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“You can’t invite me and then tell me I’m not allowed to have any fun,” Cassie called back.
Erin smirked at her. “Do you have to do the same with your phone, so you don’t drunk text anyone?”
Cassie ducked her head, trying not to blush. “Nah,” she said. “I’m usually pretty good about it.”
Parker reappeared, then, three bags of chips in her arms and a glower on her face when she looked at Cassie. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, honey,” Erin said. As the door closed behind them, she added, “Make sure you don’t text anyone you shouldn’t.”
“I literally hate you,” Parker told Cassie.
“You invited me to be a buffer with your mom! I’m doing a good job!”
“Maybe too good of one.”
Cassie grinned. She really hoped that was true.
When Cassie came downstairs the next morning, Erin had a cup of coffee ready for her.
“Good morning,” she said, offering the mug. “I poured it when I heard you coming downstairs.”
It looked like it had exactly the right cream-to-coffee ratio. Cassie’s chest felt warm.
“Thanks,” Cassie said, taking the cup from her and taking a sip. “It’s perfect.”
Erin smiled. She sat at the counter and Cassie slid onto the stool beside her. They drank in comfortable silence.
“There are bagels if you want one,” Erin said eventually. “I’d rather you not make too much of a mess in the kitchen—I’ll be cooking most of the day.”
“Most of the day?”
“We’ve got a lot of people coming over tomorrow,” she said. Her voice was a little tight.
“I’ll make a bagel and then help cook?” Cassie offered.
Erin’s face softened with a smile. “You don’t have to, Cassie.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Parker’s probably not gonna be up for hours. I can help out.”
“I…” Erin trailed off. “Thank you. That’d be great.”
Cassie ate an everything bagel with cream cheese then Erin pointed her to the cookbook on the kitchen island.
“Can I trust you to make the sausage balls?” she asked. “The recipe shouldn’t be too tough.”
“I can’t believe you’re making me cookballs,but yeah, I can follow a recipe.”
Erin laughed lightly. “You can do piecrust if you’d rather, but Parker is very particular about her pies.”
“I don’t want that kind of responsibility.”
Erin put on Christmas music and got to work on the other side of the kitchen.
“Nice of you to join us,” Erin snarked as soon as Parker walked into the kitchen.
