Page 137 of Renewal After Dark

She placed the plastic bag with the banana bread on the counter. “As promised.”

“Oh damn. Thank you. I’m so excited. I’ve missed Rosemary’s.”

“Duke says it’s just as good as hers.”

“Well, that’s a heck of an endorsement.”

“Is everything okay?” McKenzie asked.

“Of course.”

“Call me crazy, but I’m picking up a vibe, especially after last night.”

Sierra took a deep breath and released it before she glanced up at her. “I’m sorry about showing up unannounced. It’s just that… He means a lot to me.”

“I know.”

“It would hurt me to see him hurt—again.”

“The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt him. He’s the best thing to happen to me in… well… ever.”

Sierra nodded. “That’s who he is. When he cares, he cares with his whole heart.”

“We’re both lucky to be cared for by him, right?”

“Right.”

“I hope we can be friends, Sierra. It would mean a lot to him.”

“I hope so, too. Thanks for the banana bread.”

“Any time. Have a great day.”

She turned to leave.

“McKenzie?”

She turned back toward Sierra.

“Thanks for coming by. I’m glad we got the chance to talk.”

“Me, too.”

McKenzie was relieved to have cleared the air with Sierra as she drove to Martinez Lawn & Garden on a gorgeous fall morning. The cloudless sky was a vivid cornflower blue, the air cool and crisp, and the first hints of foliage were beginning to appear in the trees.

McKenzie loved autumn and all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice, so when she spotted the sign for Martinez Lawn & Garden and pulled in, she was thrilled to see pumpkin patches on either side of the long driveway that led to the retail store Jenny had told her to look for. She was still getting used to parking Duke’s huge truck. This time, she succeeded on the second attempt, which was an improvement from the day before.

She retrieved Jax from his seat and put him into the stroller, which she was relieved to have again with him getting too heavy to haul around in the seat.

The retail store was made of a light-colored wood with dark green shutters and window boxes decked out with colorful chrysanthemums mixed with purple and green cabbage. She stepped into a shop full of brightly painted pots, gardening tools, wind chimes and other fun things.

Jenny came out to meet her carrying George.

“Hi there, welcome! Come on back to the office.”

She followed Jenny. “The shop is so pretty.”

“That’s been my personal passion project. Took some doing to convince the guys that it could be profitable, and now they’re eating all kinds of crow, which I enjoy.”

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