As Lynda shared her wedding plans, Susan watched her three closest friends. Isabel’s face lit up with genuine delight and Kathleen clasped her hands together, already giving Lynda wedding ideas.
These women had been her anchors throughout her life, and she didn’t know what she’d ever do without them.
“Susan’s organizing the food,” Lynda announced, and two pairs of eyes turned toward her with varying expressions of surprise and concern.
“Are you sure?” Isabel asked carefully. “I thought you were trying to step back from catering.”
“It’s different when it’s for friends,” Susan said. “Besides, I’ve already started working with Paul on his restaurant menu. I’m not stepping back from cooking. I’m just being more selective about what projects I do.”
“How is the collaboration with Paul going?” Kathleen asked, her expression too knowing.
Heat rose to Susan’s cheeks. “It’s okay. We met earlier this week. He’s very professional.”
Isabel frowned. “I thought it would be more than that. You both seem happy when you’re talking to each other.”
“Nothing’s happening.” Susan’s lie tasted bitter. “We’re working together on a menu. That’s all.” She stood and moved to the counter, arranging appetizers on a platter with more attention than necessary. “Even if I wanted more, it’s irrelevant. I sold my business and moved across the country to start over.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have a relationship with someone.” Isabel’s voice was quiet but firm. “Especially someone who shares the same interests as you.”
Susan’s throat tightened. She set down the platter and gripped the counter’s edge, forcing herself to face her friends. “I don’t know how to have a normal life.” The confession spilled out before she could stop it, raw, honest, and devastating. “I never had children. My marriage was a disaster because I was too busy working. And now I look at all of you, and I’m so happy for you. I am. But I’m also...” Her voice broke. “I’m so lonely I can barely breathe.”
The silence that followed was full of love and understanding. When Kathleen hugged her, Susan almost cried.
When Lynda spoke, her voice was gentle. “I thought you were happy being single. Were you too scared to try again?”
Susan was surprised by the question. She was in her mid-thirties when her marriage had ended. The few friends she had in Georgia were all in relationships and busy with their own lives. “I don’t think I was scared. I just threw myself into my work so I didn’t have to think about dating anyone. It was easier than feeling like I was the only one in the world who didn’t have someone waiting for them at home.”
Lynda stood and crossed to the window, looking out at the lake. “I know what you mean. Ray destroyed my trust in men. He made me think I was worthless and unlovable. After our divorce, I spent every spare minute I had at my veterinary clinic. When Matt asked me out, my first instinct was to say no. To protect myself from ever feeling that kind of pain again.” She turned back. “But then I thought, what if this is it? What if Matt is the person for me? I couldn’t let fear stop me from seeing where a relationship with him might lead.”
Tears pricked Susan’s eyes. “But what if I open myself up to Paul and he realizes I’m just... broken? That I’ve spent so many years alone that I don’t know how to be with someone anymore?”
Isabel wrapped Susan in another hug. “If Paul doesn’t see the woman we do, then that’s his loss. Don’t put any pressure on yourself or him. Just enjoy each day as it comes.”
Kathleen handed Susan a cup of coffee. “And if all else fails, we’ll have a Christmas Eve wedding to enjoy.”
Susan smiled at Lynda. “And the best wedding menu Sapphire Bay has ever seen.”
Chapter 7
Susan surveyed the rows of cooling racks crowding every available surface in the Welcome Center’s teaching kitchen. The scent of gingerbread mingled with cinnamon and vanilla, creating an atmosphere that felt both festive and comforting.
“Remember, these need to cool completely before we package them,” she reminded her students as they pulled the last batch of cookies from the ovens. “We’ll wrap everything once they reach room temperature, and then put them into the freezer until mid-November.”
Eight women clustered around the stainless steel counters, their aprons dusted with flour and powdered sugar. Susan had grown fond of this group over the past months. They came each week eager to learn, their conversations flowing easily between recipe instructions and life updates.
“I can’t believe the Secret Santa program has gotten so big,” Maria Torres said, carefully transferring snickerdoodles onto parchment paper. “Pastor John mentioned they’re expecting to deliver over two hundred gift boxes this year.”
“That’s wonderful,” Susan replied, checking the timer on another oven. “It shows how generous this community is.”
Rachel Benson leaned against the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. “My mother-in-law was telling me about the first year they did Secret Santa. They had about thirty families participating. Now look at us. We’ve been here since nine this morning and we’re still going.”
Susan smiled at the exhaustion mixed with satisfaction on their faces. They’d made dozens of different treats today: gingerbread cookies, chocolate crinkles, peanut butter blossoms, shortbread, and her personal favorite—almond crescents dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
“Does anyone want me to email them the recipe for the Russian tea cakes?” she asked, moving between the counters.
“I’d love a copy,” Julie Harrison said. “My grandmother used to make something similar, but I never got her recipe before she passed.”
Susan made a mental note to email her the recipe later. “Consider it done,” she told Julie. Helping someone recreate a cherished memory through food reminded Susan about why she’d started teaching.
