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“Driven,” she said diplomatically.
“What about you? Did you ever leave this town?”
“I did, but I had to come back.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was doing a pastry program in Rhode Island when they diagnosed my mom with an autoimmune disease. Dad couldn’t keep up with the bakery and taking care of mom at the same time. So I came home.”
“Oh.”
Gene knew what was coming and watched her expression.
“She passed four years ago.”
Unfortunately, Gene had seen many cases of autoimmune diseases. Though hard, some types were manageable, and patients could live a full life, while others could be debilitating and life threatening when it led to other health complications.
Gene touched her fingers. “I’m sorry for your loss, Amanda.”
Amanda gave a little shrug.
“Thank you. She’s better off. It was hard to watch her lose strength in her muscles over time. This was a woman who was up at three in the morning to bake bread and worked non-stop all her life, only to be rendered weak by a disease that showed up out of nowhere.”
Gene could cite information about such diseases, but she was right; none of them really knew what triggered them. So, instead of offering empty words, he diverted the conversation. “How about your dad?”
“He’s doing good. He moved to Arizona after passing the bakery to me.” She smiled. “He’s happy again, finally, and enjoying retirement.”
“And your sister?” Gene prodded.
“She’s in Oregon with her little family.” Amanda’s smile filled with joy when she continued, “I have a baby niece I haven’t had the chance to meet in person yet. I’m saving for a trip to visit them this summer.”
“That’s a great thing to look forward to.”
Gene was so glad to see the happy smile back on her face.
Not sure why, but he thought even with the bruising blooming on her cheek, Amanda Garner was meant to smile.
five
Amanda smoothed the cover over her legs as she listened to her friend Jo Minami. She was understandably upset to hear what had happened last night. Amanda had called to do some schedule reshuffling.
“I’ll be there in fifteen!” Jo said after a string of expletives.
“I’m fine. You need to get to the store. I have a list for Rosa to handle. The cafe has enough prepared items in the freezer that Rosa can bake for the next two days.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jo asked, unconvinced.
“I’ll be okay,” Amanda replied truthfully. “I may be out of commission for a day or two, depending what the doctor sees after the X-ray.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about the store. I can help Rosa manage the cafe. We can also ask Val and Liam to work a few extra hours,” Jo said, referring to their part-time employees.
“It won’t hurt to ask them. As long as it doesn’t clash with the schoolwork,” Amanda reminded her. Liam and Val were both in high school. Despite being dedicated workers, Amanda wanted to make sure they gave priority to their education.
Until she was yanked home in the middle of her prestigious pastry program, which she eventually had to give up, she hadn’t realized the value of having a fully focused mind while pursuing knowledge. She would never regret the precious time she’d spent with her mother in the last years of her life, but she had also quickly realized how difficult it was pursuing a degree while working a full-time job and sharing responsibilities of caring for a dying loved one.
“Still monitoring their grades, even with a concussion?” Jo teased.
“I’m not, but they promised to keep them up. It’s part of our unwritten agreement.”
