Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

From the Kitchen of Verbena Fullbright

When it comes to baking cakes, it's best to use good quality pans to ensure your cakes rise up nice and even with no soggy middles or burned edges. Investing in things that matter, whether it be pans or friends or family, is one of the most important steps in recipes for success.

Tessa Jane

My hand was cramping.

It'd been a long time since I decorated cookies with such detail. But I was pleasantly surprised to find I still remembered how. I knew when to push the icing, when to pull it. When to squeeze the bag just the slightest bit harder, when to release.

"It's looking like skies will be clear all day," Aunt Bean said as she scrolled through a weather app on her phone. "Which means it'll be a perfect night to do some star walking. It's been a hot minute since I've been to the field."

"Are you needing clarity, Aunt Bean?" I was hunched over the prep table, painting cookies. I dipped a detail brush into rust-colored edible powder and used short strokes on the hardened icing to imitate Hambone's fur.

It was almost noon, and we'd had a quiet morning. When Aunt Bean had gone off to check on the renovation progress over at the Market Street bakery, Addie, Mama, and I split a chore list and tackled cleaning the farmhouse. My mama had been tasked with vacuuming, and an air of peace and contentment seemed to follow her from room to room.

Her life, her drive to help others, made so much more sense to me now. I could hardly think about what she'd told us without tearing up. My heart broke for her, what she'd endured. What she'd survived. Knowing what she'd been through, it was impossible not to admire her strength and desire to help others who had been in similar situations.

I glanced at the clock. Right now Mama was meeting with Mr. Stubblefield at his office to see if there was anything to be done about Granddaddy's iron fist where the trust was concerned. It was a long shot but worth a try.

"Not in the least." Bean put her phone down, pulled over her laptop, opened it up. "But don't you agree that there's something special about just walking among the light?"

"Definitely." I straightened, bending slightly backward to stretch my lower spine and wrapped my hand around my star necklace. It was nice to have it back. I'd lit up like a sparkler last night when Mama had pulled it from her jewelry bag, and I would've sworn that the moment I put it on, my world seemed a bit brighter.

"I'll watch from the viewing area," Addie said.

She was curled up on the couch, coffee cup in one hand, her phone in the other. She was scrolling with her thumb. There was a duck feather in her hair—she'd had duck duty this morning and apparently picked up a souvenir. Hambone slept on one side of her, Pepper on the other. Miney and Moe were draped across the top of the cushions near her head, soaking in the sunshine streaming through the windows. I smiled. With her rich brown hair, her sage-green eyes, and her love of nature, she'd always reminded me of a wood nymph I'd seen once in a book when I was a little girl. Now, watching her sitting in a pool of sunlight, surrounded by the animals, I thought maybe I'd been onto something.

But even as much as she loved nature and thought the starlight beautiful, she'd never walked in the midst of it.

Aunt Bean said, "I'm starting a spreadsheet just in case y'all decide to build near the starlight." She tapped a few keys, then said, "I have a survey from years ago, but I'm not sure where I filed it away. We'll need to find that, girls. We need to think about zoning. Permits. Utilities. Y'all might want to consider hiring a master planner."

As she talked, all I heard was ka-ching , ka-ching , ka-ching . Suddenly, I wondered where we were going to get the money for this build—if we built. Could I get a loan? Why hadn't I thought of this before now? I gripped my pendant, felt my body flood with calm.

Hambone shifted, growling low in his throat as he scrambled to his feet and headed for the front door. Addie twisted to look out the window. "Looks like it's the Bootsie's Blooms van."

Both she and Aunt Bean then looked at me.

I scratched at a hive on my arm. Ty wouldn't have sent something else—would he? No. No way. "I'm sure it's not for me."

Both dogs were full-on barking now as the van rolled to stop at the front walkway.

" Quiet ," Addie said.

Neither quieted.

Addie threw a helpless glance at me. "You do it."

"Pepper, Hambone, quiet ," I ordered.

Both stopped barking, and I smiled.

Addie said, "Teach me your ways."

Aunt Bean chuckled and slid off the stool. She grabbed her walking stick and made her way toward the door.

I shared a look with Addie. She wiggled her eyebrows. I'd told her what the Sugarbirds had revealed to me—about Stan's crush—and she'd been just as intrigued as I was about the possible match.

Aunt Bean opened the door with a hearty hello. "Come on in, Stan. Don't mind the dogs. What have you there?"

Stan stepped inside holding a basket of flowers and gave the dogs hellos before saying, "Flowers for a pretty lady." He passed them to Bean.

"For me? Well, me oh my," she said, grinning. "Don't I feel special!"

I wiped my hands on a dishtowel and walked over for a closer look as she set the basket on the coffee table, then plucked a small envelope off the plastic card holder.

Addie leaned in to sniff a rose. "Oh, look, Aunt Bean. There are snowdrops in here."

My eyebrows went up at that. Whoever had sent this arrangement knew Aunt Bean well. Snowdrops were one of her favorite flowers.

Aunt Bean leaned her stick against her hip, opened the envelope, pulled the card free, then frowned.

"What's it say?" I asked.

"All it has is my name and a hand-drawn heart." She turned toward Stan. "Who sent them?"

His forehead furrowed. "I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea."

"Bootsie must know." Bean crossed over to the prep island, where she had left her cell phone. She dialed the florist, putting the call on speakerphone so we could all listen in.

But after only a few minutes' conversation, it became clear that Bootsie didn't know, either.

"How can that be?" Aunt Bean asked her.

Bootsie said, "The order originated from an online site, Bean. I ain't privy to who sent it, unless the sender includes a name on the card."

"But why wouldn't they put a name down?" Bean asked, her tone high, as she banged her walking stick two times in exasperation.

Bootsie hooted. "Well, I think that's obvious, honey. You've got yourself a secret admirer."

Bean had begged off going with us to visit Ernie so she could get a head start on making tomorrow's cakes. It was going to be an extra busy week, because two of the Sugarbirds would be missing. Willa Jo had scored a last-minute sale for a flight, leaving tonight, to see her grandbabies. And Pinky would be out as well, as her wrist was still bruised and swollen.

We'd already dropped off a basket of cookies at Pinky's house, leaving them on her porch to find when she returned from getting X-rays, and were on our way to Ty's house.

"I should've brought something to give to Ernie," Addie said.

She drove with her seatback fully upright, both hands on the steering wheel, and she'd checked her seatbelt latch three times before we even left Bean's driveway. Hambone was in the back seat, his wet nose pressed to the window to watch the world go by. We'd left Pepper with Aunt Bean.

"We have cookies."

"Those are from you."

"They're from us . As sisters, aren't we a package deal?" I wasn't sure why I'd said it, because I was still wary about our fragile relationship. But somehow the words had tumbled out before I could stop them—and part of me realized I meant it.

She glanced at me quickly, then back at the road. "I want to be. I mean, if you do."

I almost laughed at how she seemed to be torn between looking at me and the road. She was a nervous nelly.

Before I could say anything, she added, "I need you to know that I'm really sorry about… well, everything . I've been a terrible sister. I hope you'll let me make it up to you."

My throat tightened as emotion welled up. "I mean, I didn't invite you to my wedding, so you're not the only one who's been terrible."

"Do not," she said with a warning in her voice, "try to make me feel better, Tessa Jane. We both know I was just plain awful, and I'm ashamed of myself. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were trying to please your mama in hopes that she'd stick around for a change," I said, my voice thick. "We're all guilty of doing ridiculous things for the people we love. Take me, for example. I once dyed my hair red because Carson asked me to. He said he liked redheads best of all. It took eight hours at the salon to fix that mess."

"You're doing it again. Trying to make me feel better."

"I can't help it."

"I know. Also, Carson's an idiot."

I laughed.

She spared me another glance. "Do you miss him?"

I scratched my forearm as a hive formed, red and stinging. "I don't know how I feel about him now that I'm out of the furious phase. Mostly I feel… a little lost." It was the most honest I'd been with anyone since the breakup, and my heart rate had kicked up a notch at the confession.

"But," I added, "I think being here in Starlight has been helping me find my way. Life has been looking a little bit brighter lately."

She nodded. "I can see a difference. You're starting to glow again. But I'm not sure it has anything to do with Starlight. I think there's another reason."

My breath had caught that she'd noticed my glow. Or lack of one. I hadn't thought it would be that noticeable. "What's that?"

"I think it's Hambone. You've fallen in love again." Hambone heard his name and started baying, then stuck his head into the front seat.

Laughing, I rubbed his ears. "I think you're right."

We turned down the county road Ty lived on, and Addie said, "But there is something special about Aunt Bean's farmhouse. About Aunt Bean, really."

"She feels like home."

Addie glanced at me and nodded. "That's it exactly."

This was the perfect opportunity to talk about Aunt Bean's health—something we'd mostly been avoiding. But I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I stuffed my emotions down. In turn, another hive popped up.

I thought Addie might be thinking along the same lines because I saw moisture welling in her eyes. We drove the rest of the way to Ty Underwood's house in silence.

The car slowed as she turned in to his drive, inched really. A moment later she rolled to a stop behind his truck, put the car in park, then set the parking brake as well.

I wanted to poke fun, but I wouldn't. Couldn't. I suspected I knew why she was always so careful—because our daddy hadn't been. He'd been riding his bike to work, too fast as usual, when he hit a rock in the road and flew over the handlebars. He hadn't been wearing a helmet, and we'd lost him forever.

"Do you want to carry the cookies or take Hambone?" Addie asked.

"Hambone," I managed to say as grief gathered steam, making my heart race, my face flush. I tucked away thoughts of my father, handed her the basket of cookies, and all but flung open the door to get some fresh air. It was a warm afternoon, low sixties, and I inhaled deeply before calling out a hello to Ernie, who sat in a rocking chair on the covered porch of a small country cottage.

Hambone must've realized where we were because suddenly he was racing back and forth along the back seat and howling loud enough for the whole world to hear. It took me three tries to get his leash secured. And when I did, he nearly pulled my arm from its socket in his race to see Ernie. I barely had time to close the car door behind us.

I stumbled along as he pretty much dragged me up the front steps just as Ty came out the front door carrying a pitcher of sweet tea and a stack of colorful cups. His grin at my predicament made me glad I'd locked him in that closet all those years ago. He wouldn't be getting an apology out of me any time soon.

"How y'all doing?" he said to Addie and me, humor in his eyes.

Addie said something I didn't hear as I used all my strength to keep Hambone from jumping all willy-nilly onto Ernie's lap. But much to my surprise, he didn't resist my pull and approached her tentatively. Once he was at her side, he pretty much fell against her, pressing his head into her chest. Crying, he bathed her chin in sloppy kisses. His tail thrashed as he wiggled and jiggled.

I'd never seen a dog so happy.

Ernie beamed at him, cooing and laughing and kissing his head. I would've liked to say she looked good, better than expected, but honestly, she looked like she'd been put through the wringer. She seemed to have shrunk since I'd last seen her, despite wearing layers of clothes. Her head was hidden under a bandana. Her cheeks were sunken, her lips pale. Dark circles colored the skin beneath her eyes. The tops of both hands were bruised.

Addie and I stood off to the side, waiting our turns to show Ernie some love, when she finally laughed and shouted, "Sit, girls, sit! This might take all day."

Four rockers had been arranged in a loose square pattern on the porch. Ty had put the drinks on a side table and seemed to be waiting on us to sit down before he sat as well. I was dismayed to realize he planned to stay.

Once we all sat, Ty held up the pitcher. "Sweet tea?"

Addie and I said, "Yes, please," at the same time, sounding so alike that I was taken aback for a moment.

It was going to take a hot minute before I got used to the sister thing.

After much shushing and soothing, Hambone finally quieted, but he didn't peel himself off Ernie. Just kept leaning against her, his tail whacking the floor.

As Ty passed around cups of tea, Ernie waggled penciled eyebrows at the basket full of cookies, each individually packaged and tied with gingham bow. "Are those there what I think they are?"

Addie lifted one of the cookies and showed it off, making sure to point out that I'd hand-painted Hambone's likeness. "Aren't they the prettiest cookies you ever did see?"

Ernie nodded. "Sure are. Hambone never looked so good."

At the sound of his name, his tail started thumping even harder.

"Almost too pretty to eat," Ty said.

I about got whiplash looking at him. Was that a compliment?

He was watching me, an eyebrow raised. In the shade of the porch, his eyes looked like warm chocolate. His normally disheveled hair was damp and brushed back off his face, where it curled against his neck.

Ernie laughed. "Well, I still plan to gobble it right up. I've been dreaming of those cookies." She held out her palm for Addie to pass one over. "I can't quite match the recipe, that perfect mix of butter and vanilla and bliss."

"I'm happy to share the recipe," I offered.

"I reckon they still won't taste the same," she said, wasting no time unwrapping the cookie. "I've tried to make Bean's cakes a hundred times. They never taste like hers."

I wanted to say, "Me, too!" but only smiled.

Ernie took a bite of the cookie, closed her eyes, and smiled. "Good lord in heaven, child. You've got to start selling these. Y'all have one, too," she graciously offered to us.

Ty was reaching out when I said, "No, no. They're for you , Miss Ernie."

He snatched his hand back, picked up his glass of tea, and looked off to the side, pretending interest in birds at a nearby feeder.

For the next half hour, we rocked and talked about the snow and Bean's flower delivery, because it was rare that Addie and I had gossip to share before anyone else heard it. Ty was a perfect gentleman the whole time, nary an eye roll to be seen or an under-the-breath comment to be heard. Hambone's eyes grew heavy and he finally pulled his head off Ernie's lap and put it on her feet instead to take a quick nap.

The breeze blew gently, rustling branches on the evergreens. Soon, crocuses and snowdrops and bluebells would be popping up left and right, declaring springtime, even though the calendar still said winter.

I was being extra chatty, carrying the conversation, not only because Addie was naturally quiet, but because I wanted desperately to make a good impression. I tried telling myself that I was going above and beyond simply out of friendship and support, but I hated lying to myself. I knew, deep down, I was trying to make sure they knew I was nothing like my grandfather. I shouldn't have to try so hard—it should be evident simply from being around me, but I knew it wasn't that easy. Not when pain was involved. Grief.

Ty's father, Clark, had once worked for my grandparents as a bookkeeper. He'd had full access to all their accounts and was the one in charge of paying their bills and also filing their taxes. One year, way back when, the IRS came calling saying there had been irregularities with the taxes. And when my grandmother hired an outside firm for an audit, it was discovered that thousands of dollars had gone missing from one of the household accounts every month for years . Clark was fired. Then arrested for skimming the books. Then sentenced to five years in prison on an assortment of charges. It was only after he was in prison a year that he started telling people that it was my grandfather who'd done the skimming. According to Clark, he'd been promised to be paid handsomely to keep his mouth shut and take the fall—except my grandfather never paid up. Although my grandfather denied everything, he did so with an arrogant, prove-it grin. Not long afterward, Clark came down with pneumonia and didn't seek proper care until it was too late. Ty had been just a young boy when his daddy died.

I recognized that Clark wasn't completely innocent in what all had happened, but it was hard to deny my grandfather's utter maliciousness and lack of human decency. Years later, my mama told me that not long after Clark had passed, my grandmother had money secretly transferred into Ernie's bank account, with a vague note about it being a settlement from the prison for its irresponsible care. I had the feeling Ernie knew exactly where that money had come from. I had mixed feelings about what Gigi had done. Mostly because I knew money couldn't change what had happened. That it would never bring Clark back to his family.

After Ernie yawned for the third time in a row, Addie and I shared a glance and she stood up. "We should get going. Aunt Bean has plans for us to visit the starlight field tonight, and there are lots of cakes to bake before then."

"The starlight is always something to see," Ernie said. "I wish I could go with you, but I'm not quite up for field trips yet. Maybe soon."

I didn't dare look at Ty as I thought about the tears I'd seen in his eyes not too long ago at the starlight field. I focused on Miss Ernie instead. "When you're ready, just holler," I said, standing. "We'll make a night of it."

"Ty, honey," Ernie said, "grab that bag of dog food, will you, hon?"

"Yes ma'am," Ty said, brushing past as he headed into the house.

Ernie rubbed the dog's ears. "It's Hambone's favorite kind, not that he looks like he's gone hungry. Thank you for taking such good care of him."

"It's our pleasure," I said. "Truly."

Addie said, "Please let us know if there's anything else you need. We're happy to help out where we can."

Ernie stood but used one hand to hold on to the high back of the rocker to steady herself as she wobbled a bit. "Now that you mention it, there is one thing I'd like. Y'all know Luna, right?"

"Of course," I said, pretending not to notice how Addie bristled.

"She's been helping me tidy up my house a few days a week since my diagnosis. At first she wouldn't accept any money for the assistance, but when she mentioned she was saving up for a concert she wants to see next summer in Nashville, I insisted on giving her some cash to help pad the fund. Since I won't be home for a while, I'm hoping y'all could throw a small job her way, a couple days a week? Maybe walk the dogs? Or sweep the barn? Do some dishes? Something? It sure would set my mind at ease, knowing I wasn't the one who crushed her dream of seeing Taylor Swift."

I smiled and said, "We'll run it by Aunt Bean and let you know."

"Appreciate it."

We'd just finished giving her gentle hugs when Ty came back out of the house, carrying a big bag of dry food, and I held my hands out to take it.

"It's heavy," he said. "I've got it."

My chin jutted. "I've been lifting fifty-pound sacks of flour for years. I can take it."

I expected him to argue, but he simply lifted an eyebrow and handed over the bag. I sagged a bit against the sudden weight. Addie smiled, most likely knowing why I was being stubborn, and I rolled my eyes. She used her key fob to open the trunk of the car.

"I've got something else," Ty said. "Be right back."

Miss Ernie had a smile on her face as I staggered down the steps to the car and dumped the bag of food in the trunk. Addie tried to get Hambone to go with her, but he stayed rooted at Ernie's side. I walked back to the steps and tried to coax him down as well, but no luck.

Ty came out of the house carrying a laundry basket that looked to have a few towels in it. That got Hambone's attention. He started baying.

"Oh lawd," Ernie said. "Here we go."

When Ty headed for the car, Hambone eagerly followed. "Might want to run ahead and get that back door open," he said to Addie.

She sprang into action. When she opened one of the back doors, Ty made like he was going to climb in, and Hambone jumped on the back seat, cutting him off. Ty drew back and Addie quickly closed the door, trapping the dog inside. She then hopped in the front seat, turned the car on, and put the windows halfway down. Hambone immediately stuck his head out of the opening and barked to let us know he was displeased with being tricked.

I was impressed with Ty's ingenuity but my curiosity was eating at me. "What's in the basket?" It couldn't possibly just be towels.

He motioned with his head for me to come closer. There was a friendly light in his brown eyes I'd never seen before. It made my heart trip up a little. He set the basket on the ground, stuck his hands inside, and rooted around under a towel. When he pulled them back out, in his large palms he held two kittens, both of them pale gray with white patches and yellow-green eyes. My heart jumped out of my chest and flopped around on the ground.

" Awwww ," Addie said, drawing the single sound out for several long seconds.

"Want to hold one?" he asked me.

I snapped to. I'd been so mesmerized by the way he used his thumbs to lovingly rub the kittens' heads that I'd barely heard what he'd said. I didn't even say yes. Simply reached out and took the smaller of the two kittens, my hand brushing Ty's as I lifted the kitten to my chest. She felt like she was all fluff and no bones, but her tiny claws were sharp as she latched onto my shirt.

Addie jumped out of the car, her hands out as well, as if being pulled by some supernatural force. Kitten magic, pure and simple. Ty smiled as he gently handed over the other kitten.

He grinned. "They're ten weeks old now and the last of the litter. My hands are real full at the moment, so I don't suppose you'd want to foster them until I find them a home? Seems fitting to me, sisters looking after sisters," he added, his voice sugar sweet yet somehow absolutely genuine at the same time.

I cradled the kitten close and let Hambone sniff her so he'd stop making so much dang noise. He slurped at the kitten's face, and the kitten mewed and leaned toward him as if she didn't mind the attention one bit. I looked up at Ty, at his shiny eyes, his self-satisfied smile, and realized he'd known exactly what he was doing by bringing these kittens out here, and it hadn't been to lure Hambone to the car.

I couldn't say I hadn't been warned by Aunt Bean, who was surely going to be amused by this turn of events.

I glanced at Addie, who nodded, then met his warm gaze. "We'll do it. We'll foster."

And from the porch, Miss Ernie laughed and laughed.