Page 8 of And I Love Her

After everything her family had been through in recent months, and with Aria back home and hopefully on the right track, Callie couldn’t possibly leave her mother and sisters alone. Just the thought caused an icy ball to form in her throat.

As if sensing her daughter’s sudden dismay, Eleanor wrapped her in a warm embrace. Callie closed her eyes and breathed in her mother’s familiar sugar-and-chocolate scent.

Though it might have been a cliché to have a mother who smelled like home-baked cookies, in Eleanor’s case, it was the truth. The owner of the Sugar Joy Bakery in downtown Bliss Cove, she did most of the baking herself and was well-known for her exceptional cakes and pastries.

Having been raised by a classics-loving father and a baker mother, Callie suspected she was the only woman in the world who was most at home with a Greek lexicon in one hand and a chocolate-chip cookie in the other.

“Anyone home?”her sister called from the foyer.“I’m starving, Hunter is in New York, and my fridge is broken again.”

“We’re in the kitchen, honey,” Eleanor called.

Callie detached herself from her mother. The youngest Prescott sister, Ariadne, entered the kitchen, her multiple silver bangles clinking to further announce her arrival. With her pierced nose, paisley maxi dress, and mass of blond hair, Aria was like a little butterfly.

Until recently, Callie had believed that her sister also had as much sense as a butterfly, having spent her twenty-eight years flitting around and never landing in one place. But after extracting herself from a bad relationship and returning home several months ago, Aria had opened the Meow and Then cat café on Mariposa Street, the historic neighborhood of Bliss Cove.

Callie hadn’t approved of her sister’s business decision or the rundown location, but Aria had stood her ground—even against a multi-billion-dollar property company that had threatened to take over Mariposa Street. Callie had developed a newfound respect for her sister, even though she was still wary of Aria’s whirlwind romance with developer Hunter Armstrong, who had committed to a restoration of the district. Callie had a hard time believing that a high-level executive could be loyal so quickly to the graffiti-laden neighborhood he’d wanted to tear down. Still, she was trying hard to be supportive.

“How’s business?” Callie took a tray of crudités from the fridge and set them in front of her sister.

“Much better, thanks to all the attention we’re getting.” Aria bit into a carrot stick and perched on a stool at the counter. “I also took out an ad inThe Bliss Cove Timesand included a coupon for a free coffee, so that brought in customers. A lot of people have told me they hadn’t been to Mariposa Street in ages. I’m hoping to get some more chairs for the Cat Lounge.”

“Did Rory bring you the sofa she found on sale?” Eleanor poured a glass of wine and set it in front of Aria.

“Yes, though I tried to convince her to keep it. She needs one for her place, but you know her andclutter.” Aria made air quotes.

“It makes sense for her not to get anything new, if she plans to move back to the Bay Area,” Eleanor said. “Much as I’ve appreciated her help, she’s been working at the bakery for far too long. She needs to get back into her field.”

Callie opened a drawer to take out potholders. After their father died, Rory had left her high-tech computer job in San Jose and returned to Bliss Cove to help out. Knowing that her sister would likely leave again, sooner rather than later, strengthened Callie’s own resolve to stay. After Rory left, their mother would need her more than ever.

“What’s for dinner?” Aria took a sip of wine and glanced at the oven.

“It’s the third Wednesday of the month. Casserole, of course.” Callie opened the oven to check on the baked vegetarian casserole she’d brought over along with a mixed green salad.

“Right.” Aria rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid we should have something besidescasseroleon the third Wednesday of the month.”

“Why don’t you go check your fridge for dinner, then?” Callie replied tartly.

“Girls.” Eleanor narrowed her eyes.

Aria made a face at Callie and asked, “Is Rory joining us?”

“No, she said she has some coding to do after she closes up the bakery.” Eleanor took silver forks and knives from a drawer.

Callie closed the oven with a frown. “Mom, this oven doesn’t feel like it’s three hundred fifty degrees.”

“It’s fine, dear.”

“It’s at least fifteen years old, isn’t it?” Callie picked up her phone from the counter and searched for ovens. “We’d better get you a new one soon. Maybe one of those with the induction ranges.”

“I don’t need a new oven.”

“This one probably has faulty wiring by now.” Callie typed in a search for local appliance stores. “I’ll check a few out this weekend and see what kind of sales are going on. A bakery owner should have a high-end oven at home, don’t you think?”

“No, I do not.”

Callie glanced up at the tight note in her mother’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, honey.” Eleanor let out a sigh. “But you don’t have to constantly be worrying about plumbing and ovens. I’m almost sixty-five years old. I assure you I can handle these things on my own.”

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