“Without you?”
Peter nodded. He couldn’t imagine his life without Katie but, somehow, he would have to try.
* * *
The restof the week flew by. Before Katie knew it, she’d been to Los Angeles, met the editorial team at Plumridge Books, and spoken to some of the staff from the arts faculty at UCLA. It was a whirlwind visit that was everything she’d wanted her life to be before her grandma had died. Now all she had to do was decide if it was what she still wanted.
“Earth to Katie. Is anyone there?”
She looked into Diana’s smiling face. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“The oven timer is beeping. Do you want me to—”
Katie didn’t wait for her sister to say anything else. Rushing out of the dining room, she flew into the kitchen. Daydreaming about her trip to California wouldn’t save the croissants she was baking.
Charlie lifted his head off his paws as she turned off the timer and opened the oven door. Breathing a sigh of relief, she carefully slid the baking sheets onto two wooden chopping boards. A dozen golden croissants made the kitchen smell like one of the small French patisseries she’d visited on her one and only trip to Paris.
“Yum. They look delicious.” Diana picked up her bowl of granola and sat beside Charlie. “You haven’t told me about Los Angeles. Did you enjoy seeing your friends again?”
“I did, but it felt strange.”
“In what way?”
Katie checked the time before taking a jar of peaches out of the cupboard. “When my friends told me about what they’ve been doing, it was almost as if we lived on different planets. Some of the things I thought were important before I left Los Angeles don’t matter anymore.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“In some ways. It wasn’t until I was back there that I realized how much simpler my life is in Sapphire Bay.”
Diana helped herself to some peaches. “Not having to work as a waitress must make a big difference?”
Katie looked around the inn’s gleaming white kitchen. “I’d bake tasty breakfast dishes for our guests forever if I could. It’s much more rewarding than waitressing.”
“We like your baking, too. Do you remember when Grandma used to teach us how to bake? Out of all of us, you were the only one who came back after dinner for another lesson. I always thought you’d open your own café or bakery.”
“I did too, but renting space anywhere is expensive. You’re here early.”
“I’m taking the Ackermans to St. Ignatius soon. They’re looking forward to visiting the Three Chiefs Cultural Center.”
“I thought it burned down last year?”
“It did, but it’s been relocated to a large log cabin.” Leaning her elbows on the table, Diana watched Katie move around the kitchen. “What did Peter say when you told him you’re moving back to California?”
Her hand paused in front of the cutlery drawer. “He doesn’t want me to go.”
“That wouldn’t surprise anyone.”
“He’s thinking of opening an office in Sapphire Bay.”
“For BioTech Industries?”
Katie nodded.
Diana’s eyes widened. “He must have been serious about spending more time with you.”
Thinking about how much Peter loved her had kept Katie awake for most of the night. “I don’t know what to do. I never thought I’d live in Sapphire Bay permanently. Even coming back to fulfill the terms of Grandma’s will wasn’t easy.”
“I know what you mean. After my first marriage ended, I came back here to find who I was again. I never thought I’d meet anyone I could love, but then I met Ethan and everything fell into place. It wasn’t so easy for him, though. He changed his life so we could be together.”
