Page 73 of Forbidden Flame

“That makes sense. As much as we want our family nearby, it doesn’t always work out,” I said.

“I wish my family was closer like yours. My sister, Fiona, left at eighteen for college. She returns for short visits, but I don’t think she’ll ever come home to live, especially not since Marley’s brother, Aiden, settled here.”

“What does Aiden have to do with Fiona’s decision to stay away?” I asked her, genuinely confused.

“My brothers said they dated in high school. I was too young for any of that. But my brothers claimed it ended badly.”

“When my uncle died, Knox quit his job and moved home, and the rest of my cousins wanted to be closer. To take care of their mom, my Aunt Lori. She was lost after he died. It was so sudden. No one expected that.”

“My mom’s illness was slow, so we had more time to prepare. But when you’re a kid you don’t think anything bad can really happen. I think her death made Fiona’s determination not to come home stronger. Maybe there’s too many memories here.”

“You never know. She might change her mind when she gets married or has kids. She’ll want to be closer to family or at least visit more often.”

“Fiona’s so closed off. I don’t know what’s going on in her head.”

I wondered if they’d dealt with their mother’s death. I’d always felt my father’s addiction as if it were a physical loss. He was absent in my life in a lot of the ways that mattered.

“Mommy’s pies are going to be ice cream,” Izzy’s voice carried over to us.

“How can pies be ice cream?” Addy asked her, genuinely perplexed.

“What’s she talking about?” I asked Daphne.

Daphne sat forward so she could address the girls and me. “You’re never going to believe this, but when I was visiting restaurants today, I stopped at a new ice cream shop. I taste tested her apple-pie ice cream, and it wasn’t good.”

“You offered up your pies as tribute?” I asked her.

“We were talking about my pies and running businesses in general. Then she asked if she could use my pies in the ice cream. She’s going to do a trial run. If it works out, I’ll have a standing order with her shop to provide the pies for the ice cream each week, and a few available for take-out customers.”

“That’s amazing.”

“And something I’d never thought of before.”

The girls continued chatting about their favorite ice cream flavors, and we sat back in our chairs.

“The funny thing is, I ducked into the shop because I was upset with one of my restaurant visits.”

“What happened?” I asked, concerned for her.

“The owner was upset that I came back after he’d already told me no. He wasn’t nice about it. He tried to make it sound like I was being a sneaky salesperson or something. I said I thought he should taste the pies before he said no. I kept it polite and professional, but it was a lost cause.”

I reached over to touch her hand. “I’m sorry I encouraged you to go back.”

“No, it was good. I got one lead out of it, and then the ice cream shop. Even if the ice cream doesn’t work out, I think I have a new friend. Violet mentioned that there’s a group of business owners in town that meet once a month to support each other and give advice.”

“That would be perfect for you.”

“I was worried because I’m not a physical shop owner, but she said it was enough that I was working with other shop and restaurant owners. I hope to make a few more connections. I can see how powerful that can be.”

“We rely a lot on marketing, flyers posted around town, emails to our existing clients, so it’s a lot of customer referrals. We don’t network because we’re in direct competition with other tree farmers. It’s different.”

“I can see that. But for me, it’s vital. I don’t have a physical storefront. No one knows I exist. Even if they eat my pie in a store or restaurant, they may not remember or know who I am.”

“You label all your pies.”

“You know how it is; a place sticks in your mind more than a label on a single item.”

I thought about that for a few seconds. “I’d still consider today a win. You have two places taking you on a trial basis.”

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