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The smell of blueberry muffins was the first thing Mary noticed as she slid her key into the lock of the main office, and for an instant, she almost believed it had all been a dream, that Caroline had not died, that she was in the kitchen right now making muffins for their guests. Boy would they laugh about this later today!

But no. It wasn’t Caroline making muffins. It was Emerson, and she glanced up and smiled at Mary when she walked in. “Good morning.”

Mary stood and simply blinked. It was all so surreal. Emerson there in the kitchen. Emerson already dressed and baking. Emerson saying good morning. Mary cleared her throat and found her voice. “Good morning,” she replied, moving to the sink to leave her mug there.

“I was up early and came in here to start the coffee. I thought I might as well throw in a batch of muffins.” She gestured to the freezer. “You’re almost out. I’ll make some more this afternoon.”

Then she smiled, and for a split second she looked so much like Caroline that Mary almost burst into tears right then. But she held it together, swallowed twice, and nodded once. “Okay.” Before she could say any more, a polite bark sounded from the front desk. Then the kitchen door opened and Gordie came in like a shot, his entire body wagging with joy at not one, but
two
, people in the kitchen he could lavish his love on. It was amazing how quickly the dog could elevate her mood, and Mary felt the corners of her mouth pull up into a smile as she squatted slowly down to Gordie’s level and let him shower her with kisses. Her heart felt instantly lighter.

“Good morning,” Cassie said cheerfully from the doorway.

Mary looked up to see her smiling across the kitchen at Emerson, who was smiling back. All this smiling. It was strange. Not for Cassie. That girl was rarely without a smile. But the
way
she was smiling, and the
recipient
of that smile, that was strange.

“Morning,” Emerson said back. “Muffin?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Cassie crossed the kitchen and took a warm blueberry muffin from Emerson’s outstretched hand, their fingers lingering a titch longer than necessary, their gazes holding tightly to each other.

Hmm
, Mary thought as she stood, her knees cracking and popping, the sound so loud it actually pulled Cassie’s attention.

“Mary, have you been taking your arthritis medicine?” she asked as she stretched out a hand to help.

“Yes, Mother, I have,” Mary replied with a laugh.

“Hey, don’t you smart mouth me,” Cassie said, pointing at her and grinning. She took a bite of her muffin, made some noises of enjoyment, and gave Emerson a thumbs up. “How are your legs today?” she asked.

Emerson grimaced. “Let’s just say I’m really glad there are no stairs in the cottage.”

Cassie laughed, then took another bite of her muffin. Once it was down, she turned to Mary and said, “I have a couple hours and came to help. What can I do?”

Mary gestured for her to follow into the front room. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Cassie look back at Emerson.

“I’ll find you later,” Cassie said, pointing at her.

“I’m counting on it,” was Emerson’s playful reply.

Uh-oh
, Mary thought this time. It wasn’t that both girls were lesbians. Mary had made her peace with that long ago. She didn’t understand it, but she was a woman who enjoyed harmony and love and she didn’t see what all the fuss was about when people protested same-sex couples. Why just last night, she’d seen an ad for a new reality show that had straight couples marrying at first sight. How did that not mess with the “sanctity of marriage,” but two men or two women who loved each other deeply did? Mary would never understand that; she and Caroline had had many a discussion about it. But no, that wasn’t what worried her. What worried her was that Caroline would not like this. Emerson and Cassie? Oh, no, she wouldn’t like this at all. Caroline wouldn’t be worried about Emerson, her daughter. She wouldn’t be trying to protect her daughter from Cassie. No, Mary knew Caroline well, and she was very certain about this fact: Caroline would be trying to protect
Cassie
from her daughter. Emerson was too much like her father, and poor Cassie didn’t stand a chance.

***

They were interrupted twice by people checking out, but nearly half an hour later, Mary had gone over a quick list with Cassie regarding rooms needing to be cleaned and laundry needing to be washed, and returned to rooms awaiting new guests. Cassie nodded, taking it all in, asking few questions.

“You do know how much I appreciate all the help you’ve been giving me, especially since Caroline’s been gone, right?” Mary asked quietly, her eyes on the computer screen.

Cassie squeezed her shoulder. “I do.”

Mary turned and made eye contact. “I mean it.”

“I know.”

The kitchen door swung open and Emerson peeked out at them. “I’ve got a batch of muffins in. I’m going to grab a quick shower. I should be back before they’re done, but if you hear the timer, could you just take them out?”

Mary waved in acknowledgement without looking back at Emerson. When she glanced at Cassie, Cassie’s eyes were glued to the now-closed kitchen door. Mary slid the two keys for the empty rooms across the counter to her and said simply and poignantly, “Careful there.”

Cassie blinked at her, but said nothing.

***

“Oh, that’s no big deal at all,” Mindy Sullivan was saying as she examined the front tire of the bike Emerson was renting from her.

“You’re sure? Because I don’t want to screw up your merchandise. I’ll gladly pay for any damage.”

Mindy shook her head. “No way. It’s fine. I’m going to replace the rim. No problem. Happens all the time.”

“I didn’t realize that path was as rough as it was.”

“The one up Jones Mountain?” At Emerson’s nod, Mindy chuckled. “Yeah, that one’s a bear. I’m surprised you didn’t do more damage than bend the rim. Did you make it all the way?”

“I did. Just ask my quads. They’ve been quietly crying all morning.”

Mindy looked at her with even more respect. “Nice. You’re in great shape then. Most people stop about three quarters of the way up and have to walk the rest of the way.” She raised her hand. “Me included.”

Emerson was still inexplicably basking in that compliment when the bell over the door rang and a vaguely familiar looking young man walked in.

“Hey, Mind. My chain here?”

“Got it this morning,” Mindy said and disappeared into the back room.

The man smiled at Emerson. “Hi again.”

Emerson squinted at him. “I’m sorry, we’ve met, right?”

“Well, sort of, yes. On Halloween. You were with Cassie and her niece and nephew.”

His face finally clicked for her. “Oh! You sold me the cider.”

“I did.” He held out his hand. “Jake Collins. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

“Emerson Rosberg,” Emerson said as she grasped his large hand.

“Oh, I know.”

Mindy returned, handed a package to Jake. “Of course he knows who you are. You’re our famous skier. Careful, he’s going to try to recruit you to work for him this season.”

Jake laughed, but nodded in agreement. “She’s right. Don’t know how long you’re staying, but we’d be happy to have somebody of your stature at our slope. You’d bring in the customers, that’s for sure.”

Emerson now remembered Cassie saying something about Jake working at one of the ski slopes. “Ah, well, thanks for the offer, Jake. I’m not staying, though.”

“Too bad,” Jake said, disappointed.

“Emerson’s got herself a life in the City of Angels, Jake. I don’t think we compare with our one main road, subzero temperatures, and tiny shops.” Mindy said it with a chuckle as she clicked keys on her computer, and though there was no malice or sarcasm in the statement at all, Emerson still felt a little sting at the words.

Later, after the bike had been repaired and she’d taken several very slow laps around Lake Henry, she still wondered about Mindy’s words. Why did they bother her? Were they true? She couldn’t seem to shake the feeling they left with her.

It was too cold to be riding. She’d made that observation when she’d been too far away to turn back, so she’d completed her ride, more for her head than her body. Now that she was back in the cottage, her hands were like ice, and her ears were numb. The remote for the fireplace sat on the coffee table, and she clicked it on as she passed. In the bathroom, she ran the bath water as she stripped out of her biking clothes, deciding to soak in a hot tub a little earlier in the day than she normally would. She’d just settled into the nearly-scalding water and closed her eyes when her cell rang.

With a sigh, she picked it up to look at the number, then answered. “Hello, evil stepmother.”

“Hey there, pain in my ass.”

“Twice in less than two weeks? To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Marlena’s soft laughter rumbled over the phone line. “I’m just checking on my ex-stepdaughter. Is that a crime?”

“Not at all. You know I’m always happy to hear from you.”

“How’s it going? You doing okay?”

“Well, let’s see. I just took a glorious ride around the lake on a bike—even though I turned blue from the cold—and I am now soaking in a hot bathtub, which is delicious. If I lean slightly to my left and crane my neck a bit, I can see the lake out the window from here. The only thing missing is a glass of wine, but that’s because it’s not even dinner time yet and I don’t want to be that single woman who drinks wine in the afternoon.” She finished with a soft laugh.

“Sounds like a nice day.”

“It was. Oh, and I made blueberry muffins this morning.”

There was a pause on the line, then Marlena said, “I’m sorry, do I have the wrong number? I was looking for Emerson Rosberg, city girl, lover of all things warm and sunny, can barely fix herself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen.
That
Emerson Rosberg.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny.”

“Seriously, Emmy, you sound good. Are you?”

Emerson inhaled deeply, let it out slowly. “It’s strange being here in her house. I admit that. It smells like her. Isn’t that weird? I don’t even know what the smell is, only that it’s her.” A lump threatened to close her throat, and she was quiet.

“I think that’s perfectly normal.” Marlena’s voice was tender. “Smell is a very powerful sense. Even now, whenever I smell Old Spice aftershave, I instinctively look around for my grandpa, and he’s been gone for ten years.”

“I should have been here more.” Emerson’s voice caught. “I was a terrible daughter.”

“Oh, Em.”

“It’s true. Everybody here tells me how wonderful she was and how proud of me she was, and I couldn’t manage to give her more than an occasional phone call.”
Where the hell was this coming from?
she wondered, swiping angrily at the tear running down her cheek. Marlena was the only person in the world she felt safe enough to talk to about such things, but Emerson had surprised even herself.

“I know it seems that way, but you can’t beat yourself up over something you can’t ever change. That’s a good way to drive yourself crazy. You just need to enjoy your time there, in your mother’s space. Soak it in.” She waited patiently while Emerson sniffled and pulled herself together. Then finally, she asked, “Blueberry muffins, huh?”

“I kick ass at blueberry muffins.”

“I can’t believe you never made those for me.”

“Next time I see you. Promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that. So, what else have you been up to?”

“I took a great bike ride up Jones Mountain yesterday with Cassie.” She described to Marlena how the view had gone from zero visibility to perfectly clear. “We could’ve sat there for hours. It was gorgeous.”

“This is the same woman you were with on Halloween?”

“Yup. I bent the rim on the bike, but Mindy fixed it, and while I was at the bike shop, a guy from one of the ski slopes offered me a job.” Emerson laughed at the memory. “It was bizarre, but in a cool way.”

“Sounds like it. Making any progress on packing?”

“A little, but not enough.” Emerson sighed. “I don’t know why. I just can’t seem to get moving.”

“It’s not an easy job. You’ll get to it when you’re ready.”

“You think so? Because I can’t stay here forever. I’ve got to get back home.”

“To what?”

Marlena’s question surprised Emerson into momentary silence. She studied the toes of her right foot as they peeked out of the surface of the water.

Marlena went on. “Sounds like you’ve got more going on there than you ever had in L.A. You should hear yourself. I’ve never heard you sound this…healthy.”

Emerson furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?”

“Em. You’ve made friends. You’ve got a cute little house to stay in. You’ve even got a job offer. And let’s not forget the love interest. I’m making air quotes around that, just so you know.”

Emerson shook her head even though Marlena couldn’t see it. “You’re wrong.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.” She sounded touchier than she meant to.

“Okay. I’m wrong then. But if I am, you have to do something for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Be careful.”

“What does that mean?” Emerson asked in confusion.

“With Cassie. You like her. I can tell. I know you, remember?” Marlena’s voice was firm now, as she pulled out her I’m-your-stepmother-not-your-pal voice that she used on Emerson when she was younger and needed a little straightening out. “And I’m guessing she probably likes you, too. But if you have no plans of staying, you need to tread carefully or you’re going to hurt that girl. Be careful. That’s all I’m saying.” With a playful lilt in her voice, she said, “Your history does not show evidence of longevity, sweetie. You’re like your dad that way…a pretty new girl every six months or so.”

Emerson let that sit for a moment, and suddenly all the lightness of the day evaporated until she felt heavy again. “Okay.” It was all she could think of to say in response.

At her change in tone, Marlena’s volume increased a bit as she said, “Honey, I’m just teasing you.”

“I know,” Emerson said, and forced a chuckle as she tried to keep things light, but Marlena’s words sat heavily in the air.