“Yeah, but what about Dad?”

Katie shook her head and rubbed her arms as if she was suddenly chilled. “That’s a tough one. Especially for you and your mom.” She propped her chin on one hand and didn’t argue when Bliss refilled both cups. She added sugar, and this time, a little bit of cream, watching in idle fascination as clouds rose in the dark brew.

“Thanks,” the redhead said, taking a sip. “To think that John Cawthorne had two families. I can’t say I have too much respect for him—well, or for Mom, either—but there it is. Now your mother’s gone and they’re finally getting married. What can I say?”

“lt’s . . . hard.”

“Bingo. On one hand I think they should slow down, let the rest of us catch our breath and deal with all this, and on the other I understand their need to be together. Who knows how much time they have?” Katie shrugged and blew across the top of her cup. “I just hope the rest of us—you, me, Tiffany and my brothers—can handle this. Well, and of course, I hope John can make Mom happy. She deserves it.”

Bliss didn’t comment, and Katie raised her hands as if to ward off physical blows. “I know, I know, you probably hate her for what she did.”

“Hate’s too strong a word,” Bliss admitted.

“But you have to resent her.”

That much was true. Wiping away a drip of coffee from her cup, Bliss said, “Let’s just say I loved my mom a lot. She might not have been perfectly suited for my dad, but she deserved him to be true to her. It’s him I’m having the problem with.”

“Me, too,” Katie admitted before taking a long swallow from her cup. “I just hope we can all work this out and be friends.” She grinned. “I know, that’s beyond optimistic, but it doesn’t make sense for anyone to hold any grudges. What would that accomplish?”

“Nothing, I suppose,” Bliss reluctantly agreed.

“Yeah, so go and tell your heart, right?” Katie laughed without much mirth. “This is one dandy mess.”

“Touché.”

“You know, this is probably hard for you to believe, but my mom wouldn’t hurt a flea. Lord knows, she tried to break it off with your dad several times—or at least that’s what she said—but they just couldn’t stay apart. Every time she married another guy in an attempt to get over your father, she swore she’d have nothing to do with John Cawthorne, but then the marriage would begin to fail, probably because her heart wasn’t in it in the first place, and John would come back to Bittersweet and it would begin all over again. I was too young and out of it to notice.”

“I don’t want to hear this,” Bliss said, her heart squeezing for her mother and the family they’d been.

Katie pursed her lips. “Sorry. Tacky of me. My brothers say that I don’t know when to keep my mouth shut, and I guess they’re right.”