“Colleen!” Her friend from high school stood on the front porch, cheeks rosy, green eyes bright in the cold air. “Come in.”
Colleen held up a bag emblazoned with World’s Best Donuts. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by. I wasn’t sure what your work schedule was. I know sometimes you have to get up before the birds, and I hoped you weren’t sleeping. I brought donuts as a peace offering just in case.”
Robin gave Colleen a swift hug, then took her jacket. “You’re always welcome, even when you don’t come with gifts.”
“I suppose it’s funny to bring donuts to a pastry chef.”
“There isn’t a donut in all of Paris that rivals World’s Best. Come sit in the living room. I’ll make us a pot of coffee to go with the donuts.”
Colleen sat on the couch, and Robin moved to the kitchen. The low wall separating the kitchen and living room allowed for chatter.
“I’m sorry about your grandpa,” Colleen said. “How is he feeling?”
“He’s doing much better.” Robin dumped water into the drip coffee machine. “He and Grandma are in Florida right now, staying at my great-aunt’s place on the Gold Coast.”
“I heard they were headed down there and that’s why you’re back. I’m glad you’re home. It’ll be fun to hang out again.”
“Oh, I’m not staying. I’m only here long enough to cover for Grandma and Grandpa and then I’m leaving.” She leaned against the half wall.
“What? I was hoping you were back for good.” Colleen’s expression stopped just short of being a full pout. “Deep Haven needs you.”
“Ha. That’s a laugh. This town never really understood me. Remember that prom dress I reworked back when we were juniors?”
“The one you found at the thrift store? I remember those wings.”
“The dress certainly didn’t match the vision I had in my head, but I thought the wings were amazing. I worked hard on that dress.” The coffee machine gurgled its last drips into the pot. Robin found and filled two cups. “Okay, so I won’t win any fashion awards, but even then, I wanted to stand out. Northern Minnesota isn’t a good place for original ideas. I still hear the echo of the other girls laughing at me.” She carried the cups to the living room and then handed one to Colleen.
Colleen speared her with a look. “C’mon, it was high school. I bet we’re more accepting than you think.”
“You’re probably right.” But even time and maturity hadn’t quite erased the sting of that night. Robin sipped her hot coffee. She’d never felt comfortable here in Deep Haven—didn’t fit the Northern Minnesota mold. “It was hard to tell when everyone spent all their time giving me pitying looks. They never really knew me. They only saw my tragic story, and my weirdness.”
“Pitying looks?” Colleen stared at her. “I think you’re mistaken. They were being sympathetic. Everyone knew you’d lost your parents.”
And that’d been part of the problem. She’d always been the girl who was an orphan. Never fitting in…but that wasn’t Colleen’s fault. “Sorry. I’m just out of sorts, I guess. It has been nice reconnecting with some of the regulars at the bakery.”
“Have you seen Sammy yet? I know he stops there a lot.”
Sammy’s teasing from the other day flashed through her mind. “You could say that. He rescued me from a flood. You know, I always thought the two of you would get together.” Robin aimed for a casual tone.
“No, we were always friends.”
Too bad Robin hadn’t known that back in high school when she’d had a pretty huge crush on the guy. But also, “I’m pretty sure Sammy wanted more than that.”
Colleen waved off the suggestion. “It would never have worked. You would be a much better match for him.”
Huh. “I mean, he’s definitely attractive.” Robin spoke quickly to cut off the interest Colleen showed in the statement. “But I’mleaving, so nothing can happen between us.”
“Maybe you should keep an open mind,” Colleen said. “I never thought I’d move back home, but look at me now! Besides, life is always messy. There is never a perfect time to fall in love.”
“Food for thought, I guess. All this talk about love—do you have a boyfriend now?”
“Actually, I am dating a guy named Jack.” Colleen’s face softened. “We’re on the Crisis Response Team together.”
Robin took a bite of her donut. Its sugar coating melted on her tongue, and she breathed in the slight hint of nutmeg. “Oh, yeah. I heard about him in a newspaper article Grandma sent me. You two were the ones who took care of Sammy, right?”
“Yep.” Colleen bit into her donut too. “I thought we were all going to die. Scariest day of my life.”
“I’ll bet. I never really heard the whole story.”
