“Oh, no. Stop! You don’t have to do that.” She hurried to her mother-in-law’s side. “Let me finish up.”

Even though Annette Landry had only arrived in Cranberry Cove that morning, she’d jumped in and helped with the party wherever she could. From refilling drinks and cleaning up toddler spills to entertaining the mothers with funny stories about her flight: “The woman sitting beside me ordered a Tanqueray and tonic at six o’clock in the morning! I mean, can you imagine? Then she slipped out of her shoes and propped her bare feet on the back of the seat in front of her.”

Best of all? Not even a single passive-aggressive comment about Ethan, Sadie, and Lincoln moving to Cincinnati.

How silly that she’d wasted so much energy bracing for the worst, when Annette was being nothing but wonderful.

“Not a chance. You deserve a break.” Annette rinsed a platter and set it on a double-folded dish towel to dry. “Those blueberry muffins were a creative choice, by the way. Everyone always does cupcakes, but that’s just too much sugar for a little body, don’t you agree?”

Maybe destroying dessert yesterday had been a blessing in disguise. “I’m glad they were a hit.”

“And those pies were sensational. The entire party was,” Annette said, and Sadie could tell she meant it. “Every detail was meticulous, from the gingham tablecloths to the sunflower arrangements. Oh, and the craft! Decorating little shirts for their new teddy bears! Just darling, and the children loved it.”

“You think so?”

“I’ve already sent the girls photos.” Annette pulled out her iPhone as if to show Sadie evidence. “The girls” were Annette’s three sisters and passing along a glowing review to them was the highest form of flattery in Annette’s world. “They were all impressed, of course, but I said what else would you expect from a former interior designer?”

Oof. Sadie watched a balloon waft listlessly around the living room. Former interior designer. The woman who had once submitted innovative design proposals to corporate executives—the same woman who had been called both a forerunner in ergonomics and a color maverick—was now the mastermind behind a teddy bear picnic–themed birthday party.

But the thing was? Sadie was damn proud of today, just as proud as she’d been of her chic design for a downtown champagne bar or when she’d mapped out an impressive open seating plan for a company of five hundred.

And judging by the amount of Pinterest posts, there was certainly a lot of interest and buzz around children’s birthday parties. She would want to add a few more get-togethers to her portfolio first, but maybe she could open her own party-planning business? It was definitely an idea within the scope of possibility.

“Why don’t you go take a hot shower and after I finish up here I’ll play Hot Wheels with my favorite two-year-old?” Annette picked up Lincoln and held him close against her cashmere sweater. He played with the thick rope of pearls around her neck.