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Kendall dipped her head. “I love it. Mom worked a lot, so I was home alone most of the time.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I wasn’t sure even Mark knew that tidbit about her life. It seemed like he’d been mostly in the dark when it came to his daughter.
“Do you think—” Then Kendall shook her head. “Dad said not to bother you.”
I waved a hand at her. “Ask whatever you were going to ask. I wasn’t doing a good job on focusing on work, anyway.”
Kendall bit her lip before she finally asked, “Do you think you could teach me how to bake? Mom hated it. Said she’d just eat it, and she didn’t want to get fat, so I never learned.”
“You want to learn how to bake?” My sisters enjoyed it when I baked because they liked eating it, but they never helped or expressed an interest in learning for themselves.
Kendall nodded, her eyes filled with hope.
“I’d love to teach you.”
She bit her lip. “But Dad said not to bother you.”
I stood with a smile on my face. “He’s helping me by building shelves, and now I’m helping him by teaching you how to bake. It’s a win-win.”
His estimate for the shelves was suspiciously low. I moved past her into the kitchen, all too happy to bake instead of dealing with the menu and ordering supplies for next week.
“Are you sure I’m not interrupting?” Kendall asked.
I stood in front of the open shelves, wondering where we should start. “I’m positive. Cookies or cupcakes?”
“Can I say both?” Kendall asked hopefully, drifting to my side.
“A girl after my own heart.” I held a palm over my chest, then pulled sugar and flour off the shelves, moving them to the stainless-steel countertop.
“I had no idea you were interested in baking. Your dad never said.” I would have engaged her earlier if I’d known. There was nothing I loved more than talking shop.
“He doesn’t know. Mom always shut me down when I asked, and I don’t know anyone else who bakes.”
I bumped shoulders with her. “Well, now you do.”
We shared a smile, and pure joy spread through me. I couldn’t wait to teach her everything I knew. I secretly hoped this wasn’t a one-time thing, that she’d fall in love with it.
We talked about recipes and how I came up with new ideas and tested them out. I explained why I used each ingredient and how much. She wrote down the recipe in a notebook I gave her from my office.
Unfortunately, the pages were already covered with flour, sugar, and oils. I wasn’t a clean baker, so the counters were covered, too, but the important thing was that we’d had fun doing it. I loved sharing my knowledge with someone who seemed to soak it up.
When I put the first tray of peanut butter cookies in the oven, I turned to find Mark watching us.
“Sorry, she asked if I could show her how to bake.” Would he be upset? Was this something he wanted to share with her? That was something I hadn’t even thought of.
“You like to bake?” Mark asked Kendall as he moved closer.
“I’ve always wanted to learn, and Sophie makes it fun. Do you know she has the recipes memorized?” Kendall’s tone was excited.
Mark looked from Kendall to me, a mix of something simmering just beneath the surface. “No, I didn’t.”
I winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“Why would you think you had?” Mark asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe you wanted to teach her yourself?”
Mark shook his head, his lips twitching. “Not at all. I can’t bake.”
