Page 5 of The Glass Dolphin

“It smells good,” Terry said, and he smiled at Kristen as he entered first. “Dad said you were making cookies.”

“So many cookies,” Kristen said. “There’s a whole bunch of them on the table. Help yourself.”

The kids smiled at her politely as she entered, and once everyone was in, Theo put one hand on her hip and swept a kiss across her lips. “Did you make those snickerdoodles?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, working hard not to giggle. The man loved cinnamon and sugar, and Kristen made snickerdoodles at least once a week, just for him.

Her cat, whom she’d named Sweetie, came down the hall to see what the fuss was about. Violet pulled in a breath and said, “Mom. Look at that cat.”

Her mother turned and looked, and Kristen watched as she then exchanged a glance with her husband. “Is she allergic?” Kristen asked. “I can put her in her carrier in the bedroom.” That wouldn’t rid the apartment of cat hair, but Kristen had vacuumed meticulously last night and then again this morning.

She wanted everything to be perfect for today. She wasn’t even sure why, only that she wanted Theo’s kids to like her.

“It’s fine,” Cleo said. “Violet thinks she needs a cat.”

The girl rushed toward Sweetie, who sat down as her eyes widened. She scooped the cat into her arms, and Kristen thought they’d be best friends before anyone else arrived. “She’s so cute,” Violet cooed.

“She might scratch your face off,” Marty said.

“Martin,” Terry said. “Don’t antagonize your sister. Look.” He pointed to one of the plates of cookies. “Kristen made thumbprints. Come get one, and then take these oatmeal raisin ones to your grandfather.”

Marty, who was clearly older than Violet, did as his father said. Kristen’s chest vibrated as he then bit into one of her thumbprint cookies. She’d made the raspberry jam and the apricot jam from scratch, and pure satisfaction poured through her when Marty leaned his head back and groaned. “This is so good,” he said around a mouthful of cookie and crumbs and filling.

“They look so beautiful,” Cleo said. “I love the thumbprint at Christmastime, but I’ll take it any time of year.” She picked up a cookie too, and she smiled as she took a bite of it. “Mm.” Her eyes widened, and after she swallowed—she had more manners than her son, and Kristen liked them both immensely—she said, “Kristen, these are delicious.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I got the recipe from a fellow lighthouse wife.” She rounded the counter as the timer on the oven went off. She bent and took out the last sheet of sugar cookies. By the time everyone arrived, they should be cool enough to decorate.

Theo had seven grandchildren, and Kristen had thought planning an activity for all of them to do made the most sense. Then she could finish dinner while they did that, and as snow had come to the cove for their not-on-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner, herding them all outside wasn’t an option.

To prove her point, Mother Nature drove a gust of wind into Kristen’s windows, and they shook slightly.

“Rowena is here,” Theo said. He started to get up, but his son told him to stay on the couch. He went to the door before anyone knocked or rang the bell and opened it. He went outside, and it didn’t take long for the cold to leak in.

Terry started to laugh, his voice as big and as boisterous as his father’s. He said some things Kristen couldn’t decipher, and then he entered her condo again, this time with another woman.

They definitely belonged to each other, and to Theo, and Kristen put down her oven mitts and went to greet her. “Hello,” she said, smiling with everything she had once more. “I’m—”

“Kristen Shields,” Theo said, appearing at her side. His hand moved along her waist, and Kristen couldn’t resist leaning into him. “This is my daughter Rowena. She’s divorced, but she brought her daughter, Hailey. Where is she?”

“Sulking for a moment,” Rowena said with a heavy dose of eye rolling. “I swear, I don’t know how anyone survives seventeen-year-olds.” She gave Kristen a smile that didn’t seem as warm as Terry’s or Cleo’s, but Kristen could’ve imagined it. Or, Rowena could’ve been dealing with her own family situation and simply not felt like smiling at her father’s new girlfriend.

Kristen told herself she and Theo weren’t that new. They’d been dating for six months, and honestly, she couldn’t believe it herself.

“What goes around, comes around,” Theo said.

“Dad.” Rowena scoffed and rolled her eyes again. “I don’t need a lecture.” She started to shed her coat, the awkwardness and tension in the room suddenly expanding to the rafters. Kristen looked over to Theo, and he didn’t seem ruffled at all.

“She’ll know where to come to?” Kristen asked.

“I’ll go get her,” Marty said. “I’ll take these mint chip cookies, and she won’t be able to resist them.” He smiled at Kristen, the whole plate of double-chocolate chip cookies—yes, some of them were mint—in his hand. He ducked out of the condo, and Kristen sincerely hoped he’d come back with some cookies…and his cousin.

Rowena joined Cleo on the cusp of the kitchen and surveyed that spread. “Wow,” she said, genuinely sounding surprised. “You said there would be cookies, but this is alotof cookies.” She didn’t look at Kristen at all, but her brother and sister-in-law.

Kristen had made little labels for each kind by folding a small card in half and writing the variety of cookie on it. Some of them had themed plates that went with them, and she admired her cookie bar. Robin would be thrilled, and Kristen had snapped a few pictures before anyone had arrived.

“They’re amazing,” Cleo said. She pushed the last bite of a cowboy cookie—coconut, oatmeal, pecans, and chocolate chips—into her mouth. She didn’t try to speak around it, but when she finished, she said, “I’ve eaten four already.” She giggled, but Rowena didn’t join in.

“Dad has the oatmeal raisin,” Terry said.

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