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“Yeah?”
“That’s my mom. She’ll fix the car herself when she can, but when it comes to baking, forget it.”
“So when did Nora teach you?” I asked as I studied the back of the bakery.
Unlike the kitchen we had at home, the bakery was split into two different sections. Three if you counted the front. On one side, there was a long metal counter with cabinets underneath. On the other was the pantry, refrigerator, ovens, and shelves of baking trays Kate must’ve used throughout the day.
It was also very small. Not enough for us to bump elbows or anything, but it was close.
“I used to visit Nora a lot when I was little,” Kate said as she grabbed three apples from the refrigerator. “My mom had to raise me on her own, so Nora pitched in by babysitting me whenever she could. I always expected them to get together. My mom gets so happy whenever Nora’s around. But then there’s the bit I mentioned about her and my dad and I guess my mom just couldn’t let go.
Anyway, Nora usually watched me while she was trying to work. So, once I was old enough, she started to teach me how. Then, during the summer, I’d help out. That was until we moved several years ago. Jersey isn’t far, but real life’s gotten in the way. I haven’t been able to visit nearly as much as I’d like.”
“But I don’t remember you.”
“That’s probably because Nora’s first bakery wasn’t here. It was over in Bailiwick.”
Bailiwick.That was a few towns over. “But Nora lives here, doesn’t she?”
“She does, but this place didn’t become available until years after she opened the other one. There are times I wish I was like her. Taking a chance like that.”
“You still can,” I said as Kate placed a large mixing bowl, an apple peeler, and measuring cups on the counter. “You have time.”
“Like I said, baking isn’t a profession to my mom, even with Nora telling her otherwise.”
“Parents are weird like that.”
“They are. I just wish I didn’t feel this strange resentment from her whenever I bring it up.”
“Do you think it’s because of Nora?”
“I don’t know. They used to be so close to one another. I also don’t remember them falling out, but I guess it’s possible.”
“Your mom let you come here, so maybe there’s a chance she’s changed her mind?”
“As much as I’d love for that to be true, the chances of that happening are pretty slim.”
“How come?” I hated how I sounded then. It was as though I’d turned into one of our nosy-nobodies, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“Because when my mom puts her mind to something, she never quits.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.” I gave her a pointed look. “I might not know you very well, but if you ask me, you sound just as determined as her.”
“Unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Yup. That’s me and my mom.”
“Sounds hard.”
“It can be,” Kate agreed, “but at the end of the day, she’s all I’ve got.”
