“No, no. We’re good to go in here,” Claire insisted. “Maverick, give Ella a tour of the house.”
He nodded, the two of them starting their tour in the living room so that they could say hello to everyone and drop off Edith’s and Manny’s drinks.
Ella tried not to blush at Edith’s knowing glance when Maverick offered to show her the rest of the home.
It was a beautiful old farmhouse with gorgeously decorated rooms.
“Mom’s got an eye for decorating,” Maverick said, as they left one of the handful of guest rooms upstairs. “She has a way of making things feel homey.”
Ella agreed. “The B&B must do good business.”
“It does. Between her and Mila, there are always fresh flowers everywhere or seasonal decorations, which the guests always remark is one of their favorite things about staying here. Well, that and porch time.”
“Porch time?” Ella asked.
“Mom hosts a happy hour on the porch on days when the weather permits. Offers guests a complimentary glass of our wine or bottle of Rain or Shine beer, while she entertains them with stories about the farm and the town.”
“I think I’d love her porch time.”
Maverick grinned. “She holds it at three-thirty every day. You should pop by one afternoon and join her. She’d love it.”
Ella appreciated the invitation, even though she knew she’d never work up the courage to take him up on it.
“Most of the guests who stay here are repeat visitors who come back year after year. We get a lot of fall foliage fans in October and November, because the view from the mountain is incredible. And then there are the big groups who come for bachelorette or bachelor parties, family reunions, stuff like that. Now that we’ve opened the event barn, most of the cabins and the B&B are booked nearly every single weekend of the year, and even quite a lot of weekdays.”
Maverick had always been very proud of his family and their businesses, and it was nice to see that hadn’t changed. She must have given her thoughts away, because Maverick grinned sheepishly.
“Talk about Stormy Weather Farm too much, don’t I?”
She quickly shook her head. “Not at all. It’s wonderful here. You should be proud of everything you and your family have accomplished.”
Maverick’s eyes softened, and he clearly appreciated her compliment.
They continued the tour with Maverick dropping in the occasional funny story about things he and his brothers had done growing up in this house. They had just returned to the living room when Claire called out from the kitchen.
“Dinner’s ready!”
Ella watched in amazement as every male in the family made his way to the kitchen, grabbing the serving bowls and carrying them to the huge dining room table.
“Uncle Rex had the table commissioned, made especially for the family, since there are so many of us,” Nora, one of Maverick’s cousins, explained.