“Well, he took over the management, and people are saying he’s remodeling, but he’s really getting rid of old people so he can rent out their units to younger people with more money.”

“That’s terrible.” She grabbed a baking tissue and handed her a croissant. A buttery, flaky croissant always helped any kind of distress, right? “These are fresh from the oven.”

“Somebody told me he was over here last night,” she said as she took the offering.

Tessa sucked in a breath so hard, it made a squeaking sound, just as her mom walked out from the back.

“Tessa hasn’t seen Leo in a long time, Bea,” Tessa’s mom said. “And I’m sure that if something’s going on with the tenants, your board will sort it out, so don’t worry. Want some bread?”

Her mom somehow managed to assuage Bea, get her to buy bread, and see her out the door in under a minute.

“Mom, how do you do that?”

“I’m not as kind as you.” Her mom gave her a squeeze and looked her over in her usual assessing way.

The door opened again, bringing Sam in. Oh, they were never going to get to that talk.

“Hey, Tessa,” Sam said, “can I have some of that delicious country loaf? I think Marcy and I are going to drizzle oil and cheese on it and call it a meal.” He suddenly seemed to notice Tessa’s mother standing there. The fact that she wasn’t smiling didn’t stop him. “Oh, hey, Mrs. M. How are you?”

Her mom glanced at Tessa and cut right to business. “I think I have one in the back. Give me a minute and I’ll bring it out.”

Sam leaned on the glass case. “We’re house hunting,” he said to Tessa. “Would you go for cute and charming, or sleek and modern?”

House hunting. So he and Marcy were moving in together. Nice. Before she could even think of a way to answer, he went on. “We saw this one place that’s got a lot of charm. It’s a few houses down from Lilac’s.” He chuckled. “That should tell you everything.”

Okay, if he was going to insult her best friend, she was going to sprinkle arsenic on his rustic loaf. Lilac was one of a kind, and she wasn’t afraid to show it. And it was what Tessa loved the best about her. “I don’t understand.”

“Oh, you know, those house are unique. But they come with hefty price tags. Not to mention needing tons of renovation work. They’re all around a hundred years old.”

Yes, the Blossom District was unique. Tessa loved it. Sometimes Tessa rode her bike up and down the streets just to admire all the cute houses.