“I don’t know what else to say,” I said, brushing the back of a flour-covered hand across my forehead. “Except I know how I feel when I’m with him.” I sat down, brushing my hands on my apron. Reese turned off the mixer and looked at me with her hands on her hips. “I love him… and he loves me. I know it’s all happening too fast…”

“Love usually does,” she said, with a patient smile. I’d been bending her ear for well over an hour. “I’m just relieved to know he’s made of better stuff than his business partner. I hear another woman’s come forward with allegations about his bad behavior. And after the eyeful I got at the party, it isn’t exactly hard to believe.”

“I know,” I said with a sigh. “Chase was honest about his part in starting the competition, but Sutton took it to a whole new level. They both participated, but their motivations were never the same.” I tipped my head, looking at my friend. “Sutton acts without conscience. And I don’t think he’ll never stop on his own. But Chase wanted it all to be over with years ago. He regretted it almost from the beginning…”

“So he just likes a challenge and has a tendency toward mild exhibitionism…?” she asked, playfully.

I laughed and used my fingertips to splatter her with drops of cake batter. “Not any more than I do,” I said, teasingly. “But it’s true… there is something exciting about the possibility of getting caught.” I felt my face grow hot. “That’s one of the things I’ve learned about myself…”

“One of many, I’m guessing,” she said, watching me with bright eyes. “And there’s nothing wrong with that… just as long as you don’t get caught.” She smoothed the batter she’d just poured and opened the oven door. “I can’t believe that Becca just wanted plain vanilla,” she muttered. “So boring…”

“But lucky for us,” I replied. “She wants almost a thousand candied violets on it. Assembly and decoration alone is gonna take hours.”

“We’ll be fine,” Reese replied calmly. “Tam’s coming in after her evening classes all this week. We’ll get it done on time. She turned to face me and for a second, I was envious. She was just so… unflappable.

“But Emily… you are going to have to talk to Justine. And I’d suggest sooner rather than later. I’ve covered for you as well as I could,” she said. “But I think she suspects you’re not really spending all these nights at my place.” She smiled kindly at me. “She knows you’ve grown up… and that things are changing. And I know it’s not going to be an easy conversation to have, considering her… conservative nature…

But in the end, it’s always better to be honest. Tell her the truth,” she said, encouragingly. “She’s lived a long time… experienced a lot more than you might give her credit for.” She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You need to give her a chance to understand, Em.

It’s possible she might just surprise you.”

I took a salad up to my room at lunchtime, giving May and Gran time to finish their game of cards. Reese was occupied with a trip to the bank. And I was grateful for the time to collect my thoughts. I hadn’t seen Gran for two whole days…

Twenty minutes later, I could hear voices in the hall. I screwed up my courage, knowing I couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. And I still had no idea where to even begin.

“Well, I still say it wasn’t a proper deal.” I heard Gran’s voice. “Maybe I didn’t catch you at it this time, but I will tomorrow…”

I opened my door in time to see May’s face wreathed in a patient, wrinkly smile. Gran stood with her cane, and wrapped it against the wooden floor. “You be here a half hour earlier in the morning, May,” she said imperiously. “And I’ll win back that dollar… if it’s the last thing I do…”

May paused long enough to give me a quick kiss on the cheek and disappeared with a backwards wave. In spite of my grandmother’s tone, she left with a smile on her face. And for the first time in months, Gran waved me back toward my own room instead of beckoning me into hers. I sat down on the edge of my bed, my heart bumping steadily against my ribs as she followed me in, and closed the door behind her…

“So, you’re home, at last,” she said, sitting down opposite me at my little writing desk. “Reese tells me you two have been very busy lately, with your newfound success.”

I nodded, clasping my hands in my lap. “The bridal shower brought in two more jobs… large ones. They want full catering as well as classic desserts. And we’re working on an emergency job right now… a cake…

It’s good, Gran. It’s all been good. But there’s something I need to explain…”

“I met your young man,” she interrupted. “Did he mention?” She was eyeing me hard, but her gaze was bright, glittering. “Very tall… very intense…

And he speaks quite highly of you.”

“That’s what I needed to talk to you about…,” I began, hearing my heartbeat in my ears. “I know you’ve always had certain expectations… and as much as I’ve tried to…”

“I do hope you haven’t been putting him off too much,” she said, blotting at her wrinkled neck with a handkerchief. “Spending so much time with Reese, and keeping such a handsome young suitor at bay.” Her face was lined with a rare smile. “I made a mistake like that once… many, many years ago… with a man who…”

“Gran…?” I saw her eyes mist, glazed over with long forgotten memories. I reached out and touched her hand. She blinked, and smiled again. We looked at each other…

“Emily?” Reese stood in the doorway, one hand on the knob, the other holding a phone. She held it out to me, her eyes filled with concern.

“It’s Chase, Em. And he sounds bad. He needs to talk to you…

I think something’s happened…”