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“They’ve always been my second family. We met in kindergarten when she shared her glue, and that was all she wrote.” I smile at the memory of my green-eyed best friend with a sweet spirit.
“I envy you those lifelong friendships,” Ellis says.
“Hey. What am I?” I bump her hip.
“You know what I mean. I still know people from high school, but in a vague way, we follow each other on social media. It must be insane to have someone who was with you for all those big milestones.”
I nod in agreement. “There’s a level of comfort I can’t explain, but it wasn’t always easy. Our lives went down two very different paths, and we had to work on remaining connected. You’ve met some of Fey’s family before. None of them have ever met a stranger a day in their life, so be ready to be fully integrated into the Stephens family.” I grab the gold handle, press down on the lever and pull. The door opens, and we move into the crowded interior. Cakes, cookies, pastries, and tarts line the domed glass cases on either side of the register. A long wooden counter runs the wall length on the left with high back stools. A coffee island is set up side the cooler with drinks on the right side.
“Daphne!” Fey’s brother Nevin calls out from behind the counter.
I cover my face as my cheeks heat. The eldest Stephen, Dale, appears from the back in a black apron and a ball cap that covers his light brown hair. “The wayward daughter returns,” he crows.
“Stop before you scare her away,” Fey calls from the register as she hands over a white box with their logo to a customer.
“Nice to see you too,” I call.
“And you’ve brought a friend, I see,” Dale grins. His light brown eyes twinkle with interest, and the charm they all ooze enchants Ellis enough to silence her. I smirk, amused by their response, as I nudge her into motion. Moving to the side by the employee exit, we allow the paying customers to go ahead of us.
“Fey told us you got back the other day,” Dale adds.
“I did. Ellis helped me relocate. Ellis, this is Dale Stephens, surrogate big brother and pain in my ass growing up.”
“Flattering description, Daph. I kept the two of you out of trouble. It was my job.”
I roll my eyes. “Is that what they call scaring all the eligible boys away.”
He grinned. “Only the ones who were up to no good.”
I growl lightly. “It was high school. What boy wasn’t?”
“Exactly.” He winks, and Ellis giggles.Traitor.
“Stop hogging her,” Nevin appears, shoving him to the side as he grins widely. His eyes are the same hue, but his face is angular like his mother’s. The dimples in his right cheek are all his father, along with the roman nose. “Town hasn’t been the same without you. Tell me you’re staying this time.”
“For a bit, at least. Nevin, Ellis. I’m sure you’ve met at some point over the years.”
“Hey,” Ellis waves.
“Happy to have a new face around here.” Nevin bobs his head, and all I can see is the pudgy boy four years younger than us who constantly tagged along on our adventures during the summer.
“You’re just on time. Henry is bringing the boys by any minute now.” Fey appears beside him, and Nevin moves seamlessly to take her place at the register. Their ability to work together so effortlessly in the shop when they had battle royales at home always amazed me. “Hey, Ellis.”
“Good to see you again, Fey. It’s slammed in here.”
“Oh yeah, the weekends are always our busiest times.”
“You know I’m going to be stealing my godchildren for some Auntie time soon, right?”
“Trust me, we’ll be waiting at the door to hand them off.”
We laugh.
“There’s my little bean,” Her mother sweeps in from the back, wiping flour off her hands.
“Mama Stephens.” She steps from behind the counter, and I accept her hug, inhaling the light vanilla scent I’ve always associated with her. “Welcome back.”
“It’s so good to see you.” We pull back, and she holds my hand, giving me a slow once-over.
