Kissing in the Kitchen: Seasons of Love, #2.5

By Tara Grace Ericson

A short and sweet Valentine's Day novella based in the small town of Minden, Indiana.

Finding love after 50 is impossible… isn't it?

Ruth Coffman has been a widow for over twenty years and is content in her independence. But when making the plans for an upcoming wedding finds her repeatedly thrown together with the charming new chef from Minden's main restaurant, she starts wondering if God has other plans for her. Should she take the risk of starting a new relationship at this stage of life? Or would she be better off single - like she has been for decades? 

Norm recently moved back to the area to help take care of his aging parents after working for nearly thirty years as an executive chef in Chicago. He's always been too busy for relationships or a family of his own.  As he spends more time in Minden, he starts to imagine a different future for himself - one that might just include sharing his kitchen with the beautiful widow with the fiery red hair. Can he open himself after so many years of self-imposed distance from the people around him? Or will his stubbornness sabotage any chance of a friendship with Ruth? 

Please note: Kissing in the Kitchen is a bonus novella within the Main Street Minden Series and is approximately 20,000 words. It is a stand-alone story but does contain spoilers of Books 1 and 2 of the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tara Grace Ericson
• Release date: Sep 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393193463

Book preview

Chapter One

Ruth Coffman was excited about having lunch with Luke. Her son-in-law was getting remarried, and while Ruth was extremely happy for him and loved Charlotte deeply, it was still hard to get used to another woman in his life. Since her daughter, Rachel - Luke’s wife - had died five years ago, Luke was all the family she had. Charlotte had arrived in Minden only four months ago, but their relationship had blossomed quickly and Ruth’s time alone with Luke now included another participant. Today, however, Luke had invited her to Bud and Janine’s Cafe for a lunch date while Charlotte was tied up on some conference calls working out the details of her new job. The café had undergone a number of changes recently since Bud and Janine had handed the reins off to their daughter, Chrissy, in November. Ruth didn’t visit the cafe often, but the rumor mill was buzzing with news of the new cook that Chrissy had hired. Apparently, he was some fancy chef from Chicago. It was pretty exciting news for their little town.

Ruth had lived in Minden for nearly forty years, since her parents moved there when she was a teenager. The town had changed dramatically over that time - businesses had moved in and out, entire families had come and gone. She’d helped raise money for new playground equipment in the park when Rachel was young and had been a substitute teacher at the Minden Elementary School before her husband, Peter, had gotten sick. The Minden community had carried her, a newly single mother of a precocious eight-year-old girl, through those times. Ruth couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, she loved her little town. Some people walked down Main Street and focused on the few empty store fronts or the stained brick buildings, but as she looked down the street after parking her car, she saw memories. There was the bakery where she’d ordered Rachel’s wedding cake, next to the mechanic shop where her station wagon had heaved its last, shuddering sigh. There was the craft store, which had changed owners twice in thirty years, where she’d bought yarn to make Rachel’s baby blanket. It was all Minden, though.

Hopefully, this outsider from Chicago would stick around and help Chrissy keep the cafe running for a long time. It hardly seemed fair to Ruth, what Bud and Janine were doing to that poor girl up and leaving her with such a huge responsibility and not much notice. Ruth knew Chrissy, though, and knew that she was stronger and smarter than she thought herself. The town of Minden would step up, too. Just like they had when Ruth needed them. They’d support Chrissy and the cafe that was now hers. As long as the food isn’t terrible, she mentally added.

She opened the door to the cafe and heard the bells jingle. Since she was in last, the dining area had been decorated for Christmas. The pictures on the wall were wrapped in cheery holiday paper, and small decorations sat on each booth and table. Garland was strung across the front of the counter, tied with red bows and Christmas music played softly from the stereo in the rear of the restaurant.

Luke was already sitting at a booth and scanning the menu. As Ruth took her seat, she removed her scarf from its home around her neck and attempted to fix her slightly wind-blown red hair. She had taken to having it colored over the past few years, as the grays had gotten more and more pronounced. She knew it was vain of her, after all, who was she trying to impress? But she just wasn’t ready to be an old lady with white hair. Each time she went to the salon for a touch-up, she laughed at herself. She had been a widow for twenty-two years and was quite comfortable being single, but she was still a woman who had to look at herself in the mirror each morning and come to terms with the ever-increasing laugh lines—she refused to call them wrinkles- and the age spots on her hands.

Luke stood up and gave her a quick hug and she kissed his cheek. In every sense of the word, he was her son. When Rachel had brought him home like a little, lost puppy, Ruth had simply shaken her head and given him a home. Over time, he had shared his story- kicked out of his mother’s house and struggling to make ends meet with odd jobs and construction work. She, in turn, had shared her home and her faith with him, pulling him into community. Now, nearly ten years later, Lucas Brand was as much a Minden staple as Ruth herself. He was a local business owner, a deacon in the church, and a fixture at community events. She was incredibly proud of him, probably more than he realized.

Brrrr. It definitely feels like winter out there! she exclaimed.

Luke nodded. Sure does. Not much getting done at my office. I’m definitely not a fan of this time of year - can’t spend enough time outside, which means I have to spend too much catching up on paperwork.

Chrissy came over and greeted them warmly. What can I get you to drink today, guys?

Luke gestured to Ruth to speak first. I’d love a hot tea.

And I’ll take an iced tea.

Perfect. I’ll be right back with those while you look at the menu. Just so you know, the special today is homemade chicken pot pie that Norman made this morning. Comes with a dinner roll and a small side salad.

When she returned with their drinks, they both ordered the special. Ruth made a pretty good pot pie herself, she wanted to try the newcomer’s version and see how it compared. When their food came out, it was delivered by the new chef himself and Ruth was struck by the man leaning over their booth, placing steaming plates of creamy pie on their table. He wasn’t at all what she had expected after hearing about the bigshot from Chicago. She was expecting someone in their late-30s, but Norman appeared to be closer to her age. Unlike many men his age, he had thick hair, though it was liberally scattered with gray. He had a thick mustache as well, and the hint of a beard