“Help!” Candice yelled later that evening.

After a couple of exhausting minutes trying to balance three full grocery bags in her arms, her front door finally opened.

“What in the world?” Whitney asked. “Why didn’t you ring the doorbell?”

Whitney took a couple of the bags and held the door open for Candice, who walked in and tossed her purse on the table in the foyer. “You know how uncoordinated I am. I was lucky to make it to the front door without dropping something or tripping over my own feet.”

Whitney followed her to the kitchen where they set the bags on the counter and began unpacking them.

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you. I was helping Sarah with her bath,” Whitney explained.

As if on cue, Sarah came running into the kitchen, dressed in her favorite purple pajama set and fluffy house slippers.

“Hey, Mommy!”

Her long hair was still slightly damp, and when she hugged Candice, the familiar aroma of her strawberry-scented shampoo brought a much-needed smile to her face.

“I’ve missed you so much today,” Candice exclaimed while hugging her tighter. “How would you like some spaghetti tacos?”

A big smile spread across Sarah’s face as she bounced happily. “My favorite! Did you buy some strawberry ice cream too?”

Candice reached inside one of the paper bags and pulled out a big container of strawberry ice cream. Sarah was overjoyed, but Whitney’s face paled, and she looked like she might hurl all over the kitchen floor.

“Spaghetti tacos is bad enough but pairing it with strawberry ice cream? Where do you two come up with this stuff?” she asked.

Candice laughed as she put the ice cream in the refrigerator freezer and retrieved a package of ground beef from one of the grocery bags. “I thought you might feel that way, so I bought this to make some boring old regular tacos for you, just in case you decided to stay and eat dinner with us.”

Whitney grinned. “Well, aren’t you little miss Susie Homemaker tonight? What’s gotten into you?”

Candice shrugged as she grabbed a couple of skillets from a drawer underneath the stove. “Nothing. I just wanted to do something nice for you and Sarah. I know I’ve been working a lot of overtime lately, and I appreciate you staying late with her.”

Whitney leaned against the counter and gave her a curious look. “It’s no problem. Now, tell me what your good mood is really about. Did something happen with you-know-who?”

Candice roughly shook her head to silence her while pointing to Sarah. “No, I was just craving some tacos. Sarah, sweetie, why don’t you go watch some cartoons while Aunt Whitney and I get dinner ready?”

Sarah put her hands on her hips and gave her an exasperated look. “I know, I know. You have grown-up talking to do.”

Candice and Whitney tried to control their laughter as Sarah turned on her heel and walked to the den but not before she gave them a dramatic eye roll. When she was safely out of the room and they could hear the television playing in the living room, Whitney gave her a devilish smile.

“So, something did happen with David. Tell me everything.”

Candice turned her attention to cooking, hoping Whitney wouldn’t notice the way her cheeks flushed. “There isn’t much to tell. He’s asked me out every day this week, and I’ve had to tell him no every single time and remind him repeatedly we can only be friends.”

Whitney removed a package of shredded cheddar cheese from one of the grocery bags and dropped it on the kitchen counter, where it landed with a dull thud. “You did what?”

Candice refused to look at her, not wanting to see the incredulous look on her face or have to listen to her try and explain the multitude of ways she was wrong. She kept her eyes glued on the skillet and her focus on frying the ground beef. “He’s a wanderer, Whitney, and I’m not about to get my hopes up or Sarah’s. His work has kept him on the road most of his life, and he’ll probably end up moving again if the right opportunity comes along.”

Whitney retrieved a large pot from one of the cabinets and started filling it with water for the spaghetti noodles. “Did he tell you that?”

Memories of her day at the park with David flitted through her mind and filled her heart with longing. “He said he’s tired of traveling and he's ready to settle down, but I have a hard time believing that.”

Whitney placed the pot on a burner on the stove and turned on the heat. “I know you’re afraid of getting hurt, Candice, and I get that, but I worry about you. I don’t want you to close your heart off to the possibility of falling in love again. I know it’s risky, but it could also be one of the best risks you’ll ever take.”

Candice stirred the meat in the skillet, barely paying attention to what she was doing because her thoughts were so consumed by David. “But what about Sarah? You should’ve seen them at the park, Whitney. They had so much fun together. It’s one thing to risk my heart but something else entirely to risk hers being broken if it doesn’t work out.”

Whitney put the noodles inside the pot of water and stirred them with a wooden spatula. “I wish I could give you the answers, sis, but I can’t. All I can tell you for certain is that I have a good feeling about this. I’ve seen you smile more this past month than I have in a long time, and I doubt David would be so persistent if he wasn’t serious about being with you.”

Candice mulled it over as they prepared the remainder of their dinner in silence. Whitney didn’t try to interrupt her train of thought, but she didn’t miss the casual glances in her direction either, or the way she smiled as if she could read her mind.

“Sarah, would you like to set the table?” Candice called.

A few seconds later, she heard the sound of Sarah’s padded footsteps pitter-pattering on the hardwood floor as she ran to the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am!”

While Sarah grabbed a stepstool and retrieved some plates inside an overhead cabinet, Candice and Whitney put the spaghetti and taco meat in two bowls and brought them to the dinner table along with the cooked taco shells, fixings, and drinks. As soon as Sarah said grace, the three of them dove into their meal. There was very little conversation until they were finished, and Sarah’s freshly washed face and hands were covered in so much spaghetti sauce, it took Candice four tries to wipe them clean. “I think it would be easier giving you another bath,” she said, with a laugh. “Or dunking you in Aunt Whitney’s swimming pool.”

Sarah’s gaze widened. “Oh! Can we do that, please? I want to go swimming.”

Whitney, who was busy cleaning off the table while Candice tended to Sarah, stopped mid-trek to the kitchen sink and turned to face them. “You know what, I think that’s a great idea. Daniel has to work again this weekend, so Sarah and I should have a girl’s weekend. How about I pick her up after school tomorrow, and she and I can swim, eat junk food, and watch cartoons? Would you like that, Sarah?”

Sarah fervently nodded and clapped her hands. “Oh, Mommy, can I? Please, please, please! You can come too.”

Whitney put the dishes in the sink. “I think your mom deserves a break this weekend. She’s been working hard, and there might be something here she needs to do, something she’s been putting off. Isn’t that right, Candice?”

She cocked a brow at Whitney, who leaned against the counter and grinned mischievously. She knew exactly what her sister was up to, but she wasn’t about to play along. “I don’t know, Whit. I think a weekend at your house sounds like fun. I’d like to go swimming, too, and we haven’t had a girl’s weekend in a long, long time.”

Sarah looked anxiously between the two of them, and she was so wound up, you would’ve thought Whitney suggested doing something a lot more extravagant and fun than swimming. But she could tell by the expression on Whitney’s face that she wasn’t amused with her wanting to tag along.

Candice sighed. Maybe it would be best to just let the two of them have their time together. After all, Whitney didn’t have any children of her own, and her time at home was usually spent alone since Daniel worked most weekends at the grocery store he managed.

“Fine,” Candice lamented. “I’ll stay here, but I can’t promise I’ll get any work done. I’ll probably just spend the whole weekend goofing off.”

Candice leaned back in the chair and gave her sister a winning smile while waiting for her to challenge her again. Instead, Whitney snickered and continued cleaning off the table. “You are so stubborn,” she proclaimed.

Candice laughed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”