The meal had been long, and wholly untraditional. Mother had set the formal dining room, but Gram had vetoed that, declaring Peter as family, and they had moved to the big rough table in the kitchen. Genny had to fight back the tears. That Gram would so approve of him on first meeting meant that Genny was not going crazy. Of course, it meant… She really was not going to survive this day. She’d been able to feel Peter’s nerves, but been able to do little to help him as she’d been in an absolute state of panic since the instant he had suggested coming here. Throughout the evening, Genny had been on the edge of cheering, laughing, or weeping. Or perhaps all three at once.
It had taken mere minutes from their arrival until it was as if Peter had sat a thousand times at the family table. And G
