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“And I heard you crying.”
I spun around, flinging batter onto the floor. “You did not.”
“Maybe not with my ears,” Mom said with a sad smile. “But a mother’s heart is a powerful thing. Plus, your eyes are all swollen, and your nose is red.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. You should stop drinking that coffee and go back to bed. I know you have a wedding later today.”
Mom yawned. “I do. I have to deliver the arrangements to a resort in Meadows of Dan. I hope I can keep my eyes open for the drive.”
I let out a sigh. “What time do they need to be there?”
“Noon. The trip takes an hour and a half.”
I nodded and glanced at the cookies cooling on racks and the waiting batter. “I should have enough done by then to ride along with you.”
“Great,” Mom said with way too much energy for someone who claimed she wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes open moments before. “The arrangements are finished. Mind if I help you? I do love a good baking sprint.”
“Fine. But no music.”
Mom nodded and went to the sink to wash her hands. “I was thinking,” she said as I kneaded the dough I had rising on the counter. “Why don’t we stay over. It might be nice to get away for a bit.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And you just happen to know they have a room available?”
“I checked before I came downstairs. The night clerk offered the room at a great price for Saturday and Sunday night. I’ve always wanted to stay over.”
“You can leave Red Blossoms that long?”
“I usually take Sundays off. And we’d be back Monday before ten.”
“I don’t know, Mom. Lauren is relying on me.”
“Between the two of us, we can bake enough to supply Karma until Monday afternoon. Come on, Rowan. The resort has a spa and a fire pit and the best hiking trails. Plus, there’s an observatory where you can look at the stars. I’ve been so busy, I feel like I’ve barely seen you, and if you accept that job offer, you’ll be leaving soon.”
I blew out a breath. “You know about the job.”
“Of course,” Mom said, pulling the finished tin of muffins from the oven and sliding in a new one. “A mother’s heart hears everything.”
By ten thirty, we’d delivered enough baked goods to keep Lauren stocked until Monday, and Chris had loaded the Red Blossoms delivery van with all the flowers for the wedding.
“Want me to follow you in my car and help unload?” Chris asked as Mom and I climbed into the van.
Mom shook her head. “No, sweetie. You have training with Cal later. I can handle these on my own.”
My heart ached when I heard his name, but I busied myself arranging the snacks Mom had insisted we bring. I felt like a kid again, going on a delivery run with my mother. She’d even bought a box of Sour Patch Kids, a bag of Doritos, and two large fountain Pibbs, our standard snack selections on the rare occasions we made deliveries together once Poppy was old enough to watch Chris.
“I know you like your quiet in the mornings,” Mom said, buckling her seatbelt as I waved goodbye to Chris. “But I need my music to drive.”
I smiled, despite how exhausted and broken I felt. “It wouldn’t be a road trip without Cyndi.”
“This is a Tina Turner kind of day,” Mom said, blasting her favorite play list.
We sang along, badly, sharing snacks the entire drive, and pulled into the resort just before noon. Mom drove the van to the back entrance of an enormous structure that looked like a grain silo. At first, it seemed out of place with the overall elegance of the resort, but then I noticed all the windows in the tower.
“Is this the observatory?”
Mom nodded. “The roof opens at the top. The wedding is taking place in the Galaxy Room.”
“That’s so romantic,” I said, looking up at the tall tower.
