Well, that explained why she looked nice. I was relieved it wasn’t because of Dr. Raymond, though it left me in something of a pickle.

I was about to see if Dad was around when Arthur strolled into the kitchen, hands tucked into the pockets of his Wranglers and sporting his newly purchased vomiting-reindeer sweater. My heart fluttered like a traitor.

He stopped and his gaze pinballed off the three of us.

“Oh. I’m terribly sorry. I heard Finley’s voice—”

Mrs. Buzzard scowled at him. “Who are you?!”

“I’m . . . Arthur?” His dubious appraisal of Mrs. Buzzard practically screamed: I’ve somehow made a terrible mistake.

Mrs. Buzzard scowled at me. “Cookie boy?”

I started, “Ye—”

Mrs. Buzzard scowled back at Arthur. “Don’t burn my pans!”

Arthur stared at her, baffled.

I intervened. “Hey, Arthur. Didn’t you and your aunt get a rental car?” I’d recalled them reserving one of the inn’s guest parking spots.

He kept his wary eyes on Mrs. Buzzard. “We did, yes.”

“Are you super busy right now?”

“Not even slightly busy.”

“Can you run me over to the grocery store?”

“Certainly.”

Grandma Jo turned to Arthur. “Would you mind also swinging by the Gingerbread Café? Mitzi has some pies waiting for me to pick up.”

“Of course,” he said.

Grandma Jo smiled at him. “Thank you, Arthur.”

He blushed and beamed at her. Most men did, regardless of age.

Before I got jealous of my fifty-three-year-old grandmother, I grabbed Arthur by the elbow and tugged him out of the kitchen.

We agreed that I would run up to grab my coat and he would locate his aunt to get the keys to their rental and let her know of our mission.

Five minutes later we met back in the inn’s open-air parking lot.

I was standing at the edge since I wasn’t sure which was his car when the lock-lights of a black GMC Hummer H2 blinked on and off. Then I blinked in astonishment because of all the cars I would have envisioned associated with Arthur, none were of the borderline-tank variety.

Before I could utter a word, Arthur explained, “It was the only car the airport rental company had left. To be clear, I’d reserved a Land Rover.” He moved around to the passenger’s door and, to my surprise, opened it. For me. I stared at him until he grew uncomfortable. “Has no one opened a car door for you before?” he said.

I had to think about that. Had Brody ever held the car door for me? I couldn’t recall.

Arthur rolled his eyes and jerked his head for me to get in and that made me feel better. Snippy Arthur was in my comfort zone.