Page 120 of Finding Forever

Beth poured coffee into two mugs and joined her at the table. “Take both and decide after you’ve worn them.”

Kayla stared at her. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you’ve been here less than ten minutes and you’re already working yourself into a state.”

“I know. I’m trying not to, but it’s hard. Tyler thinks I need to relax and enjoy the last few days before I start work.”

Tyler had flown to Seattle yesterday for a four-day business trip. With Kayla starting at Chef Aldana’s restaurant on Monday, she’d decided to spend the weekend in Sapphire Bay.

Beth hadn’t needed to be asked twice. She smiled at her daughter. “How are you coping with married life without your husband?”

“Terribly. I had to take the garbage out myself.”

Beth laughed. Since the wedding, Kayla had returned from her short honeymoon, graduated from culinary school, and started preparing for the job she’d spent years working toward.

Beth was enormously proud of her.

Kayla turned one of the shoe boxes around, then sighed. “Can I tell you something without you giving me the mother answer?”

“That depends on what you consider the mother answer.”

“The one where you tell me everything will be wonderful because you believe in me.”

Beth reached across the table and closed the shoe box. “All right. Tell me.”

Kayla hesitated. “What if I’m terrible at the job?”

There was enough genuine worry in Kayla’s voice to wipe the smile from Beth’s face. “Chef Aldana has watched you work for months. She knows what you can do, and she still offered you the position.”

“Working a few shifts while I was studying isn’t the same as being her sous chef. I’ll be responsible for people who’ve worked in professional kitchens for longer than I’ve been alive.”

“And Chef Aldana knows that,” Beth told Kayla. “She isn’t expecting you to arrive on Monday knowing everything.”

Kayla wrapped both hands around her mug. “I wish someone would tell that to my stomach.”

“Being nervous makes sense.,” Beth told her daughter. “Because this matters to you.”

Kayla considered that before nodding. “That’s better than the mother answer.”

Beth smiled. “I’ll try to remember.”

They spent the rest of the morning in town picking up the last few things Kayla wanted for work, then came home for lunch. Afterward, they carried their coffee onto the back porch.

The June afternoon was warm, with bees drifting between the flowers beside the steps. Kayla curled one leg beneath her and tilted her face toward the sun. “I’m going to miss having time like this.”

“You’ll get days off,” Beth reminded her.

“Eventually. Chef Aldana sent me my first month’s schedule. There are a couple of stretches where I’m working six days, and I have no idea when Tyler and I will have the same time off.”

“You’ll make it work.”

Kayla smiled. “I know. That’s the strange part. I’ve wanted this for so long, and now that it’s happening, I’m half thrilled and half terrified.”

Beth understood more than she wanted to admit. Sometimes, wanting something from a distance was much easier than discovering what happened when it became real.

Kayla took another sip of coffee. “How’s Dave?”

The change of subject was so smooth Beth almost admired it. “I don’t know.”