“Of course, my dear,” the older woman said. “I sure hope your Momma left her peach cobbler recipe, though. I’ve come to look forward to that every time I visit.”

Mia smiled. “I have it in a safe place, trust me.”

As everyone filed out of the church, Mia felt the grief start to wash over her again. It was hard having no family to turn to. Sure, she had friends and customers, but her mother was the only one who shared her blood.

Mia’s mother, Charlene, had only been twenty years old when she’d given birth to her, yet Mia had never lacked for anything. One day, she hoped to be half the mother Charlene was. She’d always been involved in Mia’s school, volunteering as room mother and chaperoning field trips. Working three jobs for most of Mia’s formative years, Charlene had seemed like a pillar of strength, never showing the inevitable fear she must have felt trying to raise a child on her own for so many years.

They’d grown up together, really, with Mia watching her mother date. Finally, when Mia was ten, Charlene had married Bobby, a nice enough guy who worked as an electrician. They’d gotten along well, and he had always treated her mother well. They bought their first house together, and Charlene started a business as a caterer.

She was an amazing cook, always coming up with new and innovative recipes, especially for such a rural area. Charlene was sought after, always providing food for parties, weddings and other events in the area. As time went on, she and Bobby bought what would become Sweet Tea B&B, fulfilling Charlene’s dream of owning a bed and breakfast in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When Bobby keeled over with a massive heart attack, Mia was eighteen years old. Instead of leaving for college, like she’d planned, she’d stepped in to help her mother run the B&B. It was supposed to be for a year, just until things got up and running again after Bobby’s death and Charlene’s grieving period. But, she’d never left and would continue to run the B&B now that her mother had passed away.

True, it wasn’t her lifelong dream at first, but she’d grown to love the place and the people who came through the large home over the years. Couples on their honeymoons, women starting over, families on vacation, friends making memories. Every person who stayed there had a story, and Mia loved to hear them all.