Larkspur Road by Jill Gregory Page B

Mia’s gaze, flashed her a friendly grin, and strode off in the opposite direction.
    Mia forgot all about him as she heard a familiar voice call her name. Turning, she saw Lissie and Molly walking toward her from the park.
    “Just the person I wanted to see.” Lissie looked as fresh and pretty as a scoop of sorbet, in a lemon yellow tee tucked into crisp khakis. “Molly, look who’s here—it’s Aunt Mia! Tell her where we’re going.”
    Mia was already stooping down, holding her arms out to the little girl, and Molly rushed into them. “Badery!”
    “Bakery,” Lissie corrected, but Mia laughed in delight and hugged the child.
    “Are you going to eat a chocolate chip cookie?”
    “
Two
cookie,” Molly said eagerly.
    “One for now and one for tomorrow,” Lissie interjected firmly.
    “Tomowwow.” The little girl nodded solemnly, then planted her chubby hands on Mia’s cheeks. “You cookie?”
    “You eat one for me, okay?” Mia grinned, lightly tapped Molly’s nose with the tip of her finger, and stood. “What’s up?” she asked Lissie. “I heard Aiden’s all better.”
    “He is. Sophie even got a solid night’s sleep the past two nights. So she’s ready to party. And after we pick up our cookies, Molly and I are headed to Benson’s for streamers, poster board, and markers.”
    “You’re making an art project?” Mia glanced down at the little girl, who was studying Mia’s sandals and pink-polished toes intently. “Are you going to draw me a picture, angel?”
    “Pixture for Daddy!”
    “You forgot, didn’t you?” Lissie stared at her accusingly, shaking her head. “Tommy’s birthday party. Saturday night? At the Double Cross? Don’t even tell me you forgot!”
    Mia’s eyes widened. She
had
forgotten. Completely. Lissie had told her about the party for her husband’s birthday weeks ago. But somehow she’d neglected to mark it in her calendar and what with Brittany turning up and Aunt Winny’s tumble down the steps and the Bits and Pieces meeting tonight—not to mention Travis showing up in town—it had totally slipped out of her brain.
    “I confess. I’m a moron.” She held up a hand appeasingly.
    “Mo-won,” Molly repeated, smiling up at her.
    “That’s someone very silly.” Mia leaned down and smoothed the little girl’s curls back from her face. “I forgot about your daddy’s party.”
    “You’re still coming, aren’t you?” Lissie had that determined gleam in her eyes that seemed to be a Tanner characteristic. All of her brothers had it and Lissie had inherited the identical gene.
    “Big Billy told me I’m free to decorate the Double Cross all I want—and Ivy’s going to help us make Happy Birthday signs this afternoon.” Lissie’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t even think about not coming because of Travis.”
    “I couldn’t care less about seeing Travis,” Mia retorted.
    For all the good it did. Lissie’s slender brows rose and her face was a study in skepticism.
    “Will he even be there?” Mia blurted out a second later, despite being nearly certain of the answer. It was most likely the primary reason she’d blocked Tommy’s party from her mind.
    “He claims he wouldn’t miss it.” Lissie scooped Molly up into her arms. “You’re not going to chicken out, are you?”
    “Of course not. Unless you need a babysitter?”
    “Nice try. Ivy’s babysitting Molly.”
    Rafe’s daughter by his first marriage had just turned thirteen. She was levelheaded, a good student, and responsible. So there went that excuse.
    “Sophie’s mom and Mr. Hartigan are babysitting Aiden and Grady,” Lissie added with a smile. Sophie’s mother had married their former high school geometry teacher last year. “So please don’t even think about using that as an excuse.”
    “I’ll be at the party, no fears.”
    Her friend’s eyes suddenly softened with quick sympathy.
    “There’s going to be a fairly big crowd. You probably won’t even run into him, much less have