She’d known Cab from the days of running her café next to Cole’s rifle range. She’d always liked the man’s dry humor and no-nonsense personality. Rose complemented him nicely. She ran the jewelry store in town and she was cheerful and caring. Sunshine wondered if the rumors about her sixth sense were true. Bella had told her Rose could sense whether a couple’s love would stand the test of time when they came into the store and chose an engagement ring. Cole had bought her engagement ring from Thayer, the former owner. He hadn’t been the recipient of any kind of prediction.
Maybe she should be grateful for that.
“I have to open the jewelry store soon. Would you like to come with me and hang out for the morning? I’d love to hear all about your trip. And your rock band,” Rose added with a sly smile. “I’m so jealous, you know. I always wanted to sing in a band.”
Sunshine flashed her a half-hearted grin. She should have known Rose would have heard about the band. “You’re hired! We don’t have a singer yet. Bella and I practiced some guitar earlier this morning. We didn’t sound half bad.”
Actually, Bella had sounded okay. Sunshine had been awful, but after she’d half-memorized the few chords required for the song they’d picked, she’d started to get the hang of it again.
“Awesome. When’s your next practice?”
“This afternoon. Think you can get away for an hour?”
“Maybe.” Rose glanced at the clock. “We’d better get going.” Fifteen minutes later, she unlocked the door to the jewelry store and let Sunshine in. “There are a few things I need to take care of before I open. Make yourself at home.”
Sunshine wandered among the glass cases as Rose performed her chores. Looking at the engagement rings, she remembered the Christmas morning Cole had proposed. It had been the happiest day of her life. Surely there was some way to get back to that feeling.
To divert herself, she said, “I can’t believe you actually bought this place off of old man Thayer.”
“I know. It felt like a miracle at the time. I’ve come a long way since then, though.”
“A lot changed while I was traveling.”
“Hasn’t it? You missed so many weddings. And babies!” As she continued to talk, Rose turned on more lights and began to put things in order for the day. A moment later, the front door opened and a small, dark-haired woman came in.
“Mia, have you met Sunshine?” Rose asked.
“I don’t think so.” The petite woman came to shake her hand. She was youthful, with a long ponytail that swished when she walked.
“Mia married Luke Matheson, Rob’s brother. She has a wedding-planning business. We share the space,” Rose said.
“That sounds like a fun business.” Sunshine perked up, thinking of her own wedding, but then remembered how rocky things were at the moment with Cole.
“It is. Hectic, but fun.” Mia opened the door to a small office to one side of the large room. “This is my headquarters.”
Sunshine peeked in to see a wide desk and shelves of idea books. Every inch of space was in use. It looked more like an artist’s studio than a normal office.
“So tell us about your trip,” Rose said when they came out into the store again.
Sunshine did so, focusing on all the different types of food she’d learned to prepare and how her journey had affected the way she thought about cooking. She tried to forget her argument with Cole, but she found it hard.
“Are you going to write a cookbook now?” Rose asked.
“I hope you took photographs,” Mia said. “That kind of cookbook wouldn’t be complete without them.”
“Cole took tons of them. We haven’t been able to sort through them yet. I need to get into my house first.” Or maybe she needed to sell the house and walk away from everything.
A twinge in her abdomen reminded her she was linked to Cole in a way she couldn’t ignore.
“I heard you bought a ranch. What’s it like?” Rose asked.
Sunshine told them about the ranch and both of the women exclaimed over the plan. “We’ll help any way we can,” Mia told her. “We love that kind of thing.”
It was hard to drum up the necessary enthusiasm. With each passing minute, she felt more and more like she was making a mistake. Carl really wanted the ranch. She had no idea what she wanted these days. Certainly not a relationship filled with lies and distrust.
“Tell her about the band,” Rose said. “I’m going to be lead singer.”
“A band? Can I play drums? I’m awesome at drums!”
“Really?” Sunshine hadn’t expected that.
“Yes, really.” Mia’s ponytail swung for emphasis. “Do you have a drummer already?”
Sunshine made an effort to concentrate. “We don’t even have drums.”
“I can borrow some from a friend. It’s not like she ever plays them,” Mia said confidently.
Well, that was something. “You can store them out at the house. Bella’s bringing our guitars out this afternoon and she’s already ordered a tambourine,” Sunshine said.
“This is going to be so much fun!”
Sunshine was glad someone was enjoying the prospect. She fought against a wave of nausea and braced herself against a glass showcase, willing her stomach to settle down. She pretended to examine the landscapes that decorated one wall of the showroom.
“Rose is an artist,” Mia said, following her gaze. “She’s not just good at painting, either. She’s terrific at layout and design.”
“If you ever want help with your cookbook, just ask. I’d love to help,” Rose said.
“I will.” Sunshine got the upper hand on her wayward stomach. “I would like to write one. I just don’t know where to start.”
“With the recipes, of course.” Rose smiled. “Pick out all your favorites and then tell the story of where and when you learned how to make them.”
Sunshine thought about the naan she’d made in Turkmenistan, the peanut stew she’d made in Ethiopia, and the chili relish she’d made in India. In each case the story revolved around women. Mothers. Mothers cooking for their children and putting all the love and hope and dreams they had for their children’s lives into each dish.
She’d kept journals during her trips and those themes came into play over and over again. If she’d learned one thing, it was that the world over, mothers worried themselves sick over their children. Their greatest cares came from raising them, and their greatest triumphs were experienced through them.
Could she write about that in any way that would make sense to other women?
“You two are so lucky you work together,” she said. She wondered if she’d ever make a friend like that in Chance Creek. When she’d left Chicago, she’d ended up growing apart from the best friend she’d had there. During her time in Chance Creek, she’d gotten somewhat close to Kerri Olsen, who ran a second-hand store in town, but without steady cell phone coverage for the first half of her trip, they’d texted back and forth less and less frequently as the months went by, and she’d lost track of her, too.
Time to give her a call.
Except maybe she’d be leaving again soon.