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“It’s brewing. Have some toast,” Anna said, setting a plate in front of her.
“Thanks.”
“Kat said she wants to go shopping.”
Riley perked up. “Yes!”
Anna set down two cups of coffee, and I quickly grabbed mine. I wasn’t nursing a hangover since I hadn’t drunk much last night, but I was exhausted from a week of crying. The coffee was perfect, and I closed my eyes, letting the warmth and caffeine seep in.
“When did you want to go?” Riley asked as she piled her long red hair on top of her head. She secured it with a hair tie and grabbed her mug, inhaling deeply.
We started drinking a lot of coffee when we were college students and running on fumes. Anna used to prefer tea, and apparently still did since she was dunking a tea bag in a mug while she waited for whatever was on the stove to finish.
“I’m working tomorrow, so you guys should go shopping then,” Anna said. “You know that’s not my thing.”
“You’re working?” Riley asked.
Anna bit her lip. “I took the shift so you could get the extra day.”
“I didn’t know that,” Riley shrieked. “That woman will be the death of me. We need to leave.”
“What woman?” I asked.
“Our boss and the owner. She’s terrible. Rude and nasty. The bakery is always a mess. Anna and I spend most of the morning cleaning, and it’s not even our mess to begin with. She hates giving time off. I can’t stand her.”
“The head baker is leaving, and Riley wants her job. I’m pretty sure she’ll get it,” Anna added.
“If I don’t, then I’m really leaving. I don’t know where I’d go, but I have talent and experience. I could go anywhere.”
“Or you could open your own bakery,” I suggested.
Anna pointed at Riley with her spatula, and Riley rolled her eyes. “I’d never open one here. It’s too expensive.”
“There are empty shops in Oak Springs,” Rebecca singsonged as she walked by us on her way to the bathroom.
“Now there’s a thought,” Anna said.
“I don’t think so,” Riley said. “No offense to you, but I’m not really a small-town kind of girl.”
I laughed. “You came from a small town.”
She threw a napkin at me. “It was a small town in Michigan. Not the same thing as the south.”
“It’s exactly the same thing,” Anna said.
“Are we still talking about you guys moving to Oak Springs?” Rebecca asked as she rejoined us at the table.
“Yes, but Riley said she’s not a small-town girl,” Anna said as she set down a cup of coffee in front of my sister. Rebecca laughed. “You grew up in a small town.”
“Yes, we’ve established that, but it’s not the same.”
“How is it not?” Rebecca asked.
“Let’s change the subject. Where would you guys like to go today? Anna has to work tomorrow, so let’s make the most of today,” Riley said.
The conversation shifted to making plans. Anna plated up breakfast, and we all dug in. It was so good to be back here. Anna and Riley were like sisters to me, and now that Rebecca and I were getting along better than we ever had, I felt at peace for the first time in two weeks.
Chapter 35
