“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Tia said. “Seth has a lot of good things to say about you.”

“He has a lot of good things to say about you, too,” she responded, her smile widening.

Although Tia was reluctant to let them into the house, since she hadn’t been able to get it cleaned up, Aiyana’s manner put her at ease. Seth’s mother didn’t seem to care about her fame or her scars or even what the house looked like. Tia got the impression Aiyana saw only another human being in desperate need of a friend, and her interest came off as so genuine that Tia couldn’t help responding to it. “Would you like to come in?”

“If you feel comfortable letting us, we’d love to.” Aiyana lifted a canvas bag with a cute logo on it. “I brought you a few things from around town I thought you might like.”

“You didn’t need to bring me anything,” she said.

Aiyana waved her words away. “It was my pleasure.”

Accepting the bag, Tia opened the door wider to admit them.

Aiyana came through first, the scent of gardenias growing stronger as she passed by. Seth cast Tia a grin as he followed.

Tia couldn’t help smiling back at him. As angry as she’d been when she realized he’d be staying on the property with her, she was starting to like him.

After leading them into the living room, she set her gift sack aside and bent to pick up some of the wrappers and other trash while they sat down.

“Have you ever been to Silver Springs before?” Aiyana asked, completely ignoring the mess.

“No, I’m afraid this is my first visit.” Tia dumped what she’d collected into the wastebasket before sitting across from them and taking the items Aiyana had brought her out of the bag. There was a box of fresh-baked sugar cookies shaped like Christmas ornaments from a place called Sugar Mama, a fresh loaf of crusty sourdough bread from Millie’s Bakery, a bottle of California pressed olive oil, a bottle of balsamic vinegar and two large pomegranates.

“I picked those pomegranates from my own tree,” Aiyana said.

“Wow. It’s all wonderful. Thank you.” She carried the items to the kitchen counter.

“Once you’ve tried Sugar Mama’s cookies, you’ll be hooked,” Seth predicted.

“A friend of mine owns the store,” Aiyana explained. “You can find her shop right on the main drag. And Calista’s Winery, where I got the olive oil and vinegar, is always fun to visit.”

“Mom’s lived here for over two decades,” Seth told her. “She definitely knows her way around. And she’s friends with literally everyone.”