I make it to the back of the house when a high-pitched shout comes from behind me.
“She’s back!”
I shriek and spin around, nearly flinging my camera like a weapon.
A dozen or more ladies in the kitchen stare at me.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Faye’s voice is kind. “Did we scare you?”
“Yes.” I clutch my chest.
“How did you not hear us?” A woman in her fifties wearing big red glasses smiles at me with matching red lips.
That’s when I really take in the room.
Red and pink have exploded on every surface. Material looped garland drapes from the exposed wooden beams. Sewn hearts hang from the ceiling and dangle from cabinet knobs.
And the room itself is pure old Victorian with expansive counters, a farmhouse sink, and wooden cabinets. But it’s also frozen in a late-eighties, early-nineties glow of pinks and florals.
That might be enough to make anyone stop, but for me, it’s the dozen women at individual cooking stations with neatly laid out ingredients.
Dressed cute.
Likeeffortcute.
Dresses, boots, curled hair, and lip gloss.
One woman adjusts her cardigan as she whispers to another. Two more giggle over a bowl of strawberries.
I looked down at myself. Oversized T-shirt. Joggers. And fluffy socks Tess gave me last year for Christmas.
“I was looking for—”
“Cash?” The woman who introduces herself as Jaclyn digs her long fingernails into her blonde spikes. “Aren’t we all, sweetheart.”
She adjusts her leopard-print blouse with a diving neckline.
“No. I—”
“Is he here now?” A delicate older lady sits beside Jaclyn with white, tousled hair.
“Not yet, Ma.” Jaclyn faces her and raises her voice before glancing back at me. “She didn’t wear her hearing aid. Did you, Ma?”
“What?”
“Exactly.” She takes a deep breath. “Her name is Nettie. And your name is?”
“Shay, but I’m not here for—”
“If I were twenty years younger, I’d be trying to wrestle that boy into my rocking chair.” There’s a wickedly naughty sparkle in Nettie’s eyes.
The rest of the ladies burst into laughter.
“I believe you would.” Her daughter’s hand moves along the vibrant swirls of Nettie’s cardigan.
“You hungry?” Faye stops as she grabs a plate off the counter. “I saved a meal for you.”
Even she’s changed outfits. However, this one might be even more over-the-top than the last one.
