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Kayla snorted. “He always wants cookies. I told him we’d bake some this afternoon. Ashley has been letting him make things when she babysits and now he wants to do it all the time.”
Ashley was her cousin Roark’s stepsister-in-law. She was a senior in high school and had expressed interest in cooking too. She’d spent some time talking with her and they’d convinced Ashley to go away to culinary school for two years.
Maybe Tracy and Ashley would get along well.
“Before I tell you the real reason I’m here, when are you going to see Ashley again?”
“This weekend,” Kayla said. “Hunter and I have to go to some dinner thing in Boston. Why?”
She filled Kayla in on what was going on with Tracy. “Do you think you could mention something to her to seek Tracy out and introduce herself? I think if anyone can understand what Tracy might be going through it’s Ashley. I don’t have her number. I could get it from Roark, but you know, my working time is when Ashley is doing schoolwork.”
“I’ll absolutely do it,” Kayla said. “I think that is wonderful you are helping Tracy out. I would have loved something like that as a child. Just someone to even talk to.”
“I know,” she said. “Which brings me to something else. Not quite the same thing but a little bit of it. Can I trust you to keep this quiet for now? I don’t know what may or may not come of it.”
“Of course,” Kayla said, grinning. “What’s going on?”
“I went on a date with Lincoln last night.”
Kayla’s eyes lit up and she pulled her toward the kitchen. “This calls for coffee. Talk.”
“I don’t have much time but can manage a cup,” she said. She filled Kayla in on what had been going on and how she’d had a crush on him for a while and that it seemed Lincoln did too but why he’d kept his distance.
“And you wanted to know my advice since I felt the same way when I started to date Hunter?” Kayla asked.
“Yes. How did you relax? What did Hunter do to get you to do that?”
“It took a lot of time,” Kayla said. “He kept assuring me no one cared, but it came down to meeting Nicole and Hailey. They made me realize I was looked at as a person first.”
“But Uncle Charlie felt otherwise,” she said.
She knew her uncle wasn’t thrilled and thought people would judge Hunter. Uncle Charlie was pretty reserved and old school. Stuffy was more like it.
“Hunter stood up for me, and Hailey and Nicole were in my corner,” Kayla said. “Getting pregnant didn’t help any. I felt like now he’d judge me for that, but it wasn’t my fault.”
“No,” Grace said. “It was Hunter’s for knocking you up. Do you think he did it on purpose?”
“Stop laughing,” Kayla said. “It all worked out. Charlie is great with me and the kids. I guess my point is, even having that obstacle we were still able to move around it.”
“Because Hunter had patience and stood by your side,” she said. “Patience isn’t one of my better traits.”
“Then you better learn to get some,” Kayla said. “I thought my pride was big, but I’m guessing a man’s might be more. Lincoln comes across as a protector.”
Grace let out a sigh and took a big sip of the coffee set in front of her. “Yep. I think so too. Right now I’m trying to wear him down with my cooking. My mother said I shouldn’t have to wear him down.”
“Sure, you do,” Kayla said. “If you know in your heart that he might be the one for you.”
“I don’t know that,” she rushed out to say. Though she had this island in her blood she wasn’t so sure she felt the lore and legend.
“Yes, you do,” Kayla said. “But you don’t have to admit it. Just think about the fact of how you’ve felt for years. You say you have no patience, but that is some right there.”
Kayla had a point. “Okay. I still don’t know much more than I think he’s hot and that we had a good time on the date once we got past that conversation.”
“That’s a good first step. Hunter had to convince me to even go on a date with him. And then after that first one do it again and again. I’m surprised he didn’t just throw in the towel.”
“I hear what you’re saying. I don’t think it will be that way.”
“Your mother and I are the only ones that know about this date?” Kayla asked.
