“Oh?”

  “Melanie Przybyla.”

  “Anthony’s teacher?”

  “Yes.” Esther closed her eyes, remembering Melanie’s warm smile when she’d opened the door. Anthony had run to it but dutifully waited until she arrived to open it.

  Carissa sounded confused but curious when she asked, “What was she doing at your house?”

  “It’s kind of a long story, but I invited her over Thursday to continue our conversation since we didn’t have the time then to finish it.”

  “And did you…finish…your conversation?”

  Esther’s cheeks burned. “Yes.”

  “Is that all you did?”

  “Yes. I’m pretty sure she’s straight, Carissa. There is nothing going on. Besides, she's Anthony’s teacher.”

  “Just because she’s straight doesn’t mean you are, and it doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings for her. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you talk about another woman like this. Not since—”

  “Don’t say her name.” Esther clenched her jaw. Thinking of her ex on a beautiful day like this was not something she wanted to do. She had a history of bad apples, Skip being only the latest, but thinking and talking about Carlisle was almost too much for her easy morning. She didn’t want to bring up any bad memories.

  “Fine, I won’t, but I’m not lying. I think you’ve talked more about Melanie than any other woman I’ve seen you meet in years.”

  “Or man?” Esther pushed.

  “Or man,” Carissa agreed. “Do you like her?”

  Esther bit her lip, debating whether she wanted to sidestep the conversation or just admit it. Maybe saying it to someone else out loud would help her get over whatever crush this was. Taking the chance, Esther said, “I do.”

  “More than just as a friend and fellow teacher?”

  “Yes, but like I said, I’m pretty sure she’s straight, she’s Anthony’s teacher, and I’m not looking to get into any kind of relationship for the foreseeable future. I have other things I need to worry about.”

  “Esther.” Carissa’s tone caught her attention, and she focused tightly on her next words. “Just because Skip makes mistakes and dates or sleeps around, doesn’t mean you will, and just because he introduces every girlfriend to Anthony and puts that heavy weight on a little kid doesn’t mean you will. You’re not him, and you’re way too careful and reserved to do that to Anthony.”

  “But he already knows her,” Esther whispered.

  “Oh my God! You really are thinking about it!”

  Scrunching her nose, Esther was so glad Carissa couldn’t see her and this was a phone call. If she had been there in person, she would never hear the end of it. “I can’t think about it, that’s the point.”

  “You don’t know that. You never know until you ask directly, and I don’t think you have, because I know you.”

  Esther rolled her eyes. Only Carissa would be able to say that to her. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

  “Because you won’t do anything about it?”

  “Exactly.” Esther looked right out the window to Anthony and his friend holding hands to cross the street. “I’ve got to run, Anthony’s coming over with his friend in tow. It’s about to get loud in here.”

  “All right, but do think about it, please.”

  “Think about what?” Esther was already pushing up to stand.

  “Dating. I’m glad you have a friend, someone you can talk to other than me, but maybe it is time to start dating again.”

  “You know I hate dating.”

  Carissa snorted. “I know, but I think you’ll survive it.”

  “Whatever. I’ll call you tomorrow so Anthony can wish his auntie a happy birthday.”

  “Love you too, sis.” Carissa hung up just as the front door opened, and the two boys burst inside.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Esther!”

  “What?” Esther jerked with a start as she stared down at the ingredients in front of her. With the phone on speaker and settled onto the counter top, she listened to Carissa’s smooth voice. She’d gotten the groceries earlier that week, and now it was time to do the deed of making this pie she had never made before. It was Carissa’s specialty, however, and her sister had promised to walk her through the process step by step.

  “Are you paying attention?”

  “I think it’s the only thing I can do right now.”

  “Good, because I promise you this pie will be perfect for your girl.”

  Sighing, Esther frowned, but she didn’t correct Carissa either. It was a losing battle. “Then tell me what to do because laying everything out in front of me is overwhelming, and I don’t know what to do with it all.”

  Laughing, Carissa finally gave in. “Preheat the oven to four hundred.”

  “Okay, done.”

  “Good, now take the pie pan you just bought and clean it.”

  Esther rolled her eyes but did as she was told. She had a routine of what she cooked each week and rarely deviated from that as it was easier and cheaper to prepare the same things. She had never been the cook in the family, even though she had tried on occasion. As she stood over the sink with a sponge in hand, Carissa’s voice found her again.

  “I promise you will not mess up this pie!”

  Esther sighed. “If I mess it up, I have nothing else to bring today.”

  Carissa chuckled. “If I knew baking a pie with you was going to be this stressful, I would have made you do it yesterday and not the morning of. That way you could still go out and buy one today if you mess it up.”

  “You just said I won’t mess it up.” Esther frowned as she grabbed a dish cloth to dry the pan.

  “And you won’t. I promise.”

  With her stomach twisted in knots, Esther moved back to the very small counter workspace she had. She set the pan on the stove and rolled her shoulders, ready to try this. “Okay, what now?”

  “Take the pie crust you bought and unroll one of them onto the pan. Push it down lightly to form to the pan, and then take a fork and jab some holes into it. Think of it like Skip’s ass.”

  Esther wrinkled her nose as she stared at the box of pie crust in front of her. She could do this, despite Carissa’s joking. She ripped open the plastic and did as she was told, mumbling, “Skip’s ass it is.”

  She did everything she was told while Carissa baked the same pie on her end. Small voices echoed through the line, her nieces at their finest early in the morning. Esther missed Anthony and his voice, but she held that feeling tightly in her chest. She didn’t want to go over to Melanie’s a mess of tears.

  “What now?”

  “Now we work on the filling. Grab the rhubarb and strawberries, and chop them up to be about the same size.”

  “All right.” Esther went to work, losing herself in the repetition.

  “You said Melanie will have her kids there?”

  “She said the girls. Her son can’t come for some reason.”

  “So you’re going to meet her kids?”

  “Uh-huh.” Esther slid the knife down, making cuts as close to similar as possible on the rhubarb. She was so focused on it that she nearly missed Carissa’s next comment.

  “So you’re meeting her family. Sounds like it’s moving right along.”

  She nearly chopped her finger before she caught herself. “It’s not like that, Carissa.”

  “Of course it’s not.” The chiding and disbelieving tone were in full force. “You're not making eyes or opening up to her because she’s no one.”

  Esther frowned as she put the rhubarb into a separate bowl before going back to chop strawberries. “She’s my assigned mentor at school. You know that.”

  “All I’m saying is she’s not only that.”

  Esther knew Carissa was right, even though she still didn’t want to admit it. Telling Carissa that she had a crush had been the worst idea on the planet. Now all she did was tease and try to get Esther to say something, to ask if Melanie liked women or not. She had enough problems on her plate, and dating another teacher in her school was not something she wanted to even attempt, considering it could really throw a wrench in her staying there.

  “I told you I liked her. Isn’t that enough?”

  “You’re spending the holiday with her and meeting her kids. To me it sounds like you’re dating.”

  “We are not dating,” Esther answered wryly. “Trust me on that.”

  “Oh, frustrated are we? Sex-u-ally frus-trated?” The slowing down of the words at the end set Esther’s back up.

  She was, in fact, sexually frustrated, but mostly because she hadn’t had sex since the last time she was with Skip, and masturbation only got her so far in the scheme of things. Intimacy with herself wasn’t what she wanted no matter how much she denied it. She needed to feel connected with someone again, but she had sworn off relationships after Skip and Carlisle. She didn’t trust herself to find someone who wasn’t toxic.

  “Esther?”

  “What?” She bit out the word, instantly regretting it because Carissa would no doubt read right through it.

  “So I am right.”

  “Yes, now drop it. What do I do now?”

  Carissa, thankfully, didn’t comment. “Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  “I told you this was a foolproof pie. Would I ever lie to you?”

  “Yes,” Esther answered simply, knowing Carissa had lied to her before, though about something like this she likely wouldn’t. Carissa took her through the measurements, and Esther made sure each one was perfect before she dumped it into the bowl. Then she mixed until the rhubarb and strawberries were covered.

  “Now dump it into the pie tin.”

  “All right.” Esther held the bowl with her arm as she slowly used the spoon to move the mixture into the pan.

  “Make sure it’s filled all the way because it will flatten out as it bakes.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Esther teased but did everything her sister told her to. When she was done, she stared at the pie on her oven top and smiled at it. Maybe this wasn’t so hard after all.

  “Now, do you want to make it look fancy or do you want easy?”

  “How hard is fancy?”

  Carissa’s laugh warmed her. “God, I love you. It’s not hard, just doing a lattice.”

  “I think I can handle that.”

  “Roll out that top layer of dough and slice it into one inch strips.”

  As Esther worked on the top of the pie, she stuck her tongue out in concentration. Once she had it all done, she started laying on the first few before Carissa chimed back in with directions. She knew how to make lattices, so she didn’t need as much help. It took a bit to get everything laid right and not looking awful.

  “Trim the edges, and then paint the egg and milk mixture onto the crust. Then we bake it!”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it,” Carissa confirmed. “You’re lucky all you’re making is the pie.”

  “Yeah, thank God for that.” Esther worked efficiently as she finished off the crust.

  “Oh! One more thing, sprinkle some sugar on top. It’ll help, trust me.”

  Esther did as she was told, not questioning her sister’s baking abilities. She held her breath as she slid the pie tin into the oven. When all was said and done, she stepped back and put her hands on her hips. She was still in her pajamas and hadn’t even gotten ready for the day yet. Melanie had told her to come over around ten in the morning, which meant she was going to have to get ready soon.

  Her nerves picked back up, and she needed to calm them down by doing something. Anything that would keep her hands busy and her mind off the fact she was going to be spending the day with a bunch of strangers and one person she nearly dared to call a friend.

  “Esther, I’ll call you in twenty minutes to lower the temperature and then again when it’s time to take it out. Evanleigh needs something.”

  “Okay.”

  Esther cleaned up the counter, scrubbing it down before putting everything away where it belonged. When she finished, Carissa called again to remind her to turn the temperature on the oven down. It was a quick call before they hung up again. With nothing else to do, Esther went to her room and stared at her closet, trying to figure out what to wear to Melanie’s. She really needed to get over her damn crush.

  Melanie already had a mimosa in her hand when she opened the door to find Esther on the other side. She was stunning, as always. Her golden hair was around her shoulders, which was rare, but the tresses curled gently at the ends though most of it was straight. Her cool gray-blue eyes held a wary expression in them that Melanie wanted to soothe immediately.

  Grinning, she reached forward and touched the upper part of Esther’s arm as she stepped down onto the front stoop. “I’m so glad you came.”

  “Thanks,” Esther's answer was curt, her tone sharp, which told Melanie she was likely still nervous.

  “There are drinks if you would like, some alcoholic and others not.”

  Esther frowned. “I don’t drink.”

  “Oh.” Melanie’s eyebrows rose. “Well that explains why you didn’t want to go to the bar with us. You could have just said that.”

  “Most people don’t accept that as an answer.”

  Melanie leaned in lowering her voice. “Well, I’m not most people.”

  “Mom!” Becky called from inside. “Leave the girl alone and bring her in. I need help with the potatoes.”

  Melanie rolled her eyes slightly but put her hand on the small of Esther’s back to bring her in. “Be careful of Becky. If she gets you close to the kitchen, you’ll be forced to help with something.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Nonsense. The rule in this house is, now that my kids are adults, since I did this for them for years, it’s my turn to relax. The only things I help with are drinks and dessert, which I made last night.”

  Esther’s lips twitched, but they didn’t blossom into a full smile. Melanie would have to work on that. She took the pie from Esther’s hands and walked into the kitchen, depositing it on the counter far away from where all the work was happening. “Ella can help you with the potatoes. Or better yet, get one of the girls to do it.”

  “Ella is puking her guts out.”

  Melanie froze. “Still?”

  “Morning sickness hit?” Esther asked. Melanie spun around, surprised to find Esther in the doorway. “I actually have something for that.”

  “Do you?” Becky gave Esther a pleading look. “She’s miserable.”

  “Yeah. Where is she?”

  “I’ll take you.” Melanie set her drink down and led the way into the far back bedroom. She hadn’t realized Ella’s morning sickness was that bad, but she likely should have since Becky’s was the same. Knocking on the door, Melanie opened it without waiting for a response. In the middle of the bed, curled into a ball was Ella, her brown hair dull and her eyes clenched shut. “Ella, baby.”

  Ella moaned.

  “My friend, Esther, says she has something that might help you.”

  Esther sat on the edge of the bed very careful, as if not to jar it. “When I was pregnant with Anthony, this was the only thing that helped me get through that first trimester, and afterward, it worked so well that I usually keep some with me since I get stomach aches a lot now.”

  She pulled a small brown vial out of her jacket pocket and twisted the lid off. Esther sent a cool look toward Melanie and held the vial in front of Ella’s face a good five inches away.

  “Give it a minute to start working, but you just have to smell it. Sometimes it’s really nice to put a few drops in a bath.”

  Ella said nothing as she lay there, pale and worn looking. Melanie had known she was feeling bad, but she hadn’t realized how bad it was in the mornings. Crossing her arms, she stood watch over her daughter and Esther, not that she thought anything was going to go wrong but because she was curious.

  Within five minutes, Ella flopped onto her back, some color coming back into her cheeks. Esther gave her a smile and put the lid back on the bottle. “Keep it. I’ve got more at home.”

  “Are you sure?” Ella croaked out.

  “Yeah. You need it more than I do today. If it works, then keep doing it.”

  “Thanks.”

  Esther stood up, and they left Ella alone and headed into the living room after Melanie told Ella to call for her if she needed anything. Melanie grabbed her drink and got coffee for Esther before they sat together on the couch. Their thighs brushed as Melanie turned and faced Esther.

  “How is Anthony doing?”

  Esther shrugged slightly. “He was excited to see his grandma. He doesn’t get a lot of time with grandparents.”

  “Well, I’m glad one good thing can come out of his visit.”

  “Yeah.” Esther stared down into her coffee. “I still miss him.”

  Melanie’s lips parted, but instead of saying anything, she put her hand on Esther’s thigh and gave her a gentle squeeze. “If he has Thanksgiving, does that mean you get Christmas?”

  “I have Christmas Eve.”

  Melanie couldn’t imagine having to contend with joint custody. She was about to say as much when Avery flopped onto the chair and eyed Esther up and down before giving Melanie a stern look. “Becky’s going crazy in there. She’s giving orders left and right.”

  “She usually does, Ave.”

  Avery frowned. “I don’t like it.”

  “You have to deal with it.” Melanie finished her mimosa and settled the glass on the coffee table.

  She and Esther talked until dinner was ready, Ella joining an hour or so later, but it was the first time she felt as though she was finally getting to know the Esther underneath the hard exterior. She had so much depth. The way she talked about her students, the way she talked about teaching and the schools, it reminded Melanie of her own beginnings—the light she’d had when she first started. Now everything was so routine that it almost seemed easy. She’d forgotten how exciting the newness could be.