“Grant?” Harriet poked her head from the kitchen, peering down the hallway in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too.” Grant flashed a teasing grin as he bent to untie his shoelaces.
Harriet leaned the mop against the door frame before snapping off her rubber gloves. “Don’t be cute with me. You didn’t call.”
“I didn’t realize I needed to.” Grant cringed as the soapy water seeped through his socks.
“It’s not that youneedto,” Harriet huffed. “But you caught me right in the middle of spring cleaning.”
“I’ll be sure to stay out of the way,” Grant promised. “Where’d you banish Dad?”
Harriet blinked, as though, for a moment, she’d forgotten all about her husband and his whereabouts. “He’s… fishing, I think.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll head into town for a bit, then. Unless you’d like help?” Grant suppressed a smile, knowing full well his mother would refuse. They’d had chores growing up, but no one could meet Harriet’s high standards. In the end, she’d inevitably wind up redoing whatever task they were assigned.
“No, no. I’m almost done.” Harriet waved aside his offer, then hesitated. A solitary wrinkle appeared in her unnaturally smooth forehead. “But maybe going into town isn’t such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Harriet trailed off, the crease in her brow deepening. After a brief pause, she sighed, throwing up her hands. “Don’t make me say it.”
“Eliza?” Grant asked.
His mother winced at the mention of his ex-girlfriend’s name, then nodded slowly.
“Mom, I’ll be fine,” Grant assured her, despite being riddled with self doubt. “It’s been ages since we broke up. We have to move on at some point, right?”
Harriet pressed her lips into a thin line, a question burning behind her piercing blue eyes. Finally, she spoke barely above a whisper. “Why did you come back? Not to…” As though she couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud, she snapped her mouth shut.
A tiny jolt of defensiveness pricked Grant’s heart. He knew his mother hated Eliza for dumping him the summer after their high school graduation, but there were times Grant felt her dislike bordered on irrational. She seemed terrified he’d come to make amends with his ex.
Or worse…
Get back together.
“Don’t worry. Me coming home has nothing to do with Eliza.”
But even as the words left his lips, Grant realized they weren’t entirely true.
Chapter 3
Wisps of steam curled from the flaky golden crusts of the mini rhubarb pies as Eliza sprinkled a handful of coarsely ground sugar over the buttery glaze.
“This is quite the lineup.” Penny Heart’s coppery eyes darted from the pies to the lemon squares with candied citrus peels artfully arranged on top to the half dozen other desserts spread out before them. “I should have worn my Thanksgiving pants.”
Penny playfully rubbed her stomach, drawing Eliza’s attention to her tall, slender figure draped in a gauzy peasant dress. Although Penny’s wardrobe consisted entirely of vintage secondhand pieces from her thrift store, Thistle & Thorn, she could inspire even the most pretentious fashion photographers. And yet, Eliza had never met a kinder, more unassuming soul.
From the second the shy, skittish girl with auburn pigtails and delicate doll-like features moved into town, Eliza made it her personal mission to ensure she felt at home. And ever since then, they’d become fast and fierce friends.
“Please, you could eat your weight in pastries without gaining a single pound,” Eliza teased.
Although she had to admit, the smorgasbord of decadent treatsdidlook a tad excessive engulfing her parents’ modest kitchen island. But since the new equipment hadn’t been installed at the bakery yet, Eliza worked with the space she had.
“They all look heavenly! I can’t wait to try them.” Cassie lifted her fork, ready to tackle the mountain of calories. “Although, Dolores will probably have to alter my wedding dress after this.”
“Our grand opening is in a few weeks. We have to serve something special. Something with a ‘wow’ factor.” Eliza brushed her hands together, scattering the remaining sugar granules across the white tile countertop. “Hopefully, one of these will be the winner.”
“How did you come up with so many ideas?” Penny dug her spoon into a ramekin of perfectly caramelized crème brûlée.
