Mrs. Carl caught her before she got away. Kelly braced herself for the anger of the woman.

But Mrs. Carl put her hands on Kelly’s shoulders. “I’m the one who’s sorry. Please come inside. It’s too hot out here.”

Kelly didn’t move. “But I’m not marrying your son.”

Mrs. Carl looked at her. “I knew it was too much to hope for, so I’m not surprised. I did everything I could to get you two together, but you can’t change people.” She slid her arm around Kelly’s shoulders and led her back into the house. Mrs. Carl picked up the ring. “I knew I was pushing too hard with this, but I was trying anything I could think of.” She put the ring in her pocket and cookies on a plate, poured two glasses of milk and sat down at the table across from Kelly. “Now tell me everything.”

Kelly was in such shock that she had difficulty speaking and she was cautious. She told a sugarcoated story of Pauly’s abrupt announcement that he was leaving.

“But he did give you the ring.”

“No. Adam Hatten did.”

“The young man who’s planning to marry your sister?”

Kelly nodded.

“How interesting,” Mrs. Carl said.

Kelly looked at her sharply. What did that mean? But Kelly didn’t want to explore that. Her number one concern was her job. “I’m not sure I can work here,” she said tentatively.

“I admit that this is a blow to me, but if I fired you, my husband might divorce me.” She was trying to make it sound like a joke, but Kelly had seen too much about the couple to not know there was truth in her statement. Maybe a deal could be made. Mrs. Carl had always found it impossible to fit in the little town.

Kelly munched on a cookie. “My mother and her friend Mrs. Montoya are thinking about opening a bakery. I bet they’d love to sell these.” As she’d hoped, Mrs. Carl’s eyes showed interest. “They’re even thinking of buying apples from Pauly because his are organic. No pesticides used.”

“That’s why they’re full of bug holes,” Mrs. Carl said. “I keep telling him there are sprays made, but he won’t listen to me.”

“I bet he’d be pleased if you used his apples in those muffins you made last week.”

Mrs. Carl was blinking at her. “My husband says I pay so much attention to my son because I don’t have enough to do. I don’t like those church get-togethers. Too many people! And I despise all the animal-related things Carl goes to.”

Yet you married a veterinarian, Kelly thought.

“Do you think your mother and Mrs. Montoya would let me help with their bakery?”

“I think they’d love to have you involved.” Kelly crossed her fingers and toes. And here she’d thought she’d be able to stop lying.

There wasn’t much else to say, so Kelly left. When she got back in the car with her mom and Forey, she said, “You want the good news or the bad news first?”