Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I smiled. “Nonsense. Let her dig those little hands all into it. You only get to turn one once!”
The woman looked up at me and smiled. “Winnie is going to love it.”
My smile faded briefly before I asked, “You’re Jake’s daughter?”
She looked up from the cake in surprise. “I am. How do you know my father?”
“Oh.” I looked behind me, but Opal wasn’t there. Facing her again, I said, “He, um, he came in here the day before yesterday and mentioned Winnie.”
“Right! He brought home some goodies for Winnie. He’s in town for her birthday party.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said as I felt Opal before I saw her.
“Hi there, Hope. So Jake Magoffin is your father?”
“Hey, Opal,” Hope said as I took the cake box from Katherine and started to put the cake in there. “Yes, he mentioned you two knew each other once upon a time.”
Opal nodded as Hope went on.
“He’s in town for a few weeks since we don’t get to see him very often since moving to Moose Village. I think the best thing we could have ever done was to move to Liam’s hometown. It’s wonderful here.”
I could tell Opal was forcing her smile. “How nice for you all and yes, I remember Liam from when he was little and used to come in here with his mother, Judith.”
It was Hope’s turn to force a smile.
“Well, I do hope Winnie has a wonderful birthday,” Opal said, this time her smile reaching her eyes.
Hope sighed. “I do, too, but my mother-in-law is stressing me out.”
“Judith can be…something else,” Opal stated with a wink.
I reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “It’s your daughter’s birthday, not hers. Let her advice go in one ear and out the other, and if you have to, you simply tell her you appreciate her input, but you’ve got everything under control.”
Her eyes went wide, then her face softened. “That is excellent advice, and I think I will do just that. Thank you…um…”
I slid the cake box toward her. “Cadie.”
Her tired eyes lit up for the briefest of moments. “Thank you so much, Cadie.”
“Of course. Anytime.”
I watched as Hope walked out of the bakery. I felt a strange connection to the woman and couldn’t pinpoint what drew me to her.
“She’s beautiful,” Opal softly said next to me.
Nodding, I said, “She looks like her father. Was it just me or did she look…exhausted?”
“She did, but having a one-year-old and Judith for a mother-in-law can’t be easy.”
Opal drew in a deep breath and exhaled. I turned to face her. “Are you okay?”
She smiled. “I am. I’ll tell you the whole story one of these days.”
Her smile faded as she looked back at the door. A look of worry on her face.
“Is her mother-in-law that bad?”
Opal chuckled. “Judith Turner is a piece of work. Next to Betty Lou, she is the next big gossip in town.”
“I’ll have to remember that. Has she ever been in the bakery before?”
Laughing, Opal replied, “Oh, heavens no. She has people for that.”
Opal used air quotes when she said the word people.
“People?” I asked.
“The Turners are right up there in wealth. As a matter of fact, Judith and my sister, Lacy, were very competitive while growing up.”
“Do you come from a wealthy family as well?” I asked, not sure why I would ask something so rude. “I’m sorry, that was out of line for me to ask that.”
Opal laughed. “I don’t mind at all. My mother and father were middle-class, but someone forgot to inform my sister, Lacy. She acted as if she was a member of the Carter family from birth. The other wealthy families in the Moose Lake area are the Grants and the Banks. The Banks are property rich, for lack of better words. They own property all over the United States. It is mostly in Boston, New York City, San Fransico, and Seattle. The Grants are bankers.”
“Wait. Is Sally a member of the Grant family?”
Smiling, Opal replied, “She is, indeed.”
“But…”
I let my words trail off.
“She works for the Carters. Yes, she has for years. Started as a nanny to Macy. She was a stubborn girl and didn’t want to have anything to do with her parents’ money. She loved kids and taught as the kindergarten teacher at Moose Village Elementary for a few years before Lacy approached her about coming to work for their family. Truth be told, the best thing my sister could have ever done for her children was hire Sally. She is why Macy, Kian, and Mark turned out the way they did.”
“I’ve only had the one encounter with Macy, and I haven’t met Mark yet.”
Opal reached for my hand. “Don’t let that first impression of Macy make you think ill of her. She’s a good cookie, just a bit overprotective of those she loves. And, well, Mark…I’m not sure you will meet him anytime soon, but that’s a story for another day.”