Page 51 of Relentless

“Okay, I said it,” Oakleigh admitted. Sliding her red beanie back, she avoided Maeve’s eye contact altogether.“I went livewith Crew — and you know how much they adore him,almostas much as they love you.”

“Do we know how many are in town?” Maeve inquired, taking charge.

The comforting tenor of June’s voice, which could warm someone up in the coldest of weather, broke through the chaos. “Oh, a few hundred, I’d say,” she declared. She wore a puffy floral jacket and a knit cap over her silver braided hair. Her voice was muffled by a violet scarf that covered her lips from the cold.

“You’re kidding me,” Maeve replied, looking away as though quietly calculating.

“‘Fraid’ not — word is every place in town is booked solid,” June attested, pushing through the cafe door with a loud jingle. “I’ll see you inside, ladies. It’s one heck of a cold day.”

Bethany caught the door before it could close. She squeezed past them with a friendly smile and a fresh coffee in hand. “Excuse me, ladies,” she said, “You look busy, so I won’t bother you,” she chimed. “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Bethany,” Maeve said, putting on what looked to be a genuine smile despite being drawn out from the midst of the extraordinary predicament. “It’s always good to see you,” she said, giving her a hug.

“Let Sawyer know —” Bethany hesitated, sensing the urgency in Oakleigh’s tense expression. “You know, this looks important,” she pivoted. “I’ll just talk to him next Sunday.”

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Oakleigh said, returning to the problem she created.

While the two women strategized a solution, Harper noted Maeve’s frustration. She wondered if her sister would finally lose her composure over Oakleigh’s absolute carelessness.

To her dismay, Maeve finally spoke up with not even a whisper of annoyance in her expression. Her tone held only sweet reassurance.

“Well, under the circumstances,” Maeve concluded. “I guess I better get to the church and make sure we’re on schedule.”

Oakleigh sighed.

“I really thought it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“We’ll figure this out,” Maeve replied, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “We always do.”

She took a deep breath, exhaling into an icy cloud.

“I can’t believe I’m actually asking you to do this,” Maeve said, “but please go live again and let them know the town is at capacity.”

Oakleigh nodded in agreement.

The cohesive teamwork between the two made Harper want to put her fist through the glass door. She was certain there would come a time when Maeve’s expert coping skills would fail. She knew that the same temper hardwired inside of her, was also still simmering somewhere within her younger sister. Harper was determined to be there when it happened, taking advantage of every weakness.

She was relieved to see Maeve disappear across the street and into the little white church. Harper trailed Oakleigh into the warm shop, frowning with disappointment at her witless compliance.

“You know, Oakleigh,” Harper prodded. “You don’t have to do everything she tells you to do.”

Oakleigh straightened. “I know that.”

The door jingled loudly as it closed behind them. Audrey was behind the register, looking frenzied while she scrambled to complete the complicated drink orders for the impatient, shivering guests. The smell of charred pastries filled the air, and smoke began to billow from the oven, setting off the shrill whine of the smoke alarm.

Oakleigh quickly pulled a red apron off the wall. Looping it over her head, she tied it around her waist.

“Audrey!” Oakleigh shouted over the raucous symphony of earsplitting noises. She yanked a pair of mitts off the counter and flung open the oven door, causing even more black smoke to fill the small cafe. Grasping the pan of charred cinnamon rolls with her mitted hands, she rushed to the back door and hurled them into the snowy alleyway.

When Oakleigh came back in through the kitchen, her teeth were clenched, and there was fury in her eyes.

It was a look that Harper recognized well. Even though she could manipulate Oakleigh’s emotions like a puppet on a string, she was relieved not to be the focus of her daughter’s explosive temper.

“I’m so sorry, Oakleigh,” Audrey spluttered, her eyes already brimming with tears. “We got slammed with customers.”

“You have one job,” Oakleigh said, her tone lowering dangerously. “Make coffee and avoid burning the shop down.”

Audrey’s eyes flicked to the corner of the room. “That’s technically —”

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