“He’s owned several businesses.” Dalton appeared to choose his words carefully. “Some have done better than others.”

She wondered if Dani’s inheritance from her mother had funded some of the enterprises. “He’s always been a dreamer.”

“Weren’t you two talking about opening a restaurant in high school?”

“He was. Lots of planning and thinking. We even scoped out a few locations.”

“Why didn’t you pull the trigger?”

“I woke up in the middle of the night, and I saw myself fifty years in the future. I had spent my entire life one mile from this very spot, and the world had passed me by.”

“There are worse things.”

“Tell that to an eighteen-year-old. I needed to spread my wings. New York seemed the best place to do that.”

“And what did your time in the Big Apple teach you?”

“I learned I can survive anywhere. Plus, the millions of hours of cooking added up to a lifetime of culinary education.”

“Ruth said you won some awards.”

“A few local ones.”

“She was bragging on you quite a bit.”

“Really? When I told her about each win, she said she expected me to be the best.”

“She showed me the articles written about you. ‘Best Up and Coming.’ And the article featuring six local chefs most likely to win a James Beard Award one day.”

“Really?” That article had boosted business at the restaurant for months.

“She was one proud grandma.”

Her throat tightened, silencing her for a moment. “That’s nice to hear.”

“I haven’t seen any pots and pans in the ‘free’ pile.”

“Those pots and pans and I spent a lot of time together. A few of the fry pans were like an extension of my arm.”

“Ruth saved them all. I carried each box up to the cottage.”

“I’ll thin the herd eventually, but I’ll keep many for old times’ sake.”

“More sentimental than you thought.”

“Maybe.” Ready to shift the conversation away from herself, she asked, “What’s your deal these days? Ruth told me you were engaged.”

“I was. A few years ago. In the end, it didn’t work out.”

“That’s all you’re going to say? You’re about as sparse on the details as I am.”

He shoved his gloves in his coat pockets. “It’s an old story, right?”

“I hear ya.” Her attention had always sharpened when Ruth brought up his name. “How are the new houses coming along? You guys are going full steam.”

“I know we make a lot of noise, but the grating is finished. The weather’s supposed to warm up next week, so we’re putting in the foundations and posts. Once they’re in, it will move fast. We hope to be roofed in by late February.”

“Sold out by the season?”