Cilla?â
âSame sweet tooth. Jelly Jam had those wonderful crumb-top muffins just out of the oven, so we ordered some and started talking. We kind of forgot about the time.â
âDad didnât.â
âHe had nothing to worry about.â Lou rolled her eyes. âItâs not like I get into town that often. Anyway, Cilla is coping fairly well, under the circumstances.â
Annie gave her mother a questioning look over the rim of her mug. âWhatâs up?â
âWell, you know she took in her cousin Breeâs girls,â Lou began.
âYou mentioned that.â Annie dunked a cookie and ate it. âHow old are they again?â
âThree and six. Full of fun, but so mischievous. They turn her house upside down. Cilla loves them to pieces, but there are days when she feels a little upside down herself. She and Ed never had children, so of course sheâs not used to it.â
Annie let her mother ramble on about her best friend, whose kind heart meant people sometimes took advantage of her.
âBree is divorced, right?â
âYes. Her ex is totally out of the picture. He doesnât see the kids and doesnât pay a nickel of child support. Right now Bree is making good money, but she earns it the hard way.â Lou shook her head. âFourteen-hour shifts at an oil field camp in North Dakota, cooking for hundreds of roughnecks. Thatâs a tough job.â
âYikes. I bet.â Annie had helped her mother cook for the ranch hands at haying time while she was growing up. But they were courteous and appreciative, and there had never been more than six or seven of them.
âCilla says a camp like that is no place for children.â
âIâm sure sheâs right.â
âSo she has the girls until January. Then their mom comes back. Breeâs saving every penny so they can start a new life, just the three of them.â True to her nature, Lou finished the story with a happy ending.
Annie hoped it came true. âGood for her. And good for Cilla.â
âJust so long as she doesnât lose her mind,â Lou said wryly. âOf course, Ed helps. He got dinner on the table by five and Cilla took home a pie for dessert. So she got a break.â
âIâm glad you both escaped.â
Lou Bennettâs blue eyes sparkled as she smoothed her pixie cut. âThe hairdresserâs next. That salon is full of runaway women.â
Annie laughed as she finished her tea, then took the mug to the sink, washing it and the few dishes that had been left from lunch. Her mother got busy with some paperwork sheâd left on the kitchen table.
âOh, hereâs my Christmas card list,â Lou said absently. âShoot. Iâm going to need at least two boxes this year. I like to get them mailed by December first.â
âThatâs four weeks away.â Annie concentrated on her task. âYou could send out e-cards,â she said.
âI just canât. Itâs not the same. Some of the animated ones are cute, though. Hmm. Maybe Iâll send e-cards to the kids and real cards to the grown-ups.â
Lou paused as Annie racked the plates in the dish drainer.
âI hope Sam and Zach come home for Christmas,â Lou said softly. âWith them here plus Nicole and Paula, the house will be filled to bursting. Just thinking about it makes me happy.â
Annie suppressed a smile. âWait until grandchildren are in the works. You might feel differently then.â
âIâd be even happier. But donât tell those four I said so. Theyâre still newlyweds, after all. Well, Zach and Paula are. Not Sam and Nicole. Theyâve been married for two years. Imagine that.â
Annie didnât respond. It was a lot harder to imagine herself in a relationship, let alone being married.
Her mother reached into her tote bag for a file folder. âOh, no,â Lou groaned.
Annie turned,
Terry Towers, Stella Noir