"What are we doing?" Sydney asked as we started to walk up the steps.
"I haven't had breakfast yet," I replied. "And I need to see about your car."
I had called Blake to come tow her car, but when he pulled it out of the mud, it was easy to see there was some wheel damage. Hopefully he would be able to tell me about it. I could tell Sydney wanted to fight me on staying, but she didn't, and they both followed me inside.
When we got there, the chaos was a bit tamed, with just my siblings at the table talking amongst themselves.
"Good morning, baby," my mother said, coming from the kitchen. She gave me the same hug I got every morning before peering behind me to see my guests. "Who have you brought?"
"This is Sydney and Matilda. They're the auditors from the Organic Certifiers of Stonebridge."
“Oh, hello! Would you like some breakfast? The herd here has devoured most of the biscuits, but I still have bacon, French toast, and a hot pot of coffee.”
“I’ll take some,” Matilda said, pushing past Sydney and me and making her way to the kitchen table, sitting down.
“What about you?” I asked as Sydney stood there, frozen in place. “Want something to eat?”
She cleared her throat. "I'm fine, I had breakfast this morning. I would prefer to get started as soon as possible."
"Oh, I insist," Mom called from the kitchen. "Even just a cup of coffee before you go out. The mornings are still so chilly."
For a moment Sydney looked as if she might argue, but I'd never known anyone capable of saying no to my mother.
"If you insist," she said, not unkindly. She even almost cracked a little smile.
Almost.
She went to the table and took the seat next to Matilda while I took the other side. Bailey was surprisingly still there this morning, as were Blake and Bryce.
"Where are the kids?" I asked Bryce.
"With their mother. She's having them help pot up some of the flowers for the festival.”
"What festival?” Matilda asked.
"The Blossom Festival," I said. "It's a town celebration to mark the coming spring and open the farmer’s market."
"That sounds delightful!" she exclaimed, but Sydney’s face stayed neutral.
My mother came a few minutes later with plates for everyone. The food was all in the middle, served family-style like it always was. I thanked her and dug in, grabbing a bit of everything. Matilda grabbed herself some pancakes, but Sydney only grabbed a bit of the fruit and poured herself some coffee, taking a deep sip.
“Thanks Ma,” I said as I ate.
“You’re welcome.”
I was happy my siblings decided to behave themselves while we had guests. It seemed like Sydney spooked easily and probably wouldn’t take too kindly to all the noise. Bailey talked about the bees and how she was hoping for an early honey harvest this year. She still had a buildup of beeswax to render from last year to make products, but it wasn't quite time to harvest more honey yet.
“What’s the damage to the car?” I asked Blake before he started heading out.
He shrugged. “I’m not totally sure. I can tell the left tire will need to be replaced. But the muffler might be dinged up too.”
Sydney’s eyes widened. “The car broke?”
I winced, realizing I had been so distracted this morning I’d forgotten to mention it.
“Yeah,” Blake continued. “It’s not totaled or anything, but it’ll take some time to get the parts I need.”
She leaned back in the chair, looking dejected. “I can’t even imagine the cost, and going through insurance will take forever.”
