“You okay, honey?”

She glanced over at her mother and pasted on a smile. “Sure, Mom, I’m okay. Just had a busy weekend. I showed five houses on Saturday and one after church yesterday.”

“How did that go?”

“I think it went well. No buyers yet, but I think one of the couples are really interested in the Flemings’ place.”

“That’s good. Hmm, I wonder where Kaegan is this morning,” her mother said.

Bryce bit down on her lip, coming close to saying that she didn’t know, nor did she give a royal damn. Of course, she wouldn’t say that since the woman standing beside her was her mother, although she’d been mistaken for Bryce’s older sister a number of times. Her mom looked just that good for her age and her father wasn’t bad-looking for his age, either. Good genes.

Years ago when her father, Chester Witherspoon, had graduated from Catalina Cove High School, he had fled to Canada to avoid fighting in the Vietnam War. It wasn’t that he’d been a coward or anything; he just didn’t feel the country needed to go to war. A few years later after the war had ended he returned with a Canadian-born wife and baby in tow. It was then that he’d decided to do his patriotic duty and enlist in the military for six years. During those years Bryce’s parents had another son, Duke. Four years after Duke they had their only daughter, Bryce. Both Ry and Duke lived in Catalina Cove and were partners with their parents in the family-owned café. Her brothers were happily married to wonderful women with two kids each.

Although no one ever said it, if anyone cared to do the math, it would be quite obvious that Debbie Witherspoon had gotten pregnant before she’d married Chester. That fact never bothered Bryce. Her mother had adopted the philosophy that if you lived in a glass house you shouldn’t throw stones. That was the main reason why, unlike a lot of the other parents in town, the Witherspoons hadn’t bashed Vashti when she’d gotten pregnant at sixteen and refused to reveal the identity of her child’s father. The Witherspoons had stood up for Vashti and had been quite outspoken in saying it wasn’t anyone’s business what Vashti decided to do and whom she told or didn’t tell.

“I think I’ll go help your dad and brothers in the back. Time to put my pies in the oven for the lunch crowd,” her mother said.

“Okay, Mom.”

Moments later, while Bryce was placing their orders in front of Ray and Sawyer, she felt heat behind her and didn’t have to look to know Kaegan had arrived.

When he sat down she glanced over at him. “Your usual, K-Gee?”

He glared at her and she wanted to smile but managed to keep a straight face. He hated that nickname and she’d only called him that to annoy the hell out of him.

“Yes, my usual, Brycie.”

She momentarily went still, not expecting him to retaliate by calling her that. Brycie had been his special name for her whenever they made love. Not able to deal with the memories right now, instead of saying anything she nodded and walked off to the kitchen.