Chapter 83

I laughed. “I would’ve, too.”

“Want a glass of cold milk to go with that?”

“Sit down, Mom. Take it easy. I’ll get the milk.”

“I hate when people tell me to take it easy. They make me feel old, like I’m incapable of doing anything.”

“That’s not it at all.”

“Baking relaxes me.”

“I’ll be more relaxed if you join me.”

Sighing, she set down the tray of scones on a cooling rack and pulled out a seat across from me.

“They’re awfully good,” I told her.

She winked.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked.

She looked down at her watch. “Two, maybe three hours.” She shrugged. “I don’t sleep well anymore.”

“Mom?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you all right?”

She shook her head. “I miss your father. Everything feels different, as if I’ve stepped into somebody else’s life.”

I held out my hand to her. “Philip and I have been talking.”

She curled her bony fingers around mine. “About what?”

“You moving to Milestone with us.”