Free How to Bake the Perfect Apple Pie by Gina Henning Page A

him stand watch at my
room
to make sure when I close my eyes that cat doesn’t strike again.
    “How are things going with you and Jack?” My dad inspects my face.
    “Good, I was supposed to see him this weekend, but obviously I came here instead.” I pout.
    “Listen, you need to pick a date, before your mother drives me off the deep end. I can only hear about the wedding theme choices so many times.” My dad’s hands tighten and he stuffs them into his pockets.
    “I know…we will…things have just been really busy.” I bite my lip. “I’ve got my team sorted now and I think Jack might be hiring someone to help him out with Vintage Estates.” I sit down on the rattan and wicker couch.
Did Aurora make this?
    “Vintage Estates…he did hire someone, some gal…with a great résumé. Your grandmother seems to like her.” My dad picks up the remote and begins flipping through the channels.
    I jerk my head back. Jack never mentioned that he had hired anyone. “He already hired someone?” I study my dad’s face. I need to be sure I heard this correctly.
    “Yes, some gal with a great résumé.” My dad turns towards me. “He didn’t tell you? Do you two not talk? Lauren, good communication is one of the reasons your mom and I have been married for over thirty years.” He points a finger at me. “Remember that.” He taps the side of his head.
    “I totally agree.” I stand up and scurry back to my
room
. I can’t believe Jack didn’t tell me he’d hired someone…and a girl. My shoulders drop. I’m not a jealous person, or I hope not to be, but it is odd that he didn’t tell me any of this.
Your grandmother seems to like her
…rings over and over in my head. My eyes fill with tears. I blink them away.
    I find my phone in my purse and hit Brianna’s contact number. This conversation requires a voice, not a text message.
    She picks up almost immediately. Brianna sings a line from “Going Back to Cali” into my ear.
    I can’t help but laugh. “Hey, listen, I need your advice.”
    “Yes, go for it.” Brianna giggles.
    I roll my eyes. “I’m serious, listen, Jack hired some woman with an impressive résumé to help out at Vintage Estates.”
    “Okay, and why am I hearing such an odd edge in your voice? Lauren, you’re not going all eee eee eee—” she makes a slasher movie noise “—and looking for knives or anything?”
    I roll my eyes. “No, but he hired some woman and didn’t tell me. Don’t you think that’s weird?”
    There is a silence. Brianna is actually considering this situation. Which makes me believe that I’m not out of line to be bothered.
    “Well, it is a bit odd, but do you share every detail about your work with him?”
    I twist my lips to the side. I didn’t tell him about the lunch with Trent. “No…not everything.” I bite my inner cheek. “But this is different, hiring someone…someone that my grandmother is impressed with, it just seems like something he should have shared with me.”
    “Lauren Hauser, you’re jealous.” Brianna tsks.
    “I am not.” My eyes bulge out.
    “Yes, you are. It’s so silly. Why are you jealous? Is it just that Jack hired a woman or is it that your grandmother is impressed by her?”
    “Neither.”
    “Oh, okay…take it easy. You don’t want to sound like a wacky, crazy girlfriend. Be happy that another woman has gotten a good job. Hopefully he pays her well and maybe she will be impressive enough that he will leave the place for her to run and come to Baltimore to live with you.”
    I can imagine Brianna high fiving herself in front of her mirror.
    “Maybe.” I purse my lips, considering this.
    “Not maybe. Remember, as women we have to raise each other up, not push each other down.”
    I roll my eyes. But she’s right. “Okay, all right, I’ll be cool.”
    “Exactly. Be like Fonzie. I’ve got to go. Owen’s taking me to Fiona’s.”
    “Fiona’s…che-ching, that’s nice.”
    “Exactly, so I’ve got to