Chapter 157: Working on the Land

The next summer, Byron's half-brother Mateo came to Vancouver to take a summer course at one of the local prestigious cooking schools. Of course, Emily was pretty sure the real reason was to see Katie.

The two had really hit it off last year, and Emily knew from Katie that they had kept in touch ever since. She also knew that Katie still thought of Mateo only as a friend, but secretly she hoped Katie would change her mind. Mateo was such a kind, talented and funny young man that Emily thought he would be good for Katie and would never break her heart.

They hadn't grown up together, but Byron thought of him as a brother, and he was always proud of his accomplishments. Mateo had his own online cooking show that was getting a bit of traction.

To celebrate the reunion, they decided to have dinner at Susie and Angie's animal shelter. Byron and Emily had been spending a lot of time there helping to fell trees and clearing some space for an orchard. It would be an extra way for Susie and A