“She hasn’t shut up about how good a job you’re doing,” Anna added with a sassy smile.
Sasha glanced up and noted with relief that everyone had finally sat back, and their plates were all but scraped clean.
Anna stood and grabbed the salad bowl and salt and pepper. “We’ll have the guys clear off the rest of the table while Max and I make some coffee and bring out dessert. There’s a cupcake with my name on it. Be right back.” She headed toward the kitchen and Max followed.
She stood and started stacking dirty dishes into piles with the guys, but Mick waved her off.
“Expectant mothers get a pass for tonight,” he said with a wink.
She smiled and stepped back. “I won’t argue.”
But she kept an eye on Gabe as he helped, waiting for a window to approach him. As soon as the dishes were cleared and everyone else was chatting or out of earshot, she leaned in close.
“Could I talk to you for a quick second…alone?”
He nodded slowly, shooting a quick glance toward the kitchen before leading her into the living room.
“What’s up?” he asked.
She stared at him, trying to think of how to word the question without seeming accusatory.
“It might all be in my head, but I feel like everyone is acting a little strange. Your sister treated me like I had a communicable disease she didn’t want to catch, your mother wouldn’t even look at me…Is something going on that I don’t know about?”
Gabe fiddled with his wedding ring and looked away as he opened his mouth to speak and then closed it without saying a word.
“Gabe?” The trickle of dread was quickly growing into a tsunami. “Did you tell them?” she whispered. But she knew the answer before he even replied.
“Yes. Well, no,” he muttered, raking a hand through his dark hair, looking almost as miserable as she felt. “I told Max.”
“Why?” Sasha demanded, shock and anger stealing through her. “If we are going to try to work it out, why would you tell her that? We already had issues in the past, and now she hates me for sure. What possible reason--”
“Because I had no one to talk to!” he cut in, anger blazing in his eyes. “She was helping me, you came to visit, and she knew something was wrong. She caught me at a weak moment and I just didn’t have it in me to pretend. I didn’t do it to hurt you or damage your relationship with her or something. And I certainly didn’t plan to tell her.”
His defiant glare accompanied that verbal barb and she knew exactly what he was getting at. “So because your betrayal of my trust wasn’t planned, it’s okay?”
“It’s a hell of a lot more okay than what you did. The lying, over and over…” He trailed off and blew out a shaky breath. “Look, I’m not doing this with you again. I was wrong for telling her, but she wasn’t supposed to share it with anyone else.”
She might not have been supposed to, but she definitely had shared it with at least her mother. Sasha would bet her last dollar on it. And probably, Anna, too. The fact that she’d probably only been so affectionate because she’d pitied Sasha was bad enough, but the realization that Gabe’s recent behavior was likely due to his own feelings of guilt cut even deeper.
“I-I think I’d like to go now. I’m feeling ill,” she mumbled. It wasn’t a lie. The rich lasagna sat heavy in her stomach, making her queasy. She turned away before her husband could see her tears.
“Sasha,” Gabe started, reaching for her arm before letting his hand drop to his side. “Okay, whatever you want to do. I can let them know you’re under the weather and say our goodbyes while you grab our jackets.”
She muttered a thank you, glad he at least acknowledged how humiliating it would be to go back out there knowing that half the people present had been told their private business.
She hurried down the hallway and grabbed their jackets before making a beeline for the front door.
Her thoughts were chaotic as she ambled down the walkway toward the car. Part of her was furious at Gabe for telling anyone at all, even his sister. But surely he had the right to talk about his pain to someone he trusted? And what right did she have to be angry? There would’ve been no secret to tell if she hadn’t betrayed his trust.
But one thing was for certain. The progress she’d been so happy about…the warm-ish chatter in the car, the fixing of her plate…it was nothing more than a sham, born of guilt.
They’d gone one step forward and three steps back, and now? They were further away from fixing their marriage than ever before.
10
Cee-cee
“These are looking so good,” Steph said as she surveyed their work with a satisfied smile.
Cee-cee and her sister had met at the shop at six AM that morning. Once they’d gotten the coffee made and started working, it hadn’t been long before the basement kitchen filled with the incredible aromas of baking cupcakes, muffins, and scones.
She loved Sunday mornings. She opened the shop an hour later than usual so she could ensure she’d made enough treats for the day, and when she did unlock the door, it was to a throng of people. The place would fill up fast, with leaf-peepers visiting Bluebird Bay for the incredible foliage, and locals looking to start their day with something sweet.
But now, before the crowd came, was one of her favorite parts of the day. Piping away, marveling that this got to be her job forever, while the oldies station played in the background. Doo-wop music had been a favorite of their mom and dad’s, and just tuning in seemed to bring great memories of time spent with them back to the surface.
She seemed to function best here in these pre-dawn hours, and today it was a bonus to have her sister there to help her.
This is my happy place, she thought as she inhaled the intoxicating scents of lemon, lavender, and vanilla. She smiled as a timer went off and Steph pulled a batch of coffee cake muffins from the oven. They had been baking a little more than two hours already, and the cooling racks were slowly filling up with the day’s goodies.
Cee-cee scanned the storage shelf beneath the worktable and rummaged around among a few sturdy wooden cake boards.
“Aha!” she murmured when she found just the right size. She placed the board on the table and proceeded to wrap it with ornate silver paper to serve as the base for a pull-apart cupcake dress requested for a bridal shower later that afternoon. She stood back to review her efforts.
“That is gorgeous!” Stephanie commented from across the table, dipping a spoon into the bowl of soft lavender buttercream she had just finished making. She sampled the pale blue confection. “Oh my gosh, this came out so good,” she groaned as she brought the bowl over to Cee-cee for inspection.
“Looks great,” Cee-cee said as she dipped a nearby toothpick into the bowl and sampled delicately flavored frosting. “Perfectly balanced, too. I’ll make a pastry chef out of you yet,” she said as she placed the bowl beside the double batch of tangy cream cheese frosting on the metal work table.
“Do you think the cupcakes are cool enough to start assembling?” Steph asked hopefully as she pulled another pan of muffins from the oven and slid it into the wheeled rack on the other side of the room to cool. Cee-cee loved her sister’s enthusiasm and admired her zest for always wanting to learn new things. She was glad for the opportunity to teach her about baking and cake decorating. It gave them much needed sister time – something they’d both sorely needed after Pop’s passing.
Cee-cee reached over and felt the tops of the little lemon cakes and nodded, then moved on to check the carrot cake trays.
“Yep,” she announced, “let’s do it.” She grinned as Stephanie pumped her fist.
“Yes! My favorite part,” Stephanie said as she bellied up to the table in anticipation.
Cee-cee reached beneath the worktable and grabbed a picture of the dress her customer had provided for reference. They would try to replicate it with cleverly arranged cupcakes on the board. Two rows of three cupcakes would swoop down in a lazy u to form th
e bodice of the dress, one row of two cupcakes would make the dainty waist, and the flowing skirt would begin with a double row of three, then a double row of four, then five and so on to the bottom of the board.
“So, before I actually start piping, I assume the bodice and skirt are made with the white cream cheese frosting, and the blue sash at the waist with the lavender, right?” Stephanie said and reached for a carrot cupcake. Cee-cee watched, smiling as she placed the six cupcakes that formed the bodice onto the board, content to let her learn by doing.
“Oops, one sec,” Cee-cee said, and grabbed a bowl of buttercream frosting. She lifted each cupcake from the board and dabbed a bit of frosting on the paper bottom before returning them to the board in the bodice pattern. “Works like glue,” she said, winking. “Believe me, I learned this lesson the hard way when my first creation rolled off the board and never made it to the event.” She shuddered at the memory of cupcakes strewn all over the interior of her car.
“Good tip,” Stephanie agreed. She proceeded to dab and place the remaining cupcakes on the board, then stepped back to view her progress. “Looks like a dress to me,” she said triumphantly. “Albeit a drab one,” she admitted with a wince.
Cee-cee sipped her coffee and nodded agreement.
“Now for the hard part,” she said, putting her mug down and picking up a pastry bag with a delicate rose tip. “We start with the middle cupcakes and work outwards,” she said while filling the pastry bag with the cream cheese frosting. “I’ll go easy on you and do the main dress, and you just take care of the blue sash.” She figured Steph would get the hang of it just by watching her ice a few cupcakes.
Stephanie nodded and filled her pastry bag with the lavender buttercream, then stood back and watched while Cee-cee bent over the board and showed her how to make the beautiful but time-consuming rosettes.
“Glad I got the easy part,” she chuckled.
They took turns piping icing and sipping coffee as the oldies played, and the first hints of pink and gold dawn illuminated the empty gray streets outside the tiny basement windows.
“That was a really nice dinner at Anna’s last night.” Stephanie ventured to break the silence and snuck a look at Cee-cee as she worked. “And everything was delicious, but did you feel like there was tension in the air?”
Cee-cee didn’t answer and focused on the piping.
“I don’t know, maybe it was just me, but it seemed like there was some tension among the kids or something,” Stephanie pressed on, watching her sister’s eyes more than the piping technique lesson.
Cee-cee finally straightened and pressed a hand to the small of her back. She reached for her mug and took an extra-long sip to buy herself some time.
“Hmm, I don’t know. Sasha wasn’t feeling good at the end there, and I know Max has been super busy at the bookstore, but Todd and Gabe seemed fine.”
She hated to hide the truth from Stephanie, but she kept flashing back to the childish but annoyingly binding pinky swear. She held her breath, hoping her sister wouldn’t detect her discomfort.
“I guess so,” Stephanie nodded absently, clearly distracted with her task as she bent to pipe tiny, blue rosettes. “Ugh, maybe this isn’t my favorite part, after all,” she muttered as she leaned back to eye her work.
“It’s actually really good. Keep it up,” Cee-cee encouraged and perched on a nearby stool to watch Steph, just relieved she didn’t have to continue making excuses.
“Speaking of Todd, he’s been amazing,” Steph continued. “He’s really stepped up at the clinic. The clients really love him, and he’s so personable. And of course, the animals always know when people truly appreciate them, so they’re all crazy about him, too,” she said with motherly pride. “I made a good decision letting him take on the bulk of the responsibility.”
Cee-cee was glad Todd had found his calling. After losing his father, and nearly losing Stephanie to the same killer, he deserved some happiness. She made a mental note to drop by and take her nephew out to lunch. She hadn’t spent any one on one time with him since before Pop died, and it would be nice to catch up. If recent events had taught her anything, it was not to take anything—or anyone—for granted. They could be here one moment and gone the next.
Her thoughts briefly returned to Sasha and she bit her lip. She was pretty sure she hadn’t done a great job pretending like she didn’t know anything, and she knew for sure her daughter hadn’t. She was going to have to work on it, and counsel Max to do the same. Sasha was a good person at heart, even if she’d done something that had hurt Gabe. And now, after seeing her and getting a little time to process it all, Cee-cee really felt for the poor girl.
“I’m actually thinking about letting him take over permanently and just doing one day a week, just for new puppy shots and things like that,” Steph continued. “You know, the fun stuff.”
“So you mean semi-retirement?” Cee-cee asked.
“Yes. I think so, at least.” Steph straightened up with a groan and laid the pastry bag down. “I need another cup of coffee,” she said as she grabbed her cold mug. “Want some?” She reached for Cee-cee’s mug and padded over to the other side of the kitchen without waiting for a reply.
“Sure, thanks,” Cee-cee replied. She rose to reload the cream cheese pastry bag with more tangy frosting before bending to resume her own piping. “Damn,” she muttered as she dribbled a dollop over the side of one cake and realized maybe she’d better hold off on the caffeine until the intricate rosettes were finished.
Steph returned with the coffee. “Anyway, I think I’m going to start teaching more yoga classes with my new spare time. And of course, I’ll still come in to hang out with you a couple mornings a week. It’s…nice. It makes me feel good. I have to be honest, I think I’m kind of done with illness and death and dying for a while. Even the animal kind,” she said and set Cee-cee’s mug down as she dropped onto the stool. “After everything with Paul, Anna’s cancer, then the fire at Pop’s place, and his passing...my heart just needs a rest,” she said, nodding slowly. “I want to smell the ocean air and hold my great niece or nephew, snuggle up with Ethan and breathe. I want to enjoy life by moments. Because you never know when they’ll run out,” she said, her voice breaking at the last few words.
Steph had voiced exactly what Cee-cee had been feeling of late. Sensing she was close to tears, Cee-cee hugged her sister.
“I definitely agree,” she said soothingly. “You’ve been through a lot, living with and taking care of Pop, and none of us are getting any younger,” she said, rubbing her stiff back to emphasize her words. “I think that’s a great thing to strive for – make every moment count,” she said smiling and resumed decorating the cake.
“Oh! And, speaking of Todd, last night on the way home from Anna and Beckett’s house, we were talking about that asparagus dish. Apparently, the new cook at Mo’s came into the clinic last week with a pregnant cat. It was a stray that hung around her bungalow rental, and she wanted to make sure the cat was healthy and didn’t need any shots or anything. She’s racking up a lot of good karma points in Bluebird Bay...”
Cee-cee froze mid-rosette and stared at Steph for a long moment. Say it, or bite her tongue?
Hell, if you can’t tell your sister some crazy conspiracy theory, who can you tell?
“Interesting…so, I met her at Mo’s diner the other night. I gotta say…she was looking at me funny when we met – God only knows why – and then she sent asparagus to Anna’s, and we hardly know her. Now you’re saying she went to your clinic with a cat that isn’t even hers?” She stood up to face Steph. “Does any of that seem weird to you?”
Stephanie searched her gaze. “For sure,” she replied with a solemn nod. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Cee-cee cocked her head. “I don’t know – what are you thinking?”
“New-in-town Nikki is a culinary spy, and she was sent to Bluebird Bay to get your Italian buttercream recipe?” Stephanie deadpanned.
>
Cee-cee burst out laughing and shook her head.
“Okay, okay, fine. I get it. I sound a little bit nuts, but I swear, something feels off about her.” Slightly chagrined, she turned her attention back to the cake, and the two of them put on the finishing touches in silence.
“Voila!” Cee-cee whispered in a mock French accent a few minutes later as she stepped back from the table. “Nice, right?”
“It’s beautiful,” Steph said. She fished in her apron and pulled out her cellphone to take a picture.
“And now for another golden oldie classic, Sh’Boom by The Chords!” the radio announcer bellowed from the little speaker.
“Oh!” Cee-cee gasped, grabbing her sister’s hands and pulling her toward the open space in the middle of the kitchen. “This was Mom’s favorite song!”
Determined to take Stephanie’s advice and try to focus on making happy moments, she dragged her close and hauled her around the kitchen in a jaunty shuffle.
But as the two of them danced and laughed like a pair of fools, Cee-cee couldn’t quite shake the feeling that there was something strange about the sudden appearance of new-in-town Nikki…
11
Max
“Adorable,” she murmured under her breath, unable to keep from grinning. She set down the purple marker and held the piece of poster board out in front of her to admire her handiwork.
“Welcome to Bluebird Bay’s First Escape Room!” the center read, with smaller bits of text and info about the two specific escape rooms scattered about.
She’d been working on it from the moment Ian had left for his big day. It’d taken quite a bit longer than she’d expected but it’d been worth it. Stickers and little doodles that related to the different rooms covered the poster, with little hats, playing cards, and mushrooms for the Alice in Wonderland-themed room, and images of skulls, shovels, and tombstones to represent the scarier cemetery-themed room.
Finding Forgiveness: A Bluebird Bay Novel Page 7