Page 35 of A Cowboy Sugar Cookie Kiss
I tightly hug my sister the way I did New Year’s Day when we learned our parents had died. The way I did at the funeral, and every day she’s needed me since. I know she’s still battling their death. Her mission to find a new playmate each night indicates she’s still trying to numb the pain.
She leans back. Her smile holds a tinge of grief. “But if you find that kind of love, I’m happy for you. Just make sure the guy is on the same page as you this time. Don’t repeat the same stupid mistake, and move to another state for some guy. I don’t care if he’s a famous pastry chef or a hunky cowboy. You need to find the right place for you.”
“I’m on the vacation fling page. So there won’t be any moving.”
She puckers her lips in a deep frown. “Unless you want to move back here for you.”
“That would make my vacation fling very awkward.”
She flips a flapjack. “Indeed.”
“What’s taking grams so long?” I cross the room and knock on her bedroom door. “Grams, we’re losing daylight.” I’m teasing. It’s still pitch black outside.
“I’m not going.”
My sister leans over my shoulder. “What did she say?” I can hear the concern in her tone. She nudges my side.“Open the door.”
I knock. “Grams, we’re coming in.” I push open the door.
Her bedroom mirrors my own. Log bed. White duvet. Fireplace in the corner. But her familiar lavender scent clouds the room.
Sadie passes me and rushes to our grams side. “What’s wrong?” She presses the back of her hand against grams forehead and cheeks. “You’re not hot.”
I hadn’t realized how my younger, wild sister had become our grandmother’s person. I guess that’s what happens when you leave town. And I left. Right after high school, I attended a culinary and pastry arts school, met my boss, and didn’t look back. Meanwhile, my sister stuck around and worked at the shop with grams. Not baking. She couldn’t bake a cookie if her life depended on it.But my grams brags about Sadie’s ability to run the bakeshop on her own.
Grams pats her wrinkled hand over my sister’s smooth skin. “I’m just tired, dear.”
“You’re never tired in the morning.” Sadie brushes our grandmother’s white hair with her fingers.
“I had an eventful day yesterday.” Grams looks at me with a smile. “You can finish the baking today, right Maggie?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And Sadie will stay with me. Right, Sadie?” They share a look. A look I don’t understand.
“Yes. I’ll stay with you, Grams.” Sadie wraps her arms around the back of her neck and rests her head beside our grandmother. “It’ll be a girl’s day in. Just the two of us.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Y’all are acting weird.” I point between them. “Plotting trouble or something I’m going to regret.”
“Us?” My sister bats her eyes in innocence. “We would never.”
A wicked smile lifts grams lips. “I might.”
We all laugh.
I kiss my grams cheek. “Get some rest because tomorrow we have some icing to do.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Sadie skips to my side. “Speaking of weird.”
“Were we?” I grab my phone off the counter and slide it in the pocket of my jeans.
“Don’t be weird with Cole now that you’ve banged him.”
“Shhh,” I hiss, glancing at our grams bedroom. “Seriously, announce it to everyone.”
“You can’t hide from the fact it happened, so get it together before you face him.” My sister grabs my shoulders.
