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“I won’t be seeing much of Sam for the next couple of days either. But from what I know about it, it should be winding down to a manageable level after this week.” Sara split her own scone, paused to breathe in the fragrant steam, then spread a generous amount of fresh butter across it, then followed that with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Jennifer scrunched up her face as she watched, then took a bite of her chocolate-laden creation. “I’ve never seen anyone else do that, you weirdo. What’s your thought process there?”
“Listen, a fresh scone, creamy butter, and bright lemon goodness. How could that be wrong?”
“A few different ways, but seriously, thank you for this.” Jennifer took a deep breath and relaxed into her chair. “It’s great to get out and about with the little one while Mary’s at the drugstore, although I swear I couldn’t do this without her. She’s just so unshakable. No matter what happens, she’s seen it before and knows what to do.” Jennifer paused, then downed the last of her virgin mimosa. “But back to why you invited me over. I know you. You have a reason.”
“Shut up,” Sara retorted playfully. “You don’t know me.”
“I certainly do,” Jennifer said with a sniff. “Now spill it.”
Sara poured Jennifer’s mimosa and gave her own a top-off, then paused before she answered. “I don’t know whether to bring it up, but I’ve done some research online, and I know that pregnancy and the postpartum stages can sometimes stir up past issues with eating disorders, so I’m just…” Sara’s voice trailed off.
“Checking on me?” Jennifer smiled and leaned forward to hug her, then held her for an extra second. “I love you for that, but I think instead of answering, I’ll just refer you to Exhibit A.” Jennifer held up her scone, dripping with chocolate spread and toasted hazelnuts, and took a big enough bite to underscore her point.
“Thank fuck. And you look gorgeous, by the way. I’ve never seen you look so happy.” Sara laughed, nudging the basket of scones toward her. “Just remember, I’m here if you want to talk about anything.”
“Honestly,” Jennifer said, turning to tuck the blanket around her daughter. “I barely remember what that’s like anymore, being scared of food. Brian just makes me feel so beautiful, and the whole time I was pregnant, he couldn’t keep his hands off me.”
“Ugh.” Sara held up a hand with an exaggerated eye roll. “Straight people. I mean, that’s fine if that’s the lifestyle you’ve chosen, but I don’t need to hear the details.”
“Hush it.” Jennifer laughed and tossed a linen napkin at her. “You know I’m going to tell you whether you want to hear it or not.”
“Kidding.” Sara laid a hand over hers for just a moment, her eyes soft. “You know I love to know everything about you and your little family.”
“By the way, you mentioned something the other day on the phone about you and Sam coming to a decision.” Jennifer turned to Mary Elizabeth, who was suddenly awake and making a little face, and pulled her up to rest on her shoulder, patting her back gently as she spoke. “Tell me everything.”
“I think it wasn’t so much a decision as an epiphany, you know?” The oven timer went off, and Sara got up and pulled on an oven mitt. “Having Moxie around has just proved to us that we still want a family. Even if we can’t conceive.”
“I knew it!” Jennifer’s excitement stirred little Mary Elizabeth until she put her head back down on Jennifer’s shoulder with a soft sigh. “I had a feeling that would happen.”
Sara turned to pull out a muffin tray of tiny quiches that instantly filled the kitchen with the rich aroma of crispy bacon and sultry French gruyere cheese. Sara carefully placed a few of them on a plate and garnished them with a sprinkle of julienned scallions. “Anyway, so in that direction…” She transferred one to her sister’s plate and kissed Mary Elizabeth on the cheek. “We’re thinking about adoption.”
“Really?” Jennifer laid Mary Elizabeth gently down in her carrier again and smiled when she tried valiantly to bite her own wrist but nodded off too soon to succeed. “How soon?”
“Like, right away.” Sara cut into her quiche and the rich, buttery crust fell away to reveal a buttery melted gruyere center. “Sam has already started on the paperwork. She tripped over herself trying to get a head start when we realized we were both thinking the same thing.”
“Sara, I’m so happy for you. You’re going to make an amazing mother, and I know how long you’ve wanted this.” Jennifer tried a bite of the quiche and her eyes fluttered closed in bliss. “When do you guys go back to work?”
“In just a few days. I’m dying to get back to the diner, as you might imagine. The retreat season flew by this time because we barely had to do anything with the actual programming. Charlotte has been wonderful with that, and she kept the rest of the staff on schedule, so it’s been pretty uneventful this year, at least for us.”
Jennifer made a face as she sipped her mimosa. “And at what point did she stop hitting on Sam?”
Sara laughed and leaned back in her chair with her next bite of quiche on her fork. “Well, that pretty much stopped when Alex took over as the Latin dance instructor. But Sam’s patience was wearing thin by then, so it was good timing. She’d actually starting hitting record on her phone whenever Charlotte was lurking around.”
“Oh yeah, I remember Alex. I met her in the drugstore one day, and I swear Mary was flirting with her.”
“Oh, most definitely.” Sara popped the quiche into her mouth and smiled. “Not that I blame her. Alex looks just like Sam, and that Cuban accent doesn’t hurt a damn thing.”
Jennifer’s mouth dropped open. “Sara!”
“What?” Sara flashed her best innocent smile. “I’m just stating the obvious.”
“Fair enough,” Jennifer said, spearing the last piece of crust with her fork. “I’m straighter than straight, but I’m not going to lie, Mary and I both watched her walk all the way out of that drugstore.”
* * *
By the time the charcoal in the deck grill had turned to ash-coated coals, the sun had set, and the first of the stars had started to sparkle over the treetops. Alex turned just as Lily stepped onto the top deck looking like old-world Hollywood.
