CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER

2

C

arol Hanson burst into the bakery, looking harried. Two-year-old Hayden was sniffling from his perch on mom’s hip, and she juggled a bag of groceries in the other arm. “Is it too late to get a cake for tonight?”

Taking pity on the frazzled mom, Oona came out from behind the counter and held out her arms. “Now, there’s a young man who looks like he could use a cookie. Come see me for a minute while your mom gets settled.” She took him over to the display case while Carol set down her groceries and grabbed a glass of water from the pitcher on the side counter. “There are lavender Bliss Balls by the till for tasting today. You look like you need one.”

“You are a goddess, Oona.” Carol grabbed a chocolate from the glass jar on the counter and sank into a chair. She dissolved the chocolate in her mouth while Oona fetched Hayden’s cookie from the display case. Oona could see the moment she started to relax, her muscles softening and the tension in her shoulders easing off. “These are magic.”

They were, although the customers didn’t actually

know

that. She’d used lavender for its flavour and its properties as a calming agent, but she’d added a few other touches as well. A little something… extra. She’d needed to cool her blood a little after Sam’s visit that morning, and the Bliss Balls had been just the ticket, although it had taken a few more than she hoped to get herself settled. Thank the goddess for good metabolism.

“So, you need a cake.” She settled a now happier Hayden at the corner table with his cookie and turned her attention to Carol. “What’s the occasion?”

“My husband’s office manager is retiring, and we’re throwing a little party tonight for the whole staff. I got dinner mostly ready while Hayden was napping, but I know better than to try to make dessert as well. I’m a decent enough cook, but nothing I bake ever comes out right.”

“Lucky for me. Keeps me in business.” She got up from the chair and crossed over to the cooler that held the ready-made cakes. “How many people are coming?”

“About fourteen, I think.”

Oona raised an eyebrow. “That’ll be a houseful.” And more than the one remaining eight-inch round cake was going to serve. “Tell you what: why don’t you head home and finish off your dinner prep. There’s a small chocolate one here ready to roll, and I can put together a strawberry shortcake to make up the difference if you like. It’ll take me a couple more hours to finish up here, and then I’ll come by your place and drop them both off when I close up at six.”

She put a pad of sticky notes on the counter in front of Carol as she stood up to pay. “Just write down your address for me.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Oona. Thank you so much.” Carol pulled out her wallet and paid for the cakes, then gathered up her bag of groceries and took Hayden’s hand. “Come on, little man, let’s get you home. Both of us need a bath before company comes.”

Oona blew a kiss in response to Hayden’s pudgy little arm waving the cookie at her and tamped down a twinge of envy as they walked out the door together. “I’ll see you later, Carol.”

Now was not the time to focus on what she couldn’t have. She had a shortcake to create. And while it was in the oven, she’d get a jump on tomorrow’s list so she could sleep in a little bit.

Just after six,

Oona pulled past the address Carol had written on the sticky note. There were lots of cars parked in the driveway and out front, so she found a spot on the street a few houses down. She could have guessed which house was Carol’s with only the street name. It looked like the perfect family home, right down to the toys in the yard and the golden retriever sulking in the little house someone had lovingly made for him. She wasn’t sure she actually knew anyone else with a white picket fence. That stab of envy poked at her again.

She’d always wondered what it would be like to be normal. To be part of a regular family: a mom, a dad, maybe even a couple of siblings. But nothing about her life had ever fallen into the “normal” category.

And she had learned the hard way that no matter how much she might want to live in a house like this one and worry about things like throwing an office party for her husband’s staff, that just wasn’t in the cards for her.

And whose fault was that?

She tried to shake off the old guilt that welled up. She’d only been a child, trying to protect her mom. She had no way of knowing what the consequences of her actions were going to be. It had taken almost fifteen years of moving around, and the death of her mother, to lead her somewhere she’d finally felt safe. Where she’d finally felt at home.

That dull ache of grief was never going to go away. She’d always miss her mom, but she was fine now. She had the bakery, and that’s what she had to focus on. She had made a place for herself in Rivers End. She was part of a community for the first time in her life.

She pulled the big tray holding both cakes from the car and made her way up the walk to the bell. A few shoots were poking their way up through the dirt, and she wondered what kind of flowers they would turn into. Probably something bright and cheerful. She thought of her townhouse, and decided maybe she’d buy a plant on the way home. See if this time she could keep it alive for more than a couple of months.

Oona took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Who was she trying to fool? She wouldn’t buy a plant. If she did, she’d just feel bad about killing it. Her Gift was useful with people, not plants.

In real life, this Friday was going to be just like last Friday. She’d drop off the cakes, head home, and spend the evening alone, binge-watching

Game of Thrones

—again. She loved how simple her life seemed compared to the problems those characters were facing.

Besides, if she didn’t have a real-life guy to ogle, she could settle for a little play time with dragons and a large glass of wine to go along with whatever she scrounged up for dinner.

A woman she didn’t know opened the door and waved her in. “Come on in. Carol’s in the kitchen.”

Oona slipped off her shoes at the front door and turned left into the kitchen, where the buzz of conversation intensified. The tray balanced carefully in her arms, she made her way to the far counter. Whatever Carol had made for dinner sure smelled good.

“Oona! Perfect timing.” Carol peeked in through the clear top the bigger cake box. “Oh, wow. That looks amazing.”

“They should probably both go in the fridge. The strawberry shortcake can sit out for a little while when you’re ready to serve it, but I used real whipped cream, and it won’t last too long on the counter.” Between the bodies, the oven, and the crackling fire, it was warm in the kitchen.

Carol opened the fridge, took one look, and shook her head. “Nope. This one’s crammed. But there’s another fridge in the garage. They’ll both fit in that one. I’ll be right back. In the meantime, my brother will get you a glass of wine. You should stay a while.”

“I’ve got to get home. Thanks, though, Carol.” The last thing she wanted was to make small talk with a bunch of people she didn’t know after a really long day.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” A hand holding a wine glass appeared in front of her, and she followed the arm back to the face of its owner.

Hello.

Maybe she wasn’t too tired after all.