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Both Kate and Imani nodded, chuckling.
“Those Matthews boys are like cinnamon rolls—sinfully decadent, but sometimes you’ve got to unwind them to see what’s inside,” Kate said. “I’m glad you can see the sweetness underneath Ryker’s gruff Marine exterior. I think he cultivates his RBF, just like Drake used to hide behind his Knight of Nightmares title, and how Zander used to play up his carefree philosophy. They use their reps as a shield from the world.”
Bryce nodded. “That makes so much sense. I’ve only begun to peel back the outer layer. I wish I could get him to open up to me.”
“Keep at it, and he will. My dear friend gave me a piece of advice last summer that I’m going to pass along to you.” Imani winked at Kate, then nodded at Bryce. “Get you a Matthews brother. They’re the good ones, and worth the effort it takes to unwind the knotted-up layers.”
“Speaking of knots, when are you and Zander tying the knot? You’ve been engaged for months and haven’t set a date.” Kate narrowed her eyes. “You’d better not be thinking of using another wedding planner. I will literally kill you.”
“What? You once told me, ‘If I plan my own wedding, I won’t enjoy any of it,’ so why would I book you formywedding? Besides,” Imani held up a hand to stop her best friend from arguing, “we’re saving up for a house. Eventually, we’ll set a date and do a casual backyard thing, and I’ll invite you both as guests. Not hired help.”
Both Kate and Bryce objected, and soon they were chattering away about Imani’s future wedding plans. Bryce’s chest filled with a sudden feeling of belonging. Of having a place and people to look out for her. It wasn’t the same as having Bentley alive. But for the first time in a long time, she felt good.
***
Surprisingly, the rest of the week went smoothly. Well, if you didn’t count having to pick up Cecily at school for scrapping with one of the boys in her class who’d said there was no such thing as volcano vomit soap. Then there was a major emergency before school Wednesday when the yellow stretchy material covering the left wing of Addison’s favorite fairy wings completely separated from the wire frame and she was refusing to leave the house. Not to be forgotten, June declared on Thursday that none of her shoes fit anymore except flip-flops and then got sent home from school for a dress-code violation.
Bryce was proud of how she handled each crisis. She sliced a hunk off the Lava soap for Cecily to take to school and show the boys they were wrong. She found a pair of nude pantyhose to repair Addison’s wing, and while one was yellow and one was nude, she set her niece down with glitter glue to decorate the nude wing and pointed out that lots of fairies had different-colored wings. June’s shoe-tastrophe was valid—the girl’s feet had grown two miles since the start of the school year, so Bryce gave her a budget to buy two new pairs of boots and a pair of Vans online, as long as she crammed her feet into the old shoes until the new ones arrived.
Thankfully, school was closed for Good Friday, minimizing the external chaos. With Patty’s permission, the girls spent the day “helping out” at PattyCakes. While Bryce had to wrestle Addison and Cecily apart after a fight over who got to spray the dishes with the wash hose before putting them in the dishwasher, it had been nice to have them with her as customers streamed in, grabbing quarts of soup to have with Easter dinner. Even June was pleasant, working side by side with Willow to learn the register, lending a hand in the busy café, which allowed Bryce to sit with Patty in the tiny cubicle of an office to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work involved in running a shop.
“It’s perfect,” Patty said, reviewing the online food order Bryce had meticulously put together after creating next week’s menu and doing a quick inventory of their current supplies. “You’re a natural at this! Even though we’re ordering more food since expanding the menu, the expense is more than covered by the increased revenue. Plus, you have an uncanny ability to use up every single leftover. I swear, you were born to run a restaurant, and I am thrilled to have you aboard—so thrilled that I’ll actually keep the place open when I go on vacation next month. Something I have never done, but I trust the place in your hands.”
Bryce flushed with pleasure at the compliment. “When you first offered to teach me all the sorcery that goes on behind the curtain here, I was intimidated. I thought the skills required to have your own place were way above my head. But you’ve shown me that it isn’t as impossible as I once thought. It’s actually…kind of awesome.”
Patty closed out the computer screen and swiveled her office chair to face Bryce, her blue eyes alight with curiosity. “Have you thought about your next career move? Because I think in another year or so, I’ll have taught you everything and you’d be ready to run this place, if that’s what you want.”
“I can barely plan ahead to next week, let alone next year,” Bryce scoffed.
Patty nodded, then put her hand atop Bryce’s. “It’s easy to get lost when all you see is your feet on the path in front of you. If all you’re doing is avoiding the next obstacle, you’ll never find your way out of the forest. At some point you’ve got to find the time to create a map. Pick your head up, figure out where you are and where you want to go. It’s easy as a caregiver for your needs to be subsumed by your children’s. Even I still have to remind myself I’m on my own path. I have my own goals. Take it from me—once you orient yourself in the right direction, things tend to fall into place.”
Unexpected tears welled up in Bryce’s eyes. She blinked, sniffing and nodding. “You’re right. It’s just been tough…”
“I know. I went through something similar when I lost my husband. I had three boys to care for, and nobody was going to figure it out for me. As awful as Hawthorne’s loss was, it taught me that I could do hard things. So can you, Bryce.” Patty smiled. “For what it’s worth, I think you’d be an excellent restaurant owner.”
“I appreciate that,” Bryce said, allowing her heart to fill with the possibility of Patty’s words. “It’s been a fun challenge. I like seeing how things work.”
Patty’s face crinkled in a smile. “Reminds me of someone else I know. Someone I heard is coming over for an amazing home-cooked meal later?”
More blood rushed to Bryce’s cheeks, this time with embarrassment.
“It’s a thank-you meal for his help with the girls, but we’ll also be cooking vegetables to freeze for soups while I’m in Niagara Falls. It’s not…a date, or anything.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Patty said, winking. “Because if it was a date, I’d tell you to run upstairs and get ready and I’d watch the girls for you down here as we close up. But since it’s just work…”
Bryce shook her head, laughing. “Okay. Maybe it’s sort of a date. Your son…he is a pretty special guy. He makes me laugh, and he’s like a sorcerer when it comes to figuring out my nieces. But mostly I just enjoy the way I feel when I’m with him. He makes me…value myself as a person again. That sounds stupid, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all. I’ve heard he’s just as smitten with you. Now, scoot.” Patty shooed her from the office with a grin. “We’ve got things under control. I’ll bet I know three girls who will love to take turns running the floor polisher while you get ready for your ‘sort of’ date.”
***
By the time the Paynes arrived to pick up the girls at four o’clock, Bryce was feeling optimistic. She loved her work, and maybe there was some career potential here in Wellsville—opportunities she hadn’t dared to think about flitted through her head. She’d handled the girls’ chaos this week like a champ and had some excellent moneymaking weeks on the horizon. Maybe she was cut out to be a working mom-like creature after all?
“Well, if you’re heading out, you’re going to want to put on more sensible shoes” was Adele’s greeting as Bryce let them into the empty café, with Patty and Willow having closed the shop and left a few minutes earlier. “It’s starting to sleet outside, and the roads are sloppy with slush and salt. Don’t you watch the weather forecast?”
Bryce bristled. She’d dug deep into the recesses of her closet for clothing she hadn’t worn since Tampa, and after sending a slew of messages to Imani, complete with pictures of each outfit, she’d finally chosen a grayish-blue wraparound dress with an opening in the back that required her to shove her double Ds into a terrifyingly strapless bra. She picked out a pair of dark-gray, teardrop-shaped earrings made of leather, and on her feet were a pair of chunky black sandals. She’d never mastered walking in heels, but she was determined to wear something to showcase her Plum Perfect pedicure, despite the weather. Although it was weird to cook in something with her toes showing—a kitchen no-no, and dangerous to boot—she’d wanted to dress to impress Ryker. Looking down at herself, she hoped she hadn’t missed the mark.
“Mr. Ryker’s coming over for a dinner daaaaate.” Addison sang the last word before flitting over to hug her grandparents, then twirling to Bryce to pluck at the fabric of the gray-blue dress, dancing it back and forth before gesturing up to Bryce’s head. “Doesn’t her hair look beee-eautiful?”
