Vanessa is a sweet girl who has a love for make-up and baking next to her mama. It’s sweet and she always puts a smile on my face when I see her.
“No,” I assure Lara, “the printer was working last time I needed it.” I screw up my face and knock on the wooden countertop which has Lara giggling. “Hopefully my luck will hold strong.”
“I’m sure it will now,” she teases me while looking at the butcherblock countertop. “Taking a break?”
“Yeah,” I sigh as my eyes snag on her lemon bars.
They’re delicious and I can already taste the sweet zing on my tongue just by looking at them. I don’t even have to say anything. Lara is there to pull one out and put it on a plate for me. Then she’s getting a cup of tea ready for me.
My sigh of contentment has her grinning from ear to ear. Sure, I might be predictable when it comes to my snacks, but I’m okay with it.
“You’re amazing,” I breathe out as she puts the deliciousness in front of me.
“I know,” she chirps and we share a laugh together.
When the bell above her door chimes, I turn hoping to see Vanessa, but am just as thrilled to see my sister, Jessi. She’s not alone though. She walks through the door of Bunz Out while laughing with Ezra Lyons. She was in the same grade with Jessi. We would be shoved together more often than not because Ezra is the only daughter of Sheriff Lyons, a position he’s held for as long as I can remember, and we’re the daughters of the mayor.
“Sister,” Jessi shouts and rushes over to me to engulf me in a hug.
I can’t help but giggle as I hug her back. She rocks me back and forth like we haven’t seen each other in ages instead of a matter of days. But I’m not going to tell her to stop.
When she releases me, I smile at Ezra and greet her, “Hi, Ezra.” I glance down at her shirt because you do not miss seeing Ezra’s shirt if you can help it.
While Jessi teaches English at the high school, Ezra teaches history. And loves it. Clearly.
Today her shirt has a man holding a dance pose while dressed in a Russian folk outfit with the words ‘Dancing with the Tzars’ above him and ‘Peter and Catherine were great, but Ivan was terrible’ underneath.
I choke on spit and sputter out a laugh. She giggles and shrugs, her voice bright, “Hi, Helen.”
I croak, “Your shirt is amazing.”
She flounces as she approaches us at the counter and flips her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I know,” she chirps while her eyes sparkle with amusement.
“What are you doing here?” Jessi pulls my attention back to her.
“I think I should be asking you the same question,” I shoot back at her considering it’s the middle of the day and she’s supposed to be molding teenage minds. Which could never be me, by the way. “I’m taking a little break for a treat and then heading back.”
“It’s a half day today,” she explains, “and we snuck out for a treat of our own before we go back for some meeting or training or whatever it is on our agenda this afternoon.”
She waves her hand dismissively, but I know the truth. My sister loves her job. It’s her mission to share her love for books. I’m not saying she doesn’t care about the performance of her students when it comes to grades, but if she can spark a love for escaping into books and the way those stories connect us, then she’s happy. Test scores be damned.
Since we’re the only ones in the bakery at the moment, I don’t waste another moment and take a big bite of the lemon square. If I moan around the bite, everyone has the decency to ignore it.
When Jessi and Ezra have their own snacks, we stay right where we are and Lara’s grin widens. She turns toward me, “What are you plans this weekend, Helen?”
I can’t help but cringe. What is anyone’s weekend plans around here?
“Laundry and cleaning because I absolutely do not keep up with it daily.” I hate to admit how boring my plans are.
Lara shoots me a look, her voice full of sass, “That doesn’t sound very exciting.”
“Oh really? And what, exactly, do you have planned this weekend?” I can’t help but give the question right back to her with a smile on my face.
Lara pauses for a long moment before her shoulders slump. “Fine,” she holds out the word and whines slightly. “I have laundry to do as well, but it’s mostly Vanessa’s clothes this weekend,” she grumbles.
“We should find a time and go out for a girl’s night,” Jessi exclaims.
Her enthusiasm is contagious and I find myself nodding even though it’ll probably be a nightmare.
