Page 34 of Between the Lines

“That bakery is great,” Cece replied. “I think Maude does their website.”

“Maybe I should get her to do one for my songwriting.”

“Not a bad thought. You never know what might come of it.”

They ate slowly, the conversation drifting back to the podcast, to music, to nothing in particular. Still, Darcy lingered at the edge of Cece’s thoughts. She had so many questions waiting to be answered.

And maybe they would be soon, she thought. If Darcy thought she was all that, Cece couldn’t see a reason she’d turn down the interview.

She broke off a piece of the quiche with her fork, then glanced over at Joe. “How are things with Natalie’s divorce?”

He didn’t answer right away. He chewed, swallowed, then took a sip of coffee. “Getting there,” he said. “It’s going to be a long road, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

“That sounds good. Like progress, anyway,” Cece said.

“It is,” he agreed. “She’s tired, which I’m sure you know. This divorce is wringing her out more than she lets on. But I can tell she’s starting to look toward the future again instead of just bracing herself for what’s coming next.”

Cece nodded. She’d seen that look on Natalie’s face before—the one that said I’ll handle it, even when that was hard. “She’s stubborn,” Cece said.

Joe smiled a little. “That might run in the family.”

“Maybe,” Cece said, shooting him a look. “By the way, I told her what was going on with me.”

“I heard,” he said. “She mentioned that the last time we spoke. She’s very concerned about you.”

“I feel the same way about her.”

“I’m doing everything I can for her and Tyler. They’re going to be fine.”

“I have no doubt, not with you helping them.” Cece smiled at that and reached for her coffee again. “And for that, I’m very glad.”

Joe popped half a strawberry in his mouth and looked out toward the water while he chewed. “She asked about the podcast, by the way. Wanted to know if I knew when it was going live.”

“That’s sweet,” Cece said. “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let her know. I really need to get the second episode done. Or at least in progress. I can’t just put the first episode out there without having the next one in the works.”

“You going to do one a week?”

“That’s my plan.” And a good reminder that she needed to follow up with the folks she’d reached out to again. She’d done that with a few who’d responded, but she needed to get them scheduled and start working on questions for them.

“Natalie also said she’s proud of you,” he added. “I could tell she meant it, too.”

Happy warmth filled Cece. “She’s the best.”

They finished their food, then both went back in to clean up and refill their coffee before returning to the porch.

Joe tipped his chair back slightly and rested one ankle over the other. “So who’s up next?” he asked. “For the second episode, I mean.”

Cece laughed under her breath. “That’s the problem. I don’t know. But I’m working on it.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I’ve reached out to a few people, and everyone is busy. Or traveling. Or meaning to get back to me. Makes it hard to schedule anything.” She lifted one shoulder. “I get it. Life doesn’t stop just because I decided to start a podcast.”

Joe nodded. “True.”

“I want the second episode’s guest to feel planned,” Cece went on. “Not like I grabbed whoever happened to be available. I’ve got a list, but coordinating schedules is turning into its own full-time job.”

She took a sip of coffee, then stopped, her gaze sharpening as a thought clicked into place. She looked at him.