Page 11 of Make You Mine

She grinned. “Well, more power to you. It’s actually adorable. Remember when Grandma tried teaching us to knit all those years ago? I could never quite get the hang of it.”

Recalling the memory, I laughed. “Yeah, she always said you were too impatient, which totally makes sense, by the way. I’m trying to slow down and pay attention to what I truly need. And to be honest, I don’t think it’s a man. I have this house—and once I can figure out how to get rid of Dana, my bakery, the hummingbirds, good coffee, and my pets. Last night, I saw raccoons, Piper. Over there by the apple tree. They were so cute, like weird little fucked up cats. I love it here. I love it even more now that Richard moved out.” I sighed, tossing the knitting aside. “I’m not sure if the knitting will stick, though. I might need an easier hobby. Maybe I’ll finally start writing that cookbook I always talk about. What do you think about that?”

“Do it. Your baked goods kick ass. But knitting or not, I think you’re onto something. And you never should have let him stay here in the first place. You didn’t even want him to.”

“I know. I caved. But at least I made him keep his old place and say it was a trial run. Give me that, please.”

“You got it. We’ve both been doing the best we can.”

“It’s like we went from being girls to girlfriends without anything in between.” She set her coffee down and stretched, tipping her head back so the sun could shine on her face. “This is a gorgeous morning, and this porch is amazing. I’m so glad you bought this place.”

“Thanks. Yeah, I’m beginning to think my life was ruined when men started finding me attractive. I’ve nevernothad a boyfriend. What is up with that?”

“It’s time for a man break.” She dropped her head down and focused on me. “But let’s talk about something else for now. It’s too early to be having this many feelings. Deep thoughts are for bedtime, to keep you up at night. Or maybe I can come back later for lunch, and we can get into it. My brain is not fully online yet.”

I laughed. Paige was not a morning person. “Well, I’m taking time for myself. I want to dilly-dally. I want to reflect on nonsense. I’m going to romanticize my life now, Paige, and I think you should, too. Like, touch grass, become one with nature, the moon and the stars, or whatever—all that woo woo stuff Grandma and Mom always talk about. I come first from now on because I can’t keep pouring from an empty cup.”

“I totally agree with all of that. I’m in. Let’s romanticize having coffee together whenever we can. I like this.”

“Deal. And I think we should start going for walks again like we used to do with Mom.”

“You’ve got yourself a walking buddy.”

“And yes, to front porch coffee mornings, too.”

“Agree. You make the best coffee. I’ll bring breakfast next time.”

We continued chatting as the scent of blooming roses blended with the coffee, creating a comforting atmosphere that eased my mind. I relaxed into the morning with Paige in my new favorite place to be.

Owning this house was a dream, just like opening my bakery. When we were kids, my mother would take me and Paige for walks every evening after dinner, and this old Victorian at the end of Loganberry Lane had always fascinated me. It was beautiful, grand, and regal, and it had captured my imagination ever since I first saw it.

Unfortunately, the street now had two rows of dull tract houses on either side instead of the vineyard that originally belonged to the previous owners. Still, I could overlook the bland beige eyesores as long as I finally got to live in my dream house.

As we sipped our coffee and the conversation shifted to gossip and chit-chat, my worries faded as they always did whenever I was with her.

Just then, a text notification interrupted our moment. I glanced at my phone to see it was from Richard.

He had a work emergency and couldn’t drop off Cody as planned. All the worries came crashing back along with a surge of anxious adrenaline. My stomach sank, and I once more worried thatthiswas my life now. I couldn’t give Cody up; I loved him too much to do that. But I couldn’t keep Richard in my life this way either.

And hello?He was a CPA. What kind of emergency could he possibly have?

“Well, Richard isn’t coming today,” I announced.

“What an ass. I should get going then. As usual, I have a bunch of shit to do and not enough time to do it.”

“I’m glad you stopped by.”

“Of course.” She set her mug on the table next to my rocking chair. “Thanks for the coffee. It’s going to be okay, Piper. We haven’t even delved into all the ways we can get Cody back, okay? Like I’ve been saying, the only way to deal with Dick is nefariously. I can’t believe I was so wrong about him.”

She made it halfway to her car before turning around with a tilt of her head. “If you want to plan a dognapping, I’m down. I’m always available for shenanigans and other assorted petty crimes. You know that.” Every family had that one member who was always willing to throw hands and start some shit. In mine, it was Paige.

“I know you are, but I’m still kind of hoping things will miraculously work out. I don’t want to be nefarious. I don’t have the mental fortitude for that. I’m a lover, not a fighter.” I wasn’t worried about Cody. Richard took good care of him. I just wanted us to stick to our agreement. It was for the best.

“Ahh, you still have hope, that’s cute. I give it a week.” She flicked two fingers out in a mock salute. “Later. Call me when you’re ready to step it up.”

Watching her leave, my thoughts turned back to Ren. Last night had been interesting. He seemed to be an anomaly in the world of men. Paige adored him. And ever since he got her through her divorce, Violet sang his praises whenever his name came up, andInow thought he was the sexiest thing since sliced bread. He was fun to talk to and even more fun to look at. And I had a fake date with him coming up, too. Was it a wise choice to agree to that? Probably not, but I couldn’t resist.

My face mask itched as it baked onto my skin in the sunlight. I should have gone inside and washed it off, but sadly, I lacked the motivation to move. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Too many changes, both good and bad, were keeping me up at night.

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