The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane. Sheila Roberts

figure, and she countered. At last he threw out a final number he thought he could live with. It was still a bargain, but at least not so much of a steal that he’d feel like a robber. “And that’s my final offer.”

      She nodded. “Done.”

      “Do you want to talk to your husband about my offer?” Not that Mike could talk so well these days.

      “No, I have power of attorney. Anyway, we’ve already discussed this. He’ll be relieved. I’ll have our lawyer draw up the papers. If you can arrange financing, we can get this settled pretty quickly.”

      “There’s no rush,” he assured her.

      She smiled sadly. “Oh, yes, there is. My sister and her husband are coming here next week to help us move. We found a lovely place in Bremerton.”

      “Oh.” He sat back, shocked.

      She smiled sadly at him. “Mike’s not getting any better. There was no point letting grass grow under our feet.”

      “I’d have kept mowing it,” he said, trying to lighten the moment.

      She patted his arm. “I know. You’ve been a good friend to us. Mike sure loved going over to The Man Cave on Thursday nights and playing pool with you. It was something to look forward to.”

      “Same here,” Todd said. Mike had reminded him a lot of his grandpa, and he’d enjoyed the old guy. “I’m gonna miss you two.”

      “Life moves on, dear,” she said. She gave him another pat. “Do something wonderful with this place and make us proud.”

      He nodded, fighting the urge to go all wimpy and cry. “I will.”

      “I know you will. You’re a smart young man.”

      “That’s what my mama always says,” he cracked. Too bad he’d never heard those words from his dad.

      He and Millie shook hands, and then he left, mentally adding a visit to the bank to the day’s to-do list. As he walked to his Harley, he glanced around the street, looking at the various shops. Yep, this was a sweet location. What could he put in that house? Something food-related? He didn’t yet know what the old Victorian would become, what should be done with it, but he’d know when he saw it. Oh, yeah, the Halversons had given him an incredible deal.

      He smiled. A new business acquisition this morning and a date with the delicious Cecily Sterling tonight. Life was good.

       Chapter Three

      Cecily was poking around in her closet, trying to decide what to wear on her date with Todd, when Samantha called to tell her their little sister was coming home.

      “Thank God,” Cecily said. “She needs to be here with people who care about her.”

      “She also needs a place to stay. Mom’s is too small.”

      “She can stay with me.” Cecily had bought Samantha’s condo when Samantha married Blake Preston. The condo had two bedrooms, and she wasn’t really using the spare one other than as a catchall for her extra clothes and some of her craft supplies.

      “That’s what I told her.”

      “You did?” Their big sister would have made an excellent dictator.

      “I knew you’d offer,” Samantha said in her own defense.

      “Oh, so you’re psychic. For a minute there, I thought you were just being bossy.”

      “That, too,” Samantha admitted. “Really, I knew you’d offer to take her in. But she can also stay with Blake and me for a while.”

      They did have three bedrooms. One was an office, but the other they used as a guest room. Now that she thought about it, Cecily was surprised her sister hadn’t insisted Bailey stay with them. What was up with that?

      “No, it’s okay,” Cecily said. “I’m fine with having her.”

      She and Bailey had hung out often when they were both in L.A. Bailey had even catered some mixers for Cecily’s matchmaking company. Their relationship, Cecily supposed, had the same ebb and flow as that of most sisters. As kids they’d had their squabbles, but just as often they’d banded together against a common enemy—their older sister. As they moved toward puberty they’d fought more, and sharing a room hadn’t helped. But as they’d settled into adulthood and set aside teenage pettiness, they’d come full circle to the camaraderie they’d enjoyed as little girls. It would be fun having her sister stay with her now that they didn’t have to share a room, Cecily decided.

      “I booked her flight home,” Samantha said. “She’ll come in on Friday. Want to go to the airport with me to pick her up?”

      “You’re leaving the office?” Cecily teased.

      “Her flight doesn’t arrive until 4:30. I’ll still get some work in. Anyway, want to ride shotgun?”

      “Of course. You knew I would.”

      She could hear the smile in her sister’s voice when she said, “Yes, I did. I’m glad she’s coming back.” Samantha added, “She belongs here.”

      As far as Samantha was concerned, Icicle Falls was the center of the universe. She wasn’t a big-city kind of girl, and she’d never understood when Cecily moved away to start her business.

      But she’d had to get out from under the shadow of Samantha Sterling, Super Achiever, and establish her own identity. Maybe it had been the same for Bailey.

      Or it could have had something to do with Bailey’s best friends, the twins Mitsy and Bitsy, moving down there. They’d filled her head with dreams of riches and success and her eyes full of stars. Literally.

      Cecily felt bad for her little sister. Bailey had hit L.A. with such high hopes, and they’d all been stomped to pieces.

      It was a shame because Bailey was a kitchen queen. She’d always loved puttering in the kitchen with their mother, and Cecily could still remember her sister at the age of five, up on a stool, wearing an apron that was way too big for her and rolling out the leftover bits of piecrust Mom had given her. Not content to simply sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar, she’d experimented with everything from jam to taco seasoning. By the time she was in high school she was dreaming up her own cake and cookie recipes. Yes, when it came to creating in the kitchen, her sister was truly talented.

      So were a lot of people in L.A., and many of them never made it. Bailey wouldn’t either now. At least not down there. But there was no reason she couldn’t come home and start a catering business in Icicle Falls. With Samantha and Blake close by to advise her on the business end of things, it was bound to be a success. Cecily decided to suggest that to her once she was done mourning the death of her caterer-to-the-stars dream.

      Meanwhile, Cecily needed to choose what to wear. She finally settled on a short-sleeved black top and a black skirt with white polka dots. She put on heels and a pink pearl bracelet—a gift from her first fiancé—and was ready to go.

      Her sensible self asked why she was bothering. She shouldn’t be making a habit of going out with Todd Black. She decided to ignore her sensible self, especially when Todd showed up at her door, handsome in Dockers and a blue polo shirt. Good Lord, if there was a more handsome man than this one, she didn’t know where he was.

      “You look great,” he said, checking her out. “But then, you always do.”

      She ignored that blatant flattery and stepped out the door. As they started down the building’s stairs to the parking lot, something occurred to her and she stopped. “I should change.”

      “Don’t ever change. I like you just the way you are,” he teased.

      “I can’t ride on a motorcycle in a skirt.”

      “You won’t have to. Mom let me use the