“The truth is that we didn’t have a perfect marriage. Nobody does,” Annette said. “We were happy most of the time, but we also fought a lot. Richard was always telling me I needed to hang out with friends more or pick up some sort of hobby. He worried about me, that I was living in a bubble. I would get upset with him, saying he had no idea what it was like to stay at home with the children. It was as though he didn’t have any concept of how demanding that was. I sometimes wonder if he imagined I sat around the house all day, reading magazines and watching soap operas. It was hard and it was rewarding. But he wasn’t wrong. Sometimes I wanted—well, I wish I had pursued my own dreams further. I always imagined I’d make an excellent nurse.”

“Oh,” Sadie fumbled her way through her thoughts, wondering why Annette always made her feel so guilty, so unappreciative, of the fact that Ethan worked while she had “the privilege” of staying home with Lincoln.

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve acted the way I have over the past two years,” Annette said, reading Sadie’s thoughts.

She blinked a few times stifling an only slightly bitter chuckle.

“Oh, it’s okay. I deserve it.” Annette chuckled herself. “Frankly? I think I made those awful comments because I see so much of myself in you, Sadie. And you having the courage to stand up for yourself and say you wanted more? Well, that was just proof of how cowardly I was during that time in my life. You made me realize I should have done the same. And I guess I resented you for that.”

Sadie nodded her head. “I get it,” she finally said. “I do. For the record? I think being a stay-at-home parent is incredible and a huge privilege. It just isn’t for me. I missed interior design too much. It, well, it feels like as if I don’t function properly without it.”

“And it’s one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you, my creative daughter-in-law.”

Sadie’s heart was suddenly caught in her throat, moved by Annette’s words. While she was always quick to murmur a perfunctory “love ya” at the end of their phone calls, this was the first time she had said it so plainly, so genuinely.

“I’m really excited for you, Sadie,” she continued, her own voice a little raspy. “I think this pie shop is going to be such a great addition to your town, and with you and Renee running it, Hester’s is sure to be a success. You should be so proud.”

Sadie paused, waiting for some sort of caveat, but it never came.