The Marriage Recipe. Michele Dunaway

she’d never told Colin, on a long-ago visit home from New York City she’d confessed her nocturnal childhood activities. “I was just trying to see if I could peer into his room the way I used to do. Call it curiosity. I saw him today when I went to catch Bruce.”

      That was safe and reasonable.

      “You saw Colin?” Her mother had moved to the doorway and she paused.

      “Yes, he was walking into the law office as I was walking out. He asked me what I was doing there, so I told him. Bruce is in Houston with Christina.”

      “And…” her mother prompted.

      “He’ll let me know tomorrow if Lancaster and Morris will take on my case. He’s meeting me at the diner around noon.”

      “Then I’ll keep my fingers crossed for good news. I hope it all works out, especially since you won’t let us help you.”

      Rachel shook her head. “You and Grandma are already doing enough, although there is one thing I want to talk about with both of you. I’d like to maybe use the kitchen.”

      Adrienne’s brow creased, as if she was confused about why her daughter would ask a question with such an obvious answer. “Of course you can. This house is too big for the three of us, but it’s been in the family forever. Who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll move in with you the way Kim did with me.”

      “I guess you’re lucky that you get along so well with Dad’s mother.” Marco’s mother had accepted Rachel, but she hadn’t been overly friendly.

      “We’re best friends,” Adrienne said, and Rachel knew her mother meant it. “I’m closer to her than I was to my mom, God rest her soul.”

      Rachel smiled. One of her mother’s foibles was to add God rest her soul when speaking of the dead, as if not doing so might bring someone back to haunt her. “Amen,” Rachel quipped. “But back to the kitchen. I wasn’t talking about here. I’d like to use the one at the diner after it closes. I’d like to begin baking. Maybe fill up the display case in the front. My dream is to get a small Internet bakery business going, although I haven’t pursued that yet. This could help me begin. I’ll pay you both for the usage.”

      Her mom leaned her hip against the doorjamb. “If you’re a little strapped for cash, we could do an exchange. You give us some desserts to sell during our business hours and I’ll give you use of the kitchen. That’s probably a fair trade. I doubt Kim will mind.”

      “Mind what? I’m hearing my name. Is this a meeting?” Kim slid by Adrienne and entered Rachel’s bedroom. It always amazed Rachel how thin and spry her grandmother was. Turning seventy hadn’t slowed her down at all. Her grandmother still did yoga and tai chi to keep her five-foot-four body flexible.

      “Rachel wants to use the diner’s kitchen in exchange for giving us some goodies to sell in the front display case,” Adrienne said.

      “Can you make my bear claws?” Kim said, peering at her granddaughter.

      “Actually, yes,” Rachel confirmed. “And cakes, pies and other pastries. I thought I’d test some new recipes, and look into what it would take to open a cyber bakery.”

      “Don’t know what the world’s coming to.” Kim shook her head in disbelief. “Still don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just go to their local store for something fresh baked. Heck, you can get cakes decorated in Wal-Mart and they’re quite tasty. The girls at the diner bought me one for my last birthday. Not as good as mine, but not half-bad, either.”