Page 24 of Wood You Knot

“I think it’s safe to say we’re loving it, huh, Daph?” I replied, smiling at my daughter.

She shrugged. “I guess so.” She really didn’t sound convinced. I knew she was still struggling to adjust, and she missed the familiarity of before.

“Oh, you just wait, little one. This town is full of fun and charm. You’ll see,” Auntie Em declared. “There’s even plenty of local legends about magic.”

Daphne’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared at Auntie Em in wonderment. “What kind of magic?”

“Well, there’s a special drink at Tout de Sweets, a latte that is said makes people fall in love with each other,” Auntie Em explained, her eyes mischievous. “If the couple in question consumes the In The Name of Love Latte, they’ll fall in love with one another.”

“Locals believe it, and tourists love it,” Uncle Ed added, sending a conspiring wink to Auntie Em.

“Did you guys drink it?” Daphne asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

“Of course we did. On our second date, didn’t we?” Auntie Em looked at Uncle Ed, love in her eyes and affection in her smile.

“I thought it was the third…” Uncle Ed trailed off, his lips twitching with amusement at the look Auntie Em tossed him. He chuckled. “It was the second date,” he confirmed.

“Sounds like a tourist trap to me,” I replied. There wasn’t a magical drink in the world that could make people fall—and stay—in love. Most people were just too selfish for the kind of love Uncle Ed and Auntie Em experienced. They were the lucky few who got to have it.

“It’s certainly not. We don’t need tourist traps to bring the tourists in,” Auntie Em frowned a little, as if my opinion on the matter had wounded her feelings. “Besides, we’ve been married for thirty-six years now.”

Daphne’s gaze volleyed back and forth between my aunt and me. She was paying more attention than I would have liked to this conversation.

I forced a smile on my face so my sourness wouldn’t shine through, trying to soften the blow my disbelief of the love latte seemed to have on my aunt—and my daughter. She seemed…disappointed.

“I believe you and Uncle Ed have the real deal, I’m just saying I don’t think you have it because of the love latte. I think you have it because you’re genuinely good for one another.”

Auntie Em considered my explanation and nodded slowly. “Give it a little time, watch the magic happen, and then you’ll change your mind.” She winked at Daphne, and Daphne smiled back.

I didn’t want to argue with her—or offend her—so I nodded politely and helped myself to another piece of garlic bread.

“So any exciting plans for this weekend?” Uncle Ed asked, sensing the need for a change in topic.

“Daphne and I have a date at the new spa in town. We’re going to get facials and our nails done, aren’t we, Daph?”

“Yep.” Daphne nodded, all excitement and smiles.

“That sounds fun! I haven’t been to a spa in a long time.” Auntie Em smiled. “Is this the new one that opened up downtown?”

“It sure is. Do you want to join us?” I asked.

“Thank you for the invite, but I have plans to meet Livia in Springwood for shopping and lunch.”

“That will be fun too. How’s she doing?”

“She’s doing great. She just made partner at the firm.” Livia was a lawyer specializing in criminal law.

“That’s really awesome,” I exclaimed, smiling. Livia and her fiancé didn’t have any children, and they weren’t planning on it. Livia wanted to focus on growing her career, while her fiancé just seemed pleased to go along with whatever Livia wanted.

I’d met him a few times, and he seemed nice. He was a lawyer, too, so he understood the demands of Livia’s job. In fact, they’d both met at the firm Livia had made partner at.

“Tell her I said hi when you see her,” I said, pausing to take a sip of wine.

“I will,” Auntie Em promised. “We’ll have to have the girls come out for a barbecue sometime. I know they want to see you and Daphne.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Let me know when you plan it.”

It’d been years since I’d seen my cousins Livia, Madeline, Cate, and Jo-Anna. The last time would have been when I brought Daphne out to meet everyone at Christmas when she was a wee little thing. We stayed in touch on social media, but it just wasn’t the same.

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