The barest scent of pumpkin and nutmeg drew Mia down the stairs and through the empty dining room. A coffee urn already stood on the sideboard, but the lights remained dim. Through the windows the first rays of sunlight changed the sky from an inky black to a dove gray. Stopping by the sideboard, Mia poured a cup of coffee before she continued on.
The oven door closed with a thump, and Maureen turned toward the table with the muffin pan she’d pulled from the oven. Steam rose from the golden brown treats, and the rich aroma of pumpkin that had teased Mia before now hit her full force.
“Good morning.” Maureen added the muffin pan to those already cooling on the table. “I’ll have breakfast out in about half an hour, but feel free to help yourself to a muffin now.” She pointed to the ones she’d put down. “These are pumpkin, but the ones on the counter are blueberry, and I’m about to mix up some banana.”
Her mouth watered and her stomach rumbled. “Both smell delicious, but if you’re making banana I’ll hold out for one of those.” Mia took a long sip of her coffee and watched Maureen pull out a clean mixing bowl. For a brief moment the sight reminded her of her grandmother. Mia had always loved baking cookies and before moving to California, she’d done it all the time with her grandmother.
“Can I help?” The question popped out with no conscious thought on her part.
Maureen blinked a few times. “Uh, well, I guess. I’ve never had a guest help in the kitchen, but then again you’re not just a guest.” Plucking the extra apron off the hook by the door, she handed it to Mia. “Have you ever made muffins before?”
Mia tied the apron decorated with pink and purple cupcakes around her waist. “No, but just tell me what to do.”
Maureen slid the measuring cup toward her. “You can start by measuring out three cups of flour.”
Mia scooped up the flour, then used a knife edge to level off the top. Next to her, Maureen peeled and mashed the overripe bananas. Neither spoke, but Maureen’s comment nagged at her. She’d said she wasn’t just a guest. What did she mean by that?
“You’ve done this before.”
“I used to make cookies all the time with my grandmother before we moved.” Mia poured the first cup of flour into the deep bowl and scooped up a second.
With a brief nod Maureen said, “Once you get the flour measured out you can add the baking powder. And the sugar is next to the muffin pans.” With the banana mashed, she cracked some eggs into an empty bowl. “I’m glad you and Sean have been spending time together. It seems like every time I turn around he’s working. He needs to enjoy himself more.”
“Have you told him that?” With all the dry ingredients measured out, Mia slid the bowl over to Maureen.
“More times than I can count. A few times I even suggested he join one of those online dating services. I’d love for him to get married like his sister. He brushes my suggestions off.”
The timer buzzed on the second oven mounted in the wall. “Do you mind getting those out?” Maureen asked as she beat the eggs.
A blast of hot air hit her in the face when she pulled open the oven door and took out the muffins. After she placed the hot pan on a cooling rack, she went back to where Maureen worked on the batter.
“Did you enjoy the ghost tour the other night?”
“I found it interesting. We didn’t finish though. My feet started to kill me.”
“I’ve been trying to convince the town to start up one here in North Salem. There are several spots that are reported to be haunted.” Maureen paused, stopped mixing, and looked over at her. “Has Sean said anything to you? He seems bothered by something. When I ask him, he insists he’s fine.”
Mia heard the concern in the older woman’s voice. Even though Sean was an adult his mom still worried about him, unlike her own mother. Not to say her mom didn’t care, but it had been a long time since she’d displayed any concern over Mia’s emotional life. Rather she was only concerned about her career.
She suspected the appearance of his father was Sean’s problem. “No, he hasn’t said anything.” While lying to Maureen pricked her conscience, she’d promised Sean. For whatever reason, he wanted the truth kept from his mom.
Maureen sighed as she turned back to her muffin batter. “I figured as much. He’s not big on sharing. He never has been, but I thought I’d ask anyway, just in case he said something to you.”
While she couldn’t tell Maureen the truth, she could suggest Sean tell his mom next time they were together. “I can ask him. I can be very persuasive.”
With no warning Maureen gave her a hug. “I’m glad you’re here. I think you’re just what Sean needs in his life.”
Maureen’s statement stayed with her for the remainder of the day. Before her arrival in North Salem, she’d decided to put her love life on hold. Her last few relationships had been fun, but not the type she wanted. Each of them had lacked any deep emotions or thoughts of the future. They’d been more about furthering careers or plain old fun between movies.
She wanted a relationship with so much more. Someday she’d like a marriage and a family similar to her cousins or grandparents. A marriage built on affection and mutual respect. Since she seemed unlikely to find anything like that in Hollywood, she’d decided to focus on her career for now and put dating on a back burner.
Then she met Sean, and something about him had her reassessing her decision. From the way he treated his mom and talked about his sister, she knew family meant a lot to him. The night of the town block party, he’d protected her without a second thought. At least a few of her past boyfriends wouldn’t have done that unless a camera was around to capture the scene.
Now that she’d started this thing with him, she wished she had more time in North Salem. In about another week, she’d be in Boston. Although she’d yet to say anything, she wanted to keep seeing him while she stayed in the city. Depending on traffic, the trip from North Salem to Boston only took forty minutes. Then when her time in Massachusetts ended they could see where they stood.
Of course she had to get Sean to agree. So far he hadn’t mentioned continuing their relationship after she left The Victorian Rose. Maybe he assumed once she left that was it. She hadn’t made any indications otherwise at least not yet. Before she did she’d like to have some idea of how he might respond. She knew he desired her physically. He’d more than proven that in bed the night before, but emotionally he was difficult to read. Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to drop some subtle hints and see if he picked up on them.