"Cat's here!" Paige announced, heading toward the side gate.
Moments later, Cat strode in wearing black motorcycle leathers despite the ninety-degree heat. Her helmet was tucked under one arm, and her short natural hair was slightly flattened from wearing it.
"Sorry I'm late," she called. "Had to handle something at the café."
"Well, you're just in time for food," Paige said. "And to see Kari. Where did she go?" She glanced around the patio.
A tall woman with wild, curly blonde hair emerged from the house, carrying a tray of glasses. "Right here! Just refreshing the drinks."
"Kari's visiting for the week," Paige explained to me, "but I'm working on convincing her to make it permanent."
"Actually," Kari said, setting down the tray of drinks, "that might not be such a far-fetched idea anymore."
Paige froze mid-motion, a look of shock crossing her face. "Wait, what? Are you serious?"
"I'm seriously considering relocating Nick and I down here now that the boys are settled in school," Kari said, removing the glasses one by one and setting them on the counter.
As the party shifted into celebration mode, I found myself helping Jenna arrange a tray of her famous almond croissants on a large dining table near the pool.
"These look incredible," I said, admiring the perfect golden crescents. "Way better than the batch we made on Tuesday."
"Practice makes perfect," Jenna said with a modest smile. "And you're getting better every day. That chocolate ganache you made yesterday was spot-on."
A warm glow of pride spread through my chest. "Really? I thought it was a little too thick."
"It was perfect for the eclairs. Sometimes recipes need to be adjusted based on the application." She nudged my shoulder gently. "You have good instincts, Holly. Trust them."
"I love working at the bakery," I admitted. "It's... I don't know. Satisfying? Making something from scratch and seeing people enjoy it."
"That's exactly why I do it," Jenna said. "The joy of creation. It's therapeutic."
"Plus, you get to be your own boss," I added. "No one telling you what to do or how to do it."
Something flickered across Jenna's face—a shadow of remembered pain that was quickly replaced by determination. "That's a big part of it, yes. Freedom is... precious."
I nodded, understanding more than she probably realized. Freedom wasn't just about doing what you wanted; sometimes it was about being safe from what you didn't want.
Our conversation was interrupted by Cat, who hadchanged into a swimsuit but was now approaching Grace with an unusually serious expression. She bent down and whispered something in Grace's ear that made the older woman sit up straight, all traces of relaxation vanishing from her posture.
Without a word to anyone else, the two women headed into the house, their body language tense and purposeful.
"What was that about?" I asked Jenna, who had also noticed the exchange.
She shook her head. "Not sure. But those two have their own wavelength sometimes."
"They looked worried," I observed.
"Our group has a lot of history," Jenna said with a small smile. "Some of it complicated. But we always have each other's backs."
I thought about how they'd rallied around Jenna when her ex-husband went to jail, how they'd welcomed Allison into their circle, how they'd embraced me without hesitation. There was something special about this group of women—a fierceness in how they protected their own.
A few minutes later, Cat and Grace emerged from the house, their expressions grave. Whatever they'd discussed had clearly been serious. They rejoined the party, but I noticed they both kept glancing at Allison, who was helping Noah practice floating on his back.
Thankfully, the tense moment was shattered by a blur of golden fur streaking across the patio.
"Roxy, no!" Paige shouted as her golden retriever (who was supposed to be confined to the house during the party) made a beeline for the pool and launched herself into the air with joyful abandon.
The dog hit the water with a spectacular splash, sending a wave over everyone nearby. Noah shrieked with delight as Roxy paddled toward him, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.
