Her sisters might label all of this as attention-seeking or her artistic flair seeking diva status, but she didn’t care. Every minute with Trent was a joy. They had fun despite the circumstances. She couldn’t recall the last time a man made her laugh so freely. He made it easy for her to be herself. To open up and confess to whatever random thought flitted through her mind. She hadn’t felt that safe with anyone other than her sisters in a long time.
At the chirp of something triggering the motion sensor at the driveway, Nat checked her phone. It was Celeste’s car. She had the slider open as her sister parked and cut the engine. “Hey!”She ran out and gave her sister a hug. “What are you doing here?”
Celeste grinned. “I was at the store when Carrie was bagging your order and I told her I’d bring it over. Besides, I didn’t see you at all yesterday.”
Nat wasn’t buying it. “You’re afraid I’ll wreck the Hideaway kitchen.”
“Not even a little bit.”
She waited, arms folded, for the full confession.
“Fine,” Celeste admitted. “Maybe a little bit. A teensy smidge. Just around the edges.”
Nat laughed, letting her off the hook. “It’s fair, really. I’ve messed up more often than not.” She looked at the back seat. “Let me help you get all this inside.”
In the kitchen, with the groceries unloaded, Nat gathered supplies for the cake as Celeste helped herself to coffee. “I promise all those lessons you and Mom taught me have taken root. Your kitchen is safe.”
“Our kitchen,” Celeste corrected gently. “Well, our guest kitchen, if we’re getting picky about it.”
“You don’t have to be picky on my account,” Nat said. She set the oven to preheat and pulled out the largest available mixing bowl.
“You’re making apple pie spice cake,” Celeste declared. “Is something going on at the gallery?”
Of course, Celeste would be able to tell with a glance at the grocery order what Natalie was up to. “It is my signature dish.” She struck a pose. “And it’s not for the gallery.” She didn’t want to talk about being stuck here while hands-on projects waited for her at the gallery, so she focused on the upside. “I have another date tonight.”
“With Trent, I assume.”
“Yes,” Natalie replied.
Dating another man at this point would be more than awkward since she was so in tune with Trent. More than in tune, she was falling for him. Hard and fast, no matter how pointless the endeavor. This time, she would enjoy the ride without any pressure or expectations. She could be smartandin love. It was about the balance.
“He rented a boat and we’re going to…” She actually wasn’t sure what the plan was. “Go cruise around and explore I guess.”
“He knows this protective quasi-lockdown situation gets on your nerves.”
“He does.” And wasn’t that a lovely thing to be accepted so quickly? “Sounds like we’re just going to relax and tour around the island.”
Celeste beamed. “Well, that’ll be fun.”
“I agree. He cooked for us last night, so I volunteered to pack a picnic and make dessert tonight.”
Celeste’s eyes danced as she sipped her coffee. “That’s wonderful. I’m sure y’all will have a great time. He seems like a solid guy.”
Nat was about to agree, with enthusiasm, when it clicked. “You spoke with Jess. Vetted him.” Celeste’s gaze dropped to her coffee, her cheeks turning red with guilt. “Hey, whatever.” Nat reached across the island and caught her sister’s hand in a warm squeeze. She refused to let this bother her. There were worse things in life than having sisters who loved her. “If you stick around and keep me company you can take half the cake home and enjoy dessert with Roni and think of me.”
“Out on your date.”
“Sure.” Natalie winked. “It won’t be weird for me,” she teased.
Celeste relaxed as Natalie stirred the cake mix with the other ingredients. “We could talk about it.”
Natalie tasted the batter, then added a bit more cinnamon. “The cake?”
“Come on, Nat.” Celeste sighed. “You can talk to me. About Trent or the cake. Maybe even?—”
“Do not even bring up my ex-husband’s name,” Natalie warned. “Unless you discovered he’s tied to that low-ball offer for the Hideaway and you want to plot his death.”
“Nothing so dramatic.”
