Free A Chance of a Lifetime by Marilyn Pappano Page A

patches of yellow weeds attested to how rarely it saw traffic. The building was sandstone across the front, brick on the sides, and large windows looked in on a largely empty room with construction debris on one side and a dusty display cabinet on the other. It was kind of sad and lonely looking, but Lucy could all too easily envision landscaping, scrumptious pastries in the display case, a homey dining room, and the wonderful, yeasty, buttery aromas of deliciousness in the ovens.
    She absolutely loved it.

Chapter 5
    C ome walk with me to deliver that pie I just made.”
    Bennie looked up from the middle of her bed. Her laptop was open on one side, her tablet on the other, and a good old-fashioned textbook sat in the middle. Except for a break for lunch, she’d been studying all day, and she was pretty sure her brain had run out of room for new facts a while ago. Taking off the glasses she had to wear after a few hours of digital reading, she pinched the bridge of her nose, then smiled at Mama. “You’re giving that coconut cream pie away? And here I thought you’d made it for me, since I’m the biggest fan of your pies in the whole universe.”
    “I made one for us, too. Come on. Put some shoes on and let’s get us some fresh air.”
    Because she did need fresh air, and because she didn’t like Mama wandering off through the neighborhood alone, Bennie swung her feet to the floor and slid them inside her favorite scuffed-up clogs. They had a wedge heel that kept her jeans from dragging on the ground, and nubby wool socks would keep her feet warm.
    Brushing curls back from her face, she followed Mama to the living room and slipped her arms into her favorite jean jacket. Already wearing her own jacket, Mama waited at the door, a plastic cake carrier carefully balanced by its handles.
    “Which of our neighbors is the lucky one today?” Bennie asked as they made their way down the steps, then along the sidewalk to the street.
    “I haven’t decided yet. Might be the first one I see. Might be the last house I pass before I decide to come back home.”
    Mama’s method was no more scientific than that. Knowing that, on cool fall days when she baked pies and tarts from the apples that fell in their yard, the whole neighborhood would be out on their porches or in their own yards, hoping her randomness would pick them.
    “It’s a lovely day to be out, isn’t it?” Mama asked with a satisfied sigh.
    The temperature was just low enough that Bennie could have used a heavier jacket, and the sun had no intention of coming out to play. The rain had stopped, though. Plus, Mama routinely announced that every day a person woke up was a lovely one—as opposed to the alternative—and no one ever won an argument with Mama.
    “Tonight’s trick or treat.”
    “Oh, yay.” Not. Bennie had been officially over Halloween since high school. All the day meant now was too much candy, too much spending, and too many parents giving their kids an early start on the idea of getting something for nothing.
    Mama, on the other hand, had a decidedly different point of view. “What are you dressing up as?”
    “A hardworking student who needs to learn microbiology before the test on Tuesday.”
    Mama gave her a chiding look. “I’m going to be a witch. I have a pointy hat and a wart to put on my nose, and I’m going to wear my ruby slippers. I’ve been practicing my cackle. How does this sound?”
    She unleashed a laugh that made Bennie laugh, then fake a shiver. “Spooky.”
    “Nobody will dare prank me. They’ll be too scared.”
    She was right about the first part. There wasn’t a kid in the neighborhood who would think of toilet-papering her yard or egging her house, but it wasn’t because they were scared of her. It was a matter of respect and love, though if they needed a little fear to keep them on the straight and narrow, Bennie would be happy to provide it.
    “And we have a winner.” Cheerfully, Mama turned into the next