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I smiled weakly. “Gods, is it really that close?”
“It is. And I need my girl to be mentally well enough to be in it, you know.”
“I’m being selfish, aren’t I?”
She smiled. “Yes. And I want you to be selfish. I want you to chase the very thing that’s going to bring you happiness.”
“What if it’s here? In this kitchen?” I glanced at the place of my own making. So many years of labor went into the tavern. “How will I know?”
“It won’t work if you’re meant to be doing something else.”
I huffed with frustration. Doubt crept around the edge of my mind while I tried to think of the alternative. There was no alternative. It didn’t exist because I didn’twantit to exist. Adam and Henry were the ones who called to me.
And my wolf howled furiously about the fact that I was avoiding them like the plague. Denying her meant denying my own needs. It hurt to keep doing it.
“Alright,” I sighed. “You win.”
“No, it’s not about winning. It’s about compromise.”
I rolled my eyes. “I get it. You went to college.”
“So did you.”
“Culinary school,” I corrected. “Which gave me a very different set of skills.”
“You can still run a kitchen better than anyone I know.”
I beamed. “You mean that?”
“Why else would I keep you here?”
I glared playfully at her. “Gee, thanks, Sasha.”
She laughed while sliding off her stool to wrap me in a hug. The chair tipped slightly with the force of her affection, warmth radiating through my body from her touch. One hug from my wolf sister was always enough to chase away my sadness. It didn’t matter how great the problem seemed. No mountains could grow between us without suffering our wrath.
It was then I realized just how much Adam and Henry meant to me. My family was important because I didn’t quite have one growing up. Everything I knew came from textbooks, the internet, and random friends from foster care. Later on, Sasha would teach me plenty as would Nina and Rose.
And now, I could pass on my knowledge to someone else. Like Henry.
And Adam, too, if he felt like listening to me.
When Sasha released me, she gaped at her silk blouse and slacks. “I shouldn’t have worn black today.”
I cackled when I saw the flour staining her clothes. “You might want to go change before you go anywhere around the inn.”
“Lottie, why didn’t you…?” She grunted with frustration while brushing the thighs of her pants. “Charlotte! Why did you let me hug you?!”
“Because I needed it.”
She groaned. “Ugh, it won’t come off.”
“All relationships require compromise, right?”
“These are my best slacks!”
My gut bubbled with laughter as I watched her grab a rag and stick it under the faucet. The more she tried to get the flour off, the more it caked to her clothes. After a few minutes of losing all the air from my lungs, I wiped my eyes and went to my office where I kept an extra apron.
“Here,” I said while handing it to her. “Go upstairs. Change. I’ll check on stuff here.”
