Win Me Over Read Free

it really mean, Uncle Mike?”
    â€œVery Icky Pigs, I think,” Mike replied.
    Callie chuckled at the use of Claire’s pet name for Mike. His niece was Claire’s best friend and Claire had yet to drop the “Uncle” moniker.
    Mike and Claire came into the kitchen behind Callie, and she got to work lifting the peanut butter cookies off the cooling rack and onto a display tray. The beauty of a perfectly baked pastry made her heart swell with pride every time.
    Barbara was the queen of trend dieting, so Callie’s childhood had been filled with odd desserts made with avocados or applesauce. It was no surprise that when Callie had gone away to college she’d loaded up on flour, real butter, and heavy cream so she could make the real stuff. She’d never stopped.
    â€œThese smell yummy, Callie,” Claire said.
    â€œWhy, thank you, my dear. Go grab one of those pink boxes, and you can take some home and share them with Mommy.”
    â€œYay!” Claire exclaimed as she skipped over to the shelves stocked full of paper goods.
    â€œThanks, Callie. I figured the dentist was cause for a treat, especially since it’s the first time Claire’s been without Anne,” Mike said.
    â€œI agree: I think baked goods are almost always appropriate in any situation. How’s Anne’s speech coming along? I assume that’s why you took Claire.”
    Mike nodded. “This whole blog convention seriously has her stressed. She’s scared to death to speak in front of a crowd.”
    Anne was the founder of the incredibly popular lifestyle blog My Perfect Little Life . It featured everything from party-planning tips and personal anecdotes to DIY furniture restoration. Almost two years ago she’d invited Callie to become a regular contributor, posting recipes and baking tips. Now they also had Lindsey Morales, whose specialty was design and repurposed crafts. Callie loved being a part of the online community that Anne had created; it was almost like being an Internet celebrity. Anne’s readers loved her and had welcomed Callie and Lindsey with open arms. It seemed every day they all became more popular. Even more exciting, Anne had been asked to be the keynote speaker at an upcoming blogger convention.
    â€œShe’ll be amazing. Anne doesn’t do anything without doing it well. I kind of hate her for it.”
    â€œNuh-uh. You love Mommy,” Claire said matter-of-factly as she continued to load treat after treat into the pink box.
    Mike finished off his second cookie. “Don’t tell anyone, but your cookies could make a grown man cry.”
    â€œFlattery will get you everywhere, but the rule is no one cries in this kitchen but me.” Her expression must have been a little too telling, because Mike gave her a raised eyebrow.
    â€œEverything okay?” he asked. It was in that guy tone, the one that said he was worried but really hoped she didn’t elaborate because he would have no idea how to handle it.
    Callie let out a dramatic sigh as she lowered the lid on the box before Claire could clean her out. The tiny shyster had already moved on to the tray of scones and was closing in on blue and white Panther cupcakes. “Oh yeah, I don’t really need to cry. Not today. But my mother did just leave, so there’s that.”
    â€œBig yellow hair, Mustang convertible with ‘HR HINES’ written on the plate?”
    â€œGod, yes, she wanted it to say ‘her highness,’ but that obviously was too long to fit.” Callie groaned. Barbara had sported the HRHINES license plate since Callie was six, based on the name of her father’s plumbing business, Royal Flush. His advertisements featured her handsome yet rotund father in a crown and cape, holding a plunger instead of a scepter. It was quite a treat to go to high school and be known for being the princess of plungers.
    Mike chuckled. “She looked …