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Authors: Ginny Baird
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from her bangs.
“9-1-1,” the voice repeated. “Caller? Are you there?”
His eyes shot to the phone, and she spoke into it. “I’ll call you right back,” she said, before sliding it shut. She jutted out her chin in a challenge. “You got a rich uncle or something?”
He wasn’t about to tell her he’d been so broke he’d let his insurance lapse, or that he barely had the money to take a girl out to dinner. But he could offer one truth. “Better.” He grinned. “My brother’s a mechanic.”
Angie laughed at their shared memory. “You’re right. I wasn’t happy at the time. But you made up for it.” He had, too. He’d fixed her car just as he’d said he would, then had invited her to dinner as an additional peace offering—although it had taken him more than six weeks to call. Angie had grown annoyed at what she’d come to view as a false promise. As it turned out, Jason had been desperately seeking a new job and trying to save up enough cash to take her to a really nice place. Now he ran his own firm, specializing in home improvements. He did well enough that Angie could do her dream job, being a full-time mommy to their kids. Someday, she’d like to go back to something else. But, for now, nothing made her happier than helping shape those three precious lives.
“It’s funny how I thought you were your sister, Haley.”
“Glad you’ve learned to tell us apart,” she teased. Haley, she’d learned, had catered Jason’s boss’s wedding. He’d seen her come and go as she’d set up that event. While it was natural for him to have confused them, she’d liked it that he’d known there was something different about them from the start. Apart from Angie wearing bangs, Haley had that tiny white scar above her left eyebrow. She wore it like a badge proving she’d always been more adventuresome than her older sister. But Angie didn’t care. Being married to Jason, and acting as mom to their girls, was plenty exciting for her. She couldn’t imagine anything better.
Jason glanced at the kids, who’d made a body pile on the floor and were now giggling merrily. “So? Have you written your piece for the calendar?”
Angie thought of the lines she’d crafted just this afternoon, acknowledging they rang heartfelt and true. But she wouldn’t let Jason in on it. Not just yet. She wanted their story to be perfect first. “I’m working on it,” she said with a smile.
Chapter Six
Haley
Haley set the miniature plastic bridal couple atop the exquisite, six-tiered wedding cake. Since this was just a demo, only the top layer was real: vanilla almond with white chocolate icing. The whole confection had been a stroke of culinary genius. Hers. She just hoped it tasted as good as it looked. That’s why she was testing it now to make sure.
Haley’s assistant Jennifer adjusted a paper lace doily that had curled up at one side of a tier. “Isn’t it bad luck to make your own?”
“Seems to me it would be bad luck if I didn’t.” She slowly pivoted the wheeled table to observe the cake from all angles, then stepped back to admire her creation. “Who was I going to trust with this?” she asked Jennifer. “Certainly not Emilio.”
“Certainly not.”
“He would have made a cannoli cake.”
“Or something worse.” It was true. The last one had been shaped like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The only thing was, it leaned too far and fell smack-dab onto the tablecloth during the reception. Before the bride could cut it.
“So what did your grandma say?”
“About our project? She loved it. Clapped her hands together and laughed with delight.”
Jennifer angled her cell to take a snapshot of the top tier of the cake, so they could perfectly replicate it later. “Really?”
“The fact is we haven’t told her.” Haley lifted a cutting knife and motioned for Jennifer to grab the plates.
She complied with a question: “Why not?”
“We decided it would be
“9-1-1,” the voice repeated. “Caller? Are you there?”
His eyes shot to the phone, and she spoke into it. “I’ll call you right back,” she said, before sliding it shut. She jutted out her chin in a challenge. “You got a rich uncle or something?”
He wasn’t about to tell her he’d been so broke he’d let his insurance lapse, or that he barely had the money to take a girl out to dinner. But he could offer one truth. “Better.” He grinned. “My brother’s a mechanic.”
Angie laughed at their shared memory. “You’re right. I wasn’t happy at the time. But you made up for it.” He had, too. He’d fixed her car just as he’d said he would, then had invited her to dinner as an additional peace offering—although it had taken him more than six weeks to call. Angie had grown annoyed at what she’d come to view as a false promise. As it turned out, Jason had been desperately seeking a new job and trying to save up enough cash to take her to a really nice place. Now he ran his own firm, specializing in home improvements. He did well enough that Angie could do her dream job, being a full-time mommy to their kids. Someday, she’d like to go back to something else. But, for now, nothing made her happier than helping shape those three precious lives.
“It’s funny how I thought you were your sister, Haley.”
“Glad you’ve learned to tell us apart,” she teased. Haley, she’d learned, had catered Jason’s boss’s wedding. He’d seen her come and go as she’d set up that event. While it was natural for him to have confused them, she’d liked it that he’d known there was something different about them from the start. Apart from Angie wearing bangs, Haley had that tiny white scar above her left eyebrow. She wore it like a badge proving she’d always been more adventuresome than her older sister. But Angie didn’t care. Being married to Jason, and acting as mom to their girls, was plenty exciting for her. She couldn’t imagine anything better.
Jason glanced at the kids, who’d made a body pile on the floor and were now giggling merrily. “So? Have you written your piece for the calendar?”
Angie thought of the lines she’d crafted just this afternoon, acknowledging they rang heartfelt and true. But she wouldn’t let Jason in on it. Not just yet. She wanted their story to be perfect first. “I’m working on it,” she said with a smile.
Chapter Six
Haley
Haley set the miniature plastic bridal couple atop the exquisite, six-tiered wedding cake. Since this was just a demo, only the top layer was real: vanilla almond with white chocolate icing. The whole confection had been a stroke of culinary genius. Hers. She just hoped it tasted as good as it looked. That’s why she was testing it now to make sure.
Haley’s assistant Jennifer adjusted a paper lace doily that had curled up at one side of a tier. “Isn’t it bad luck to make your own?”
“Seems to me it would be bad luck if I didn’t.” She slowly pivoted the wheeled table to observe the cake from all angles, then stepped back to admire her creation. “Who was I going to trust with this?” she asked Jennifer. “Certainly not Emilio.”
“Certainly not.”
“He would have made a cannoli cake.”
“Or something worse.” It was true. The last one had been shaped like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The only thing was, it leaned too far and fell smack-dab onto the tablecloth during the reception. Before the bride could cut it.
“So what did your grandma say?”
“About our project? She loved it. Clapped her hands together and laughed with delight.”
Jennifer angled her cell to take a snapshot of the top tier of the cake, so they could perfectly replicate it later. “Really?”
“The fact is we haven’t told her.” Haley lifted a cutting knife and motioned for Jennifer to grab the plates.
She complied with a question: “Why not?”
“We decided it would be
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