Already Home

by Susan Mallery

  “It’s going to be great,” Violet assured her. “First Fridays are special in Georgetown. All the downtown businesses get involved, staying open later. Come on, it’s just one class. Relax.”

  “It’s a class for singles on a Friday night. What if no one shows?”

  “Then you don’t have to be worried about anything.”

  “I guess.”

  “And you’re not desperate.”

  “Maybe. I’m afraid everyone will assume I’m teaching this class so I can meet eligible guys.”

  “Want me to make you a button that says you’re not?”

  Jenna glared at her assistant. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  “Oh, please. I’m the tough one here.” Just then her cell phone chirped. Violet grinned as she reached into her apron pocket. “It’s Cliff.”

  “Oh, yeah. You’re really tough. Practically a marine.”

  “I’m ignoring you,” Violet said as she looked at the screen, then laughed. “He wants to know if he should feel threatened by all the good-looking single guys trying to pick me up.”

  Jenna glanced around the empty store. “I would say that’s a no.”

  The class for singles had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t know which would be worse—if no one came or if there were a lot of people. She was still mentally recovering from her date with Dr. Mark. Not to mention the stress of getting her business up and running and hey, new parents. Not much room or time left for a social life.

  Violet slipped her phone back into her pocket. “I reminded him I’m still at work and can’t text with him.”

  “You’re seeing him tonight?” Jenna asked, already suspecting the answer. “Uh-huh.”

  “You’ve been going out with him a lot.”

  “This is the third date this week.”

  “That’s nice.” Jenna could be genuinely happy for Violet. Cliff sounded great.

  “It is and so is he.” Violet leaned against the counter and sighed. “We’re taking it slow, physically. I like that. It makes me feel that he’s in it for more than sex.”

  “Why wouldn’t he be?”

  “A lot of guys just want to get laid.”

  “You mean like Dr. Mark?”

  Violet winced. “I really am sorry about that.”

  “I know. It’s okay. If I change my mind, I know who to call.”

  The front door opened and Serenity breezed in. She’d taken to dropping by the store every few days, so Jenna wasn’t surprised.

  “Hi,” she called. “Does Tom know you’re here for my singles class?”

  Serenity laughed. “He trusts me. Our souls have connected in a way that can never be undone. Hello, Violet. How’s that young man of yours?”

  “Good. I’m seeing him tonight.”

  As they chatted, Jenna studied Serenity. As always, she wore colorful, loose-fitting clothing. This evening’s outfit was cream-color pants with several red ribbons sewn down the side. Her top fell to midthigh, with bell sleeves, the fabric a paisley explosion of red.

  Serenity was someone who could talk about souls connecting in a very New Age kind of way, only to ask about Violet’s boyfriend in the old-fashioned terms of “your young man.”

  “What’s on the menu for tonight?” Serenity asked.

  “Pasta,” Jenna told her. “Something easy to make for a date. You’ll be pleased to know it’s vegetarian.”

  “I’ll get you converted before you know it.”

  Jenna smiled rather than respond. She thought about mentioning the rice pudding recipe she’d experimented with but decided not to.

  “By the way,” Serenity said, tilting her head. “I want to talk to you about a young man I met today. His name is Ellington and he works at the healing center I’ve been going to.”

  Jenna wasn’t aware of any healing center in the area, but then she’d never gone looking for one.

  “Thanks, but I’m not really…”

  Serenity touched her arm. “He’s in his mid-thirties, tall, very good-looking. Divorced. He’s been going through a lot and now feels ready to start dating again.” The corners of her mouth turned up. “He eats meat.”

  “There’s a plus,” Violet murmured.

  “I think you two would do well together. Your auras have a lot in common.”

  Jenna wanted to pound her head against the wall. Couldn’t Ellington hook up with a nice massage therapist and call it a day?

  “I’m not looking to date,” Jenna began.

  “You’ll never move on if you don’t release the past.”

  “I think the past is pretty much gone. I’m over Aaron. I’ve started a business. It’s all good.”

  Serenity gazed into her eyes. “Your heart and soul are crying out for a connection. I can hear it and it makes me ache inside.”

  Jenna stared into Serenity’s intense gaze. “All right,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll meet Ellington.”

  “We could double-date,” Violet offered. “Meet for dinner somewhere.”

  Jenna wanted to hug her. “That would be great.” Having another couple around could keep the evening from being a total disaster. “I’ve been wanting to meet this Cliff guy and make sure he’s good enough for you.”

  “Excellent,” Serenity said. “I’ll give Ellington your number.”

  “Just the number for the store,” Jenna said quickly. “In case things don’t work out.”

  “Of course. Whatever my daughter wants.”

  Ten

  Beth studied the cookbooks on display, stacked on a shelf, with a couple open to specific recipes. Handwritten notes mentioned the dates and times the recipes would be prepared in the store.

  “Sorry,” Jenna said, rushing up to her. “We’re swamped.”

  “Swamped is good.”

  “I know. We went from dead to crazy in a few short weeks. Violet’s already hired one college student part-time and I think we might need another one.”

  “How are the cookbook classes doing?” Beth asked.

  “Great.”

  They walked toward the kitchen end of the store. Jenna poured them each a cup of coffee, while Violet took care of the customer by the cash register.

  Jenna handed Beth a small bowl of soup. “Tell me what you think,” she said.

  Beth picked up the spoon and took a taste. The soup had an obvious tomato base, but it was so much more. Rich and spicy with a hint of something smoky.

  “I love it,” she said between spoonfuls. “It’s so unusual.”

  “It’s Brazilian.”

  Beth stared at her. “When did you start cooking Brazilian food?”

  “I’ve been experimenting with different things lately.”

  “Well, it’s delicious. Is it hard? Could I make it?”

  “Sure.” Jenna wrinkled her nose. “You really like it? You’re not just saying that?”

  If Beth didn’t know better, she would swear her daughter was waiting to be scolded. “You know you always have brilliant ideas for new recipes. This one is great. You should use it in one of your classes. Speaking of which, how did it go? Any likely prospects?”

  “There were three guys and twelve women. I didn’t have a chance.” Jenna shrugged. “But the class itself was good. I did an easy pasta dish. I’m going to work up complete menus and also some ideas for dishes that can be prepared in advance and then frozen.”

  “Sounds like a great idea. Not everyone has your ability to whip up a delicious dinner with soda crackers and pepper.”

  “Even I would have trouble with that.” She glanced over Beth’s shoulder.

  Beth turned. “What?”

  “Oh, just wondering when Serenity is going to pop in. She’s here nearly every day.”

  “She’s in a strange city and her husband is gone. She’s lonely.”

  “I know and I appreciate her interest, but does she have to come here all the time?” Jenna looked at her mother. “While I’m complaining, why do you alwa
ys take her side?”

  “I understand her. Don’t forget, I’m the one who got you, Jenna. She’s the one who gave you up.”

  “That was her choice. I’m not angry she did. I had a great childhood. It’s just that sometimes she talks about how she’s been waiting for me to come to her. That she and Tom thought I would be interested in finding out about my biological past. Then I feel guilty for never having seriously wondered about them.”

  Beth glanced around at the colorful store. Music played from hidden speakers. The sound was appealing and faintly Italian. The scent of basil and chicken lingered from the last class. Sunlight poured in through large windows.

  “This is a welcoming place to be,” she said gently. “Try to be patient.”

  “She’s calling me her ‘daughter.’ At first it was just the one time, but now it’s in every other sentence.” Jenna paused, as if waiting for Beth to pounce.

  Beth took another sip of her coffee. “You are her daughter.”

  Jenna groaned. “You are so annoying. Be possessive, like everyone else. She’s also fixing me up on a date. She met Ellington at a healing center. Apparently our auras match or something.”

  A date did seem as if it was going too far, but Beth only shrugged. “Maybe you’ll like him.”

  “Doubtful, but I’ll go.” Jenna lowered her voice. “It’s not that I really mind any of that, but everything feels forced to me. If we’re going to have a relationship, it will take time. She’s pushing things.”

  “Maybe she wants to make up for lost time. You should give her a chance, honey. The two of you have a lot in common.”

  “DNA doesn’t make a relationship.”

  “It’s a start. You look a lot like her, you have similar characteristics. They say intelligence passes through the mother.”

  Jenna set down her coffee and crossed her arms over her chest. “She doesn’t know me. If there’s any love it’s for who she thinks I am or who she wants me to be. She wasn’t there when I was little. She’s not the one who read to me or taught me to ride a bike or took care of me when I was sick.”

  Beth nearly got lost in a wave of memories. “We were so lucky to get you.”

  Jenna hugged her. “I’m the lucky one. I love you. I don’t want her getting in the way of that.”

  Beth straightened. “Is that what you think? That you have to pick? You don’t. I’ll always be here for you. Maybe it would help if you thought of Serenity as someone to be friends with.”

  Jenna looked startled, then laughed. “Typical. You come up with a solution while I’m still defining the problem. You’re right. That is the best way to deal with her. Stop thinking of her as someone who wants to be my mother and think of her as a friend.” She wrinkled her nose. “A slightly pushy friend who won’t eat cheese.”

  The front door opened. Jenna looked past Beth. “Speak of the devil.”

  Beth turned and saw Serenity had entered the store. She was so tall and beautiful, Beth thought. For once she was in jeans that showed off her long thin legs.

  She touched her blond hair and wondered if the short cut was too matronly. Serenity’s long hair was young and appealing.

  “Good morning, daughter of mine,” Serenity called as she crossed to Jenna and embraced her. Jenna glanced at Beth over the other woman’s shoulders and rolled her eyes.

  Beth held in a giggle.

  Serenity turned to her. “You’re here! That’s wonderful. How is everything?”

  “Good. Are you enjoying your stay?”

  “I am. A few days ago, I explored Austin. A wonderful city. And the parks here in Georgetown. Yesterday I took the trail from the lake all the way into town and then walked to the university.”

  “Walking?” Beth asked. “That had to be over five miles.”

  “Yes. Don’t you sometimes feel you have to be outside, communing with nature?” She drew in a breath. “I was refreshed by it.”

  Beth had the feeling she would only be crippled. A five-mile walk for fun? The whole point of her yoga class was it was exercise without sweat. Plenty of groaning and pain but not so much on the sweat.

  “When I got back to the apartment, I did a mini-cleanse.”

  Beth looked at Jenna who shrugged. Beth wasn’t sure what went into a mini-cleanse, but she was comfortable not knowing the details.

  “I’m a new person,” Serenity said, then sighed happily. “Which probably explains what happened when I was meditating this morning.”

  “Being one with the universe is kind of a full-time job, isn’t it?” Jenna asked.

  Beth pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

  Serenity nodded seriously. “It requires dedication.” She linked arms with Jenna. “I was meditating about you.”

  Panic chased across her daughter’s face. Beth didn’t know if she should rescue Jenna or let things play out.

  Before she could decide, Serenity said, “I was wondering if this store is really right for you. While I love the space and can feel the happiness here, I’m not certain it’s where you want or need to be.”

  Beth stiffened. Talk about meddling. Jenna loved the store. She’d gotten off to a shaky start, but she’d recovered and was doing very well. It was so much better than working her butt off in restaurants where she had crazy hours and never got to have a social life.

  Jenna pulled her arm free and faced Serenity. “I just opened the store.”

  “I know. It was a decision you made in a time of need. You put out a request to the fates and it was answered. But was it the right thing for you?” Serenity smoothed Jenna’s hair. “You have so many gifts. Most people only have one or two, so their choices are easy. But you have paths going in multiple directions.”

  “I like the store,” Jenna said, sounding less sure of herself.

  “Of course you do,” Beth said quickly. “It’s going well, and you’re having so much fun. You said how you enjoy being able to cook at your own pace. Plus you’re helping other people with your classes.”

  “I do,” Jenna said. “I like working with the public, which is a nice surprise. I love seeing people cook something they would have sworn they couldn’t make and then going home and re-creating the experience for their families.”

  “I didn’t mean to suggest the store was completely wrong,” Serenity said gently. “I’m simply wondering if it’s your calling.”

  “That’s for Jenna to decide,” Beth told the other woman. “It’s her life.”

  “True, but we must guide our children.”

  Jenna is my child, not yours.

  Beth thought the words but didn’t speak them. Irritation burned inside of her, but she did her best to keep her expression calm.

  It was a style difference, she told herself. Nothing more. Serenity was only here for a short time. Eventually she would have to go back to her regular life and all this would be behind them.

  “There were elements of being a chef I really loved,” Jenna said. “But it wasn’t for me.”

  “The journey is exploration,” Serenity assured her.

  “Interesting.”

  Beth realized Jenna was taking Serenity’s words and supposition seriously and was actually considering that the store might not be for her. She wanted to grab her daughter and tell her to ignore the other woman’s weirdness. She’d barely gotten her daughter back, and now she was going to lose her again?

  She fought back the panic. Nothing was going to happen in the next few weeks. Everything would calm down.

  She managed to slow her breathing and relax enough to smile. But when she looked at Serenity, she found she didn’t like her nearly as much as she had before.

  Jenna worked frantically in her kitchen. Tonight was her blind date with Ellington of the healing center. Despite knowing it was good for her to get out on a date, she was sorry she’d agreed to be set up. Bad enough to go out with someone she didn’t know, but worse when the results would be reported back to Serenity. No doubt her birth mother would want to
dissect the evening in terms of moon placement and chakras.

  Adding to the impossibleness of the situation was the fact that she’d decided to cook.

  Oh, sure, it would have all been fine if she’d decided to crack open a cookbook and pick a recipe. But she hadn’t. Instead, she was creating something from scratch.

  Her first thought had been to make Indian food. Serenity had made her think of it, mentioning Ellington liked it. Jenna had never made more than a few Indian dishes, simple things that wouldn’t impress anyone. But she’d been determined to try something new—breaking out of her cooking rut seemed to be helping.

  She’d started with basic Indian spices only to realize Indian flavorings had a lot in common with Mexican food. They both used cumin. Mexican food used cilantro and Indian food favored coriander, but they both came from the same plant. Could they be blended?

  Three hours later she poured sauce on her chicken curry enchiladas and wondered what the hell she’d been thinking. The food could be a complete disaster.

  Or it could be wonderful.

  Not sure which, she popped the dish in the oven, offered up a prayer and shook tortilla chips into a bowl. Seconds later, her doorbell rang. She drew in a breath for courage and went to answer it.

  The man waiting for her was tall and good-looking, with blond hair and blue eyes. When he saw her, he smiled and Jenna felt a little whisper of anticipation. Maybe she’d been too quick to judge Serenity and her taste in men.

  “Jenna? I’m Ellington.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she said. They shook hands and she felt a very distinct spark. Nice, she thought. This could be nice.

  “We’re having dinner with friends of yours?” he asked as he followed her inside.

  “Violet works for me. I’ve never met her boyfriend, Cliff, but I hear he’s pretty great.”

  “I like meeting new people.”

  He smiled again, but instead of a spark, she thought she recognized something. No, not something. Someone. She studied him more closely.

  “Have we met?”

  “I don’t think so.” He shrugged. “You might have seen me on TV. I do a lot of interviews, discussing homeopathic healing techniques. I’ve appeared on most of the local talk shows and have a regular segment on the morning news.”