“Let’s go to Mia’s cookout. We don’t have to stay long. It’s a gorgeous day and there should be quite a few people there that we know.” Lucy was sitting in Paula’s kitchen, drinking coffee and nibbling on a maple glazed donut. She’d popped over as she often did on Saturday morning to catch up with her sister.

“I don’t know if I’m really in the mood for a big crowd,” Paula said. She often felt intimidated in large gatherings.

“Don’t be silly. What else are you going to do? Besides, I’ll be there, so it’s not like you won’t know people.”

“I know. I’m sure Andrea will be there, too. I’m just not sure I want to deal with that.”

“I really wouldn’t worry about Andrea. She’s not going to pay you any attention. You know your cousin. She loves a party and will be flitting around talking to everyone.”

“That’s true.” Paula glanced out the window. It really was a perfect day. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. And it was warm.

“All right, I’ll go. You’re right. I’m sure it will be fun. We should probably bring something. What are you thinking?”

“I was going to make potato salad. People always like that at cookouts.”

“Maybe I’ll make some brownies.”

“That sounds good. I’ll swing by around six and we can head over.”

Paula ran errands the rest of the day, did some laundry, made brownies, and around five thirty started getting ready to go to the cookout. She decided on jeans and a pretty floral top in shades of pink and blue. Lucy came by a few minutes before six and they headed out.

It was always challenging finding somewhere to park downtown, especially on the weekends. Lucy had to drive around for a while before she saw a space open up a few streets over. The downtown area was packed with people walking around shopping and heading to various restaurants or to the waterfront and the ferries. Lucy parked and they walked over to Mia’s condo, which was right on the wharf. Paula had seen these condos from a distance and always thought they looked lovely, but she’d never been inside one before.

They could hear voices as they approached Mia’s unit. Lucy knocked and a moment later, Mia’s sister Izzy opened the door.

“Paula, Lucy! Come on in.” She glanced at the food they were carrying. “Thanks for bringing that. You can set it down in the kitchen. Are those homemade brownies? They look amazing.”

Paula smiled. “Yes, thanks. It’s an Ina Garten recipe, lots of butter and chocolate.”