Lauren clarified, “They’re expecting me for dinner.”

“I’m that obvious, huh? Sorry. Make your call, and I’ll put on the kettle. Girls, come help me in the kitchen, please,” she called to the girls while she filled a kettle with water. The three teens busied themselves getting cups and plates out of the cupboard.

Appreciative of Beth’s allowing her a moment of privacy, Lauren made her call. “Mom, I’m going to be later than expected. Don’t hold dinner for me.” Her mother assured her it was not a problem since all she had made was homemade vegetable soup and cornbread, which were easy to reheat. She and her father had eaten without her. “I’ll see you after a while. ”

Lauren entered the kitchen, still carrying the shopping bag from Threads.

“Here, let me take that,” Beth said, reaching for the bag. “I’m not much of a hostess these days.”

“Thanks. I hope I wasn’t overstepping my boundaries.” Lauren handed over the bag.

“No, not at all. Lee asked me last week if one of the girls had an extra jacket. I told her I’d get her a new one, so really, you just saved me a trip. Thanks,” she said. “Char, go on, let’s see your new jacket,” Beth encouraged.

“Okay.” Charlotte took the purple jacket from the bag, then the scarf, gloves, and matching beanie. “Wow, this is so awesome! I love it all.” She slipped the jacket on, and it fit perfectly. She twirled around. “It’s so sweet of you. Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad I found the right size, though I have to admit, I tried it on just to make sure. We look to be about the same size.”

“We said that, right?” Charlotte looked to her friends for confirmation. “That you’re smallish.”

Kiley and Lacey both agreed.

Lauren laughed. “That I am.”

The trio of teenage girls gathered around the table, waiting for her before digging into the plates of sumptuous treats. “We’ve made five different kinds of cookies. Gingerbread, and rum balls, and they really have rum in them; they’re Dad’s favorite,” Lacey added. “Of course, I had to have mom’s chocolate-chip crunchies, and Char likes the candy-cane snowball cookies. So, what do you want?”

Lauren laughed. “Well, if I said one of each, I don’t think I’d be able to keep the top button of my jeans fastened, so how about a gingerbread cookie? They’re one of my favorites.”

Beth placed a tray with five cups of tea in the center of the table. Cream, sugar, lemon, plus a pot of honey, along with a few types of artificial sweeteners. “This smells incredible,” Lauren said, nodding at the display of cookies and tea. “Definitely worth missing dinner for.”

“Mom would never let me have dessert before dinner,” Lacey said.

“True, most of the time,” Beth said.

Over tea and cookies, the girls asked her many questions, some about the store, including why didn’t they have the Internet, and Kiley asked why she still lived with her parents. Lacey was very interested in the fact that she wasn’t married.