Page 30 of The Last Lavender Sister

“Okay,” Aster said. “Well, I’m arriving a little early because I want to get my ducks in a row. Visit campus. Unpack before classes start.”

“I still can’t believe we won’t see you every day,” her mother said. She’d been a mixture of proud and crestfallen when Aster had broken the news about Boston.

“I’ll call. Send smoke signals,” Aster said, pulling a direct smilefrom her mom. She was going to miss having her biggest cheerleader just a few minutes up the road. In fact, she didn’t allow herself to think about that part too often, because she’d never been separated from her mother before and couldn’t stand the thought.

“And what classes will they have you attending in the first semester?” her father asked.

That part got her excited. Just perusing the list of coursework was the very thing that made her take the leap and apply, all those months ago. She sat taller. “Well, they have a whole class just about ingredients. I’m really looking forward to that one. I’ll also be taking artisan breads, culinary techniques, and world cuisine. Sixteen courses over two years.” She could feel the smile take over her face as she spoke. She wasdrowningin anticipation of all that lay ahead. This was the biggest thing that had ever happened to Aster, and she planned to take full advantage of every moment in school, refining the techniques she did have, and adding to her knowledge base. She was confident that there were many gaps to fill.

Underneath the table, Brynn took her hand and gave it a squeeze. When she began to pull it back, Aster tugged, and Brynn left it right where it was, meeting Aster’s gaze and offering a private smile. Her heart kicked. Brynn made her feel in ways she wasn’t familiar, and her touch, the simple brushing of their fingertips beneath a table, pulled a response from her body that she didn’t quite know how to channel. Instead, it tended to just take over, like now. The table was lively and loud, with folks a couple drinks in and talking over each other. In the midst of the commotion, Aster only saw Brynn. She’d never been more beautiful, and this was quite possibly the last time they’d see each other before Aster left. She dreaded that part, especially when everything in her wanted to spend more time together, either away from the world or smack dab in it. She wasn’t picky.

“Aster, cake?” She looked up to see Tad offering her a piece of the birthday cake.

“I’d love a slice,” she said, accepting the plate.

Moments later, Brynn set down her fork and inclined her head. “It’s fun to watch you eat.”

“Me? Don’t do that,” Aster said, horrified.

“Too late. It’s not the first time either. You go slow with each biteand then pause for a short, thoughtful break before going on to the next one. I just race through the whole thing.”

Oh, this was a compliment. “I think it’s because I like to think about each ingredient that goes into a dish. I play a little game where I make a list and try to guess each one. Sometimes the quantities, too.”

“Your brain is always busy, isn’t it?”

She exhaled, because Brynn was right. She understood her in these little but important ways that people who had known Aster her entire life did not. She nodded. “A blessing and a curse.”

“I can imagine,” Brynn said, her knee brushing Aster’s. Not an accident. Not the way it lingered. She saw that much on Brynn’s face. She brushed Brynn’s right back. All the while, down the table, the check was paid, her parents’ treat as always, and everyone was assembling themselves to leave in the midst of their customary overlapping chatter. What everyone was doing the next day. How amazing the steak had been! When Tad was going on his next business trip for his father’s firm.

“Need a ride home?” Brynn asked quietly. “I know where you live.”

That sent a shiver. Aster had walked to the restaurant and was now glad she had. “Yes, please. And you’re coming over.” They held eye contact until Aster was pulled away by social norms.

She hugged Violet, who took Aster’s face in her hands. “You are going to do amazing things in Boston. And we will be eating all the doughnuts while you’re gone.”

“You better. Happy birthday, Vi. I’ll come by the shop tomorrow for a proper farewell.”

Marigold swallowed. “I refuse to think about saying good-bye to you, so I will not think about it until the moment comes. Then I will crumble like a sandcastle kicked by a toddler.”

“That’s fair,” Aster said and watched her sisters link arms as they rounded the table, always the pair. She said good-bye to the rest of her family and turned to Brynn. “I guess I’m ready.” She really was. She wanted to be alone so they could exhale intothemand relax away from it all.

“Me, too. Let’s go.”

She slid into Brynn’s white SUV and smiled because the very clean car smelled so much like Brynn, faint oranges with vanilla likethose Creamsicles they used to eat as kids on warm summer days. Only so much better. “Brynn.”

“Yes, Aster.”

“You always smell so nice.”

Brynn glanced over at her as she drove. They shared a smile. Each exchange carried so much more weight now that their time was short. “Thank you. So do you.”

“Just soap.”

“Like fresh cotton. That’s what I always think when I’m around you. And maybe a little cucumber.”

Aster nodded. “Not bad. My shampoo. You’re apparently good at identifying ingredients yourself.”

“Or I just get lucky when it comes to you.”

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