Grimacing at the thought, Angela grabbed a spoon from the drawer and began to drizzle the frosting on the cinnamon rolls.
After the livestream, she’d been at a loss for what to do. After discovering the cook was off for the day, she’d decided to make use of the empty kitchen.
Kiara had spent the afternoon looking over schooling options on their laptop. She seemed to have zeroed in on taking some classes online and was actually excited about the possibility.
Angela wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet. Her skills seemed useless in this new life on the estate, and she didn’t know how to change that.
When her phone let her know she’d received a message, Angela set the bowl of icing aside and picked up her phone.
She was surprised when she didn’t see a text message. Instead, there was a voice memo. Smiling at the prospect of hearing Jude’s voice, she leaned a hip against the counter and tapped the screen to start the playback and lifted it to her ear.
“Hi Angela. I’m currently not at the estate, but I’ll swing by the house when I’m back. Probably in about an hour or so.”
The message was short, and before she could think about it, she tapped to replay it. His words made her smile, but also made her wonder where he’d been.
Not that it was any of her business.
Still, she was curious about what he did on his day off. She had a hard time envisioning him with a hobby, but she’d like to know if he had one.
The rest of the house was quiet. Julian had left, and though no one had said where he’d gone, Angela assumed he’d returned to New York, where he lived.
Duncan and Elizabeth were somewhere in the house, and Benji was with Annie. They’d left for church earlier that morning but hadn’t returned yet.
Every day, Angela felt a little more lost. She had more money than she knew what to do with, but now she felt like she had no direction. No purpose. Useless.
Which was how she’d ended up making cinnamon rolls again. It was the one thing she knew how to do well, but there was no one clamoring for them here like there had been in Briar Hollow.
She finished slathering the icing on the slightly warm rolls, hoping that whoever ate one would enjoy it.
Though she could have put all the dishes she’d used in the large dishwasher, Angela filled the deep sink with warm, soapy water. It felt lovely to plunge her hands into the warmth as she stared out the large window above the sink at the snow-covered landscape.
She was still trying to get used to the cold. The day before, she and Kiara had placed an order online for some warmer clothes to supplement the clothes they’d brought with them from Briar Hollow. Most of those were purchased at the thrift store in the town.
Finished cleaning the last of the pans she’d used, Angela glanced up in time to see a large dark gray truck drive past. Her hands stilled in the water, tightening around the dishcloth she held.
Was that Jude arriving back on the estate?
Her heart gave a flutter as the vehicle moved out of sight. She hurriedly finished washing the pan, then rinsed it before reaching for the dishtowel she’d been using.
Moving quickly, she set the pan down on the counter, then went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a couple of plates. She had no idea if he’d actually hang around to have a cinnamon bun, or if he would want to just pick some up and take them home to enjoy.
Along with the plates, she also found a container and set it on the counter, ready to fill it if it looked like he was just picking some up. So whatever he decided, she was prepared.
Of course, she knew what she preferred.
She moved one of the cinnamon rolls onto a plate, then hesitated. Would it look too eager if she had two plates ready? Maybe she should wait until he arrived before plating a second one.
The sound of the mudroom door opening sent a ripple of anticipation through her. Angela smoothed her hands down her flour-dusted apron, suddenly wishing she'd taken a moment to check her appearance.
"Something smells amazing," Jude's deep voice carried from the hallway before he appeared in the kitchen doorway.
He looked different somehow—more relaxed in jeans and a dark blue sweater that made his eyes seem even more vivid than usual. His hair was slightly tousled, as if he'd been running his hands through it.
"I hope you're still offering those cinnamon rolls," he said, a hint of warmth in his tone that she wasn't used to hearing.
"I am." Angela gestured to the cooling rack, suddenly finding herself nervous. She gripped her hands tightly together to keep them from fluttering. "I just finished icing them."
Jude came further into the kitchen, his presence filling the space in a way that made it feel both smaller and cozier, even though it was large and sunny.
