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“Oops,” she says with her mouth full. “Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll take care of it.”
She sets her donut on the table and then tries to meticulously pick up each sprinkle. Some are harder to capture than others, but the payoff is great when she pops one in her mouth—she does a little dance, her head tilting side to side.
“Is she always this entertaining?” I ask Marlow.
“Always.” Marlow laughs. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited in my life. She makes me want to be though.”
We smile at each other and then reach for the same bear claw. I lift an eyebrow when she grins and I motion for her to take it.
“I guess pastries will continue to be an ongoing fight between us,” she says, her tone playful.
“Keep smiling at me like that and I’ll gladly hand over anything you want,” is out of my mouth before I can stop myself.
I run my hand through my hair and exhale, silently admonishing myself to pull it back a notch.
Her smile widens and she points at the other bear claw in the box as she takes a bite out of hers. “Oh wow. So good. Better grab it before I decide to get greedy.”
Her head tilts back and forth, matching Dakota’s and I just watch them both for a minute before ever taking a bite of mine. A memory of my dad comes back to me, a moment in the kitchen when he was watching my mom and he leaned over and nudged my shoulder with his.
“When you get married one day, make sure you find someone like your mom,”he said. “Kind and beautiful and generous.”
I blink and Marlow’s watching me.
“Are you okay?”
I swallow hard and nod.
“I’m so happy about this new relationship with pastries,” Marlow says.
“What do you mean?”
She makes a face. “We didn’t have sugar in our house growing up and my mom would have a fit if she saw me eating this now.”
“Sugar’s not the best thing for us, but I can’t imagineneverhaving it. I do indulge more than I should,” I admit. “Is your mom super healthy?”
She snorts. “God, no. She is thin at all costs and expects me to be the same. Her diet consists of Diet Coke, cold cuts, and cheese…well, the cheese comes and goes if she’s trying to cut back on dairy.”
I frown. “That’s not…great.”
“No. I’m still trying to learn to balance myself and I’ve been out of her house for over a decade. It’s hard sometimes to dismantle the way we’re raised.” She looks over at Dakota, her smile not as free after talking about her mom.
I wait for her to keep talking. I don’t know if it’s because I lost my parents so young or what, but I have an unusual curiosity about relationships with parents. When my brothers and I used to go to Blake Gamble’s house, I’d hang out a little longer at the dinner table or help in the kitchen to see the interaction with Blake’s parents and the rest of his siblings.
When she doesn’t say anything else, I speak up. “I don’t think I’d ever thought about what a gift Grinny had given me until med school. She always taught us to eat in moderation and to listen to what our bodies are telling us. I couldn’t listen to everything my body told me, which wassleep, idiot, but my peers who lived on junk food and partied instead of not sleeping every chance they got during that time…they had it a lot harder than I did. Didn’t mean I always got it right, still don’t. But moderation has served me well.”
“I like that,” she says. “I want that for Dakota. Moderation and a healthy balance. And fun!”
“Speaking of fun…are we ready to go see what’s next?” I ask.
Dakota nods, eyes wide. “I’m ready!”
I hold my hand up and she slams my palm with hers. I look at Marlow, eyebrows lifted.
“Ready,” she says, laughing when I hold my hand up for her to slap.
When she does, I stand up and they do too. We make quick work of clearing off the table, and I set the pastry box on the kitchen counter. They’re staying in one of the furnished condos at the resort, but it has their personal touches with pictures and Dakota’s toys. I pause to look at the pictures of Marlow and Dakota. One of them in a sunflower meadow laughing makes my gut hurt it’s so beautiful. There’s another one of them with Sofie and one of Dakota with a guy I’m assuming is Cash. I don’t see a resemblance, but he’s a good-looking guy. And then there’s one more picture of a much younger Marlow with a guy who favors her. His arm is wrapped around her shoulder and their smiles are wide.
“Is this your brother?” I ask her.
