She watched Mia flip the switch on the coffee machine. Annie’s coffee intake had definitely soared, but the coffee the Pink Bean served was superior to the one she brewed in their kitchen upstairs and thus hard to resist.

A few minutes later she took a steaming mug from Mia and they sat down.

“Last night, Lou and I had dinner with Kristin and Sheryl and, well, let’s just say I finally put two and two together,” Mia said. “I’m usually faster than that, but Kristin is just so damned discreet. Sheryl less so.”

“I see.” Annie’s heart didn’t start beating faster, nor did she burst out into a tell-tale blush. “Did she have a go at me?”

“No, it wasn’t like that.” Mia looked pensive. “But you know Sheryl. She has a hard time hiding her feelings and she lets slip the odd remark. Add the fact that Kristin has barely set foot in here lately and you hardly need to be Sherlock to figure it out.”

“It’s all rather embarrassing.” As she said it, though a slight hint of embarrassment was still present, the utter mortification Annie had felt previously seemed to have dissipated. “And I can understand Sheryl is a little upset. She seems quite… territorial. But it never meant anything more than it was, which was just a silly bout of infatuation for a, er, beautiful, accomplished woman. It was more admiration than anything else. But of course Sheryl wouldn’t see it that way. And nor does my wife.”

“Kristin apologized for Sheryl’s snarky comments just before we left. And, well, she asked me to ask you and Jane when she could come round. She wants Jo and Caitlin to have a great launch and she wanted to run a few things by you.”

“Oh, I see.” That did ignite a little tingle in Annie’s stomach. It was a tingle of embarrassment because now Mia was involved in this, as well as one of misplaced pride as Kristin had asked after her. “Of course she can come by any time. This is her shop too, after all.” Annie would need to tell Jane as soon as possible. Tonight. Today. She hoped Jane’s excitement for her new story would wash out her annoyance at having to hear Kristin’s name. Then again, Jane had handled Sheryl gracefully the other night. Maybe she—they—were ready.

“I get it, you know.” Mia tilted her head. “Kristin is a hot babe for a woman her age.”

“You do know I’m older than her.”

“I don’t exactly keep a chart of all your ages,” Mia quipped.

“To you, we’re all just old.”

“I never used the o word. I mean mature. Wise.”

“Old enough to be your mother.” Annie smiled at Mia. “Speaking of mothers. Rita tells me you and Lou are thinking about moving in with them.”