Lured by the loud laughter of my grandma, Aunt Frannie joined us, looking festive in an American flag t-shirt with stars that flashed in red, white, and blue. “Hey, baby. Let me get some hugs.” She squeezed me tightly and patted my back. “You and Miller look cute together.”
I planted a hand on my hip and glared at the scheming duo. “He’s my boss.”
Frannie’s eyebrows lifted twice. “Yeah, he is.”
“Okay, both of you get your minds out of the gutter,” I said. “Miller is off-limits.”
“Why?” Frannie asked.
“Because I’ve known him forever—as a friend. And I work for him.”
“You could be his farm girl.” My aunt fanned herself with a napkin. “I read about this in one of my romance novels. Would you be up for making out in a hayloft?”
I shoved the image away. “That sounds very uncomfortable.”
She tried again. “Do tractors turn you on?”
“Are they supposed to?”
Her sigh could’ve powered a steamboat. “Sylvie, we have our work cut out for us with this one.”
“Completely uninspired. But she’s coming off a bad engagement, so we’ll cut her some slack.”
I tried to catch Rosie’s eye and signal for help. “Remind me why I’m here again?”
“To officially welcome you home.” Sylvie clinked her cup to mine. “Here’s to new adventures in your old hometown!” Blue eyes beneath that fringe of lash extensions scanned the room until they landed on Miller. “You never know what excitement the next six months might bring.”
Chapter Ten
The Sutton family looked for any excuse to eat cake.
Tonight was no exception.
I was currently poised over a white two-tier cake that reminded me a bit of the one I’d chosen for my wedding. Aunt Frannie was a master baker, and if my return to Sugar Creek prompted her to create a gorgeous cake big enough to feed each of us four times, who was I to argue?
Though the candles sticking out of it were a bit odd. “Why am I blowing out candles again?” Everyone stood around me, waiting for my big exhale, as if it were my birthday.
“For good luck,” Frannie called. “You gotta make a wish for your future.”
I stared at the dancing flames. “Can’t we just skip that and go right to the eating part?”
Sylvie whistled through her fingers and yelled louder. “For the love of hand grenades and lie detectors, will you make a wish and blow out your candles!”
Fine. Here went nothing.
I sucked in a deep breath and let my heart whisper its greatest desire.
I wish…for the kind of love that stays.
I exhaled for all I was worth, but my aunt Frannie did not skimp on the candles. The poor cake looked more like a vigil than a celebration. Over thirty candles went dark, while two flickered with stubborn defiance.
Well, there went that wish.
“Close enough,” Olivia said, grabbing a stack of dessert plates.
But wasn’t that the story of my life?Almost, but not quite? So close, but right when I thought it was gonna happen, the goalpost got moved…or disappeared altogether.
“The first piece goes to the prodigal.” Sylvie passed a giant, lopsided slab of cake to Miller. “Give this to the sweetie beside you.”
