The Sweetest Picture Read online

  The Sweetest Picture

  A sweet, small town romance

  Three Sisters Cafe

  Book Six

  Laura Ann

  Contents

  The Sweetest Picture

  Acknowledgments

  Newsletter

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  The Sweetest Picture

  “The Sweetest Picture”

  Three Sisters Cafe #6

  To my five not-so-little devils.

  The greatest lessons I will ever learn

  in this life came from being your mother.

  Thank you for the memories.

  Acknowledgments

  No author works alone. Thank you, Tami.

  You make it Christmas every time

  I get a new cover. And thank you to my Beta Team.

  Truly, your help with my stories is immeasurable.

  Newsletter

  You can get a FREE book by joining my Reading Family!

  Every week we share stories, sales and good old fun.

  Go to my website or facebook page to sign up!

  Prologue

  (from the back of The Sweetest Season)

  “Michael!” Jayden shouted, setting his camera down a little. “Dude! Would it hurt you to pretend like Gav doesn’t have cooties?” He grinned when Michael glared. “Move in a little. Don’t make your posterity speculate.” Chuckling under his breath, Jayden snapped more pictures of the large group.

  He very purposefully didn’t bring up the fact that Gavin’s parents weren’t there. Jayden might love to tease, but even he knew where the boundaries were.

  “Stelle, tilt your head to the left.” He smiled at the scene. His friends and family were dropping like flies, but there was something exciting about it that Jayden couldn’t get enough of.

  Maybe that was what drew him to taking pictures in the first place. There wasn’t enough work as a photographer in Seagull Cove that kept him working full time, so he helped out in various places, including the Gingerbread Inn that his aunt and uncle ran, plus he worked behind the counter of The Three Sisters Cafe once in a while, when his cousin’s cafe was super busy.

  It’ll pick up soon though, he reminded himself as he broke the large wedding party into smaller groups. School pictures are coming up and that always gives you something to look forward to.

  A couple years back, Jayden had managed to snag the contract to do the photos for all the schools in their little town. The elementary school kids were his favorite. He loved their gap-toothed smiles and goofy grins. Making them laugh so they could bring home a genuinely happy picture to their parents had become a goal with every child and he was pretty darn good at it. If I do say so myself.

  “Okay…just the bride and groom,” Jayden said. He stepped forward and spent a half hour capturing his friend’s happiness. “Okay, that’s a wrap!” he exclaimed, slapping Gavin on the back. The giant didn’t even pretend to move. “Congrats, big guy. I’m happy for you.” Stepping forward, Jayden took Felicia’s hand and brought it to his lips, laughing when Gavin shoved him away. “Hey, hey…watch the equipment!” Jayden shouted.

  Gavin rolled his eyes and put his arm around his very petite wife. “Come on, Jay. Let’s eat.”

  Felicia shook her head. “Is food all you think about?” she teased.

  Jayden raised his eyebrows and quickly walked away before he could hear what Gavin would say to that proclamation. Jayden knew all too well what he would say to a woman teasing him that way and he could only imagine how newly married Gavin would react.

  The reception hall at the church was loud with voices and Jayden couldn’t help but feel his energy rise. He loved crowds and with his camera around his neck, he had the chance to make sure others would love it as well.

  Without having to look, he picked up his camera and began snapping candid photos of the guests. He spun and clicked voraciously when the bride and groom entered the hall and everyone whooped and hollered their excitement. The energy thrummed through Jayden and he couldn’t get enough of it.

  His mother was starting to despair that he would ever settle down enough to have a party like this thrown in his honor, but Jayden wasn’t worried about it. He might have inherited his father’s looks and build, but he definitely had his mother’s adventurous streak and love of attention.

  There would be plenty of time for him to settle down after he’d had a little more fun. Jayden wasn’t quite sure where or how that fun would come to pass, but he could feel it in his chest. Something was coming. And with each click of his finger, he grew more and more excited for it.

  Chapter 1

  Mikaela rubbed her forehead. Why couldn’t the numbers in her checkbook magically come together? No one told her when she was growing up that matching her bank statement to her checkbook would be like launching a NASA shuttle. In fact, no one had taught her how to balance the two of them at all. It was yet another lesson she had had to learn the hard way, after withdrawing too much money only to have the bank take even more for the mistake.

  As a single mother without an education…those weren’t mistakes she could afford to make.

  “Mommy!”

  Mikaela jerked in her seat, coming alive at the sound of her daughter’s voice. Emmaline was Mikaela’s sole reason for pressing on. There were literally days when Mikaela didn’t want to do it anymore. She was so tired. All. The. Time. Not to mention, no matter how hard she tried, life seemed to have a personal vendetta against her.

  But the big, blue eyes staring at Mikaela gave her the courage not to give up. To keep getting up early to prepare for the day, to keep reworking the numbers until the checkbook matched the statement, and to keep saving when it seemed that every time the number got substantial, another catastrophe took it all away.

  “What’s up, Little Em?” Mikaela said in her perkiest tone.

  Emmaline’s blonde curls were strewn across her forehead and she wiped it back with an impatient hand. “Mommy, Chloe’s gone.”

  Mikaela blinked, her smile fading. “Uh…Chloe?”

  Emmaline nodded.

  Mikaela waited, but her daughter didn’t elaborate further. “Who’s Chloe, sweetheart?”

  Emmaline rolled her eyes. There were times when she seemed more like a sixteen-year-old instead of six. “Chloe. The spider I found yesterday? Remember? You gave me the cup to put her in?”

  Mikaela jumped up. “You were putting a spider in the cup?”

  Emmaline frowned at her mother’s shouts. “I wanted to keep her. She looked hungry.”

  Mikaela groaned, her checkbook entirely forgotten. “Umm…I think I need you to start from the beginning.” While Mikaela remembered Emma asking for a cup, she did not remember that her daughter was putting a spider in it. The situation would have ended much differently if Mikaela had been present enough to understand what Emma wanted.

  Guilt slammed into Mikaela’s gut. It felt as if she was never quite present. Like she simply couldn’t keep up. How in the world was one person supposed to do the work of two? The usual anger she felt at Emmaline’s father trickled into her stomach, joining the guilt and creating an unpleasant churning sensation.

  Taking a deep breath, Mikaela pushed it away. These sensations were all too familiar and had been going on for years. She never felt like she was enough, and she hated how much hope she’d wasted on Leo. Too many tears and too many years.

  But no more.

  “Mom!” Emmaline cried, tugging on her mother’s sleeve. “You have to help me find her.”

  Mikaela shook herself mentally. “You’re right,” she said in as calm a tone as possible. “We do need to find Chloe.” She made a face. “But I’m afraid we can’t keep her in the house. Spiders are outdoor…creatures.” She swallowed, hiding a shudder. How she ended up with a daughter unafraid of all the creepy crawlies that Mikaela hated was beyond her imagination. Their weekend work at the pet shelter should have been enough for any child, but apparently not Emmaline.

  Emmaline’s bottom lip poked out and began to tremble. “But she’ll be cold outside.”

  Mikaela brushed a hand over her daughter’s head. “Actually, spiders were made to live outdoors. That’s where they get their food and build their webs. Houses are made for people.”

  Emmaline continued to pout and her eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t argue more.

  Standing up, her eyes darting around the room, Mikaela began walking cautiously toward the bedroom. “By the way…what color was Chloe?”

  Emmaline shrugged, her voice thick. “Black.”

  Panic grew. “And how big was she?”

  Emmaline’s frown grew, but it was a thoughtful one. “About the same as Herbert.”

  Mikaela stopped and looked down. “Who’s Herbert?”
>
  Emmaline’s brows pulled together. “My grasshopper!”

  You’ve got to be kidding me! “And he’s in the house too?”

  Emmaline pulled her hand away from her mother and put them on her hips as if she were in charge. “Mo-om! I found Herbert last night on our walk home!”

  Mikaela wracked her brain. “Did you show him to me?”

  Two pink spots began to form on Emmaline’s cheeks and she dropped her glare, twisting on her feet.

  “Emma…” Mikaela whispered, trying to stay calm. “We can’t just bring in every little bug you find on the sidewalk.” She leaned forward and glanced in Emmaline’s room. “What are you keeping Herbert in?”

  Emmaline didn’t answer.

  Mikaela’s heart fell to her stomach. There was definitely something amiss and it was more than a lost spider, which may or may not be something dangerous. “Emma?” Mikaela put a firmer tone forward.

  Emmaline peeked up from under her long, dark lashes, courtesy of her father. “My drawer.”

  Mikaela dropped her chin to her chest, trying to breathe through the anxiety clawing its way up her chest and throat. “Emma…” Mikaela said through a locked jaw. “Do you remember our rules about bugs?”

  Emmaline huffed. “Yes.”

  “Did you follow them?”

  This huff was softer. “No.”

  “We need to get all the bugs out of your room and put them back where they belong.” Mikaela crouched down, getting on her daughter’s level. “Do you understand? You’re supposed to have permission for anything alive that you bring into the house.”

  “But you won’t let me have a pet!” Emmaline cried, her tears falling down soft cheeks.

  Ah, there you are, Guilt, old friend. I was beginning to get lonely without you. “We’re not home,” Mikaela explained for what seemed the millionth time. “When we spend more time at home, we’ll be able to have a pet. It wouldn’t be fair to have an animal at the house and be gone all day, would it?”

  Emmaline’s bottom lip was trembling as she shook her head from side to side. “But Chloe and Herbert don’t need me here.”

  “Well, they must need something since Chloe escaped and I’ll bet if you check on Herbert, he won’t be where you left him either.”

  At those words, Emmaline ran to her room and Mikaela heard the drawer open before an anguished cry rent the air.

  Forcing down her worries, Mikaela straightened, then turned and walked into the room. “Now…where do you think we should start?”

  “All I’m saying is that if you’d ask a woman on a date…you might find someone to settle down with,” Isabella Gordon said, her wide blue eyes innocent to anyone but her family.

  Jayden huffed and rolled his own, which were eerily reminiscent of his mother’s. “Mom…I’m not a kid. You don’t get to dictate when I date. And I’m not even close to being ready to settle down.”

  His mom stabbed her chicken, stuffing it into her mouth, her dark blonde curls practically twitching in frustration. “Perhaps that’s because you haven’t given it a chance.”

  “Bella…” Hank, Jayden’s dad warned in his deep tone. “Leave the boy alone. He’s got plenty of time to settle down when he wants to.”

  Bella dropped her fork and threw down her hands. “Does it not occur to anyone that I’d like grandchildren before I die?”

  Jayden slumped in his seat, groaning. “Does it not occur to you that I have three siblings who could provide them for you just fine?” He tilted his head just enough to glare at his mother. “Why are you always harping on me about it?”

  His dad chuckled. “Do you really think she doesn’t harp on them as well?”

  “I don’t harp,” Jayden’s mom snapped, glaring at her husband. “I politely suggest.”

  “So you’re politely suggesting that you’re going to die soon?” Jayden shook his head and tsked his tongue. “Wow, Mom. That’s a little bit morbid.”

  Her glare landed on him. “I’m nowhere close to dying, thank you very much.”

  Jayden cocked his head with a wide smile. “Then there’s no hurry for me to provide you grandchildren, is there?”

  Hank chuckled, but Jayden’s mom growled. Reaching over, he patted her hand. “Sweetheart, just let it go.”

  Jayden held up his hands. “Sorry, Mom. But I’m just not ready. I want to see more of the world before I settle into domesticity.”

  “Oh? And how does working part time at the inn help you do that?”

  This time it was Jayden’s turn to glare. “I’m working on it,” he ground out. He’d had this conversation so many times he was ready to scream…like a little girl, if necessary. Anything was acceptable as long as it got his mother to leave him alone.

  Was it really so bad to want to enjoy life a little? Despite her complaints, Jayden’s sense of wanderlust was a trait inherited from his nosy mother. She had been a reporter when she was younger…or at least had wanted to be a reporter. After getting married, her writing had been tamed a little. She wrote independent pieces that had been picked up over the years, but nothing like the in-depth journalist she had desired to be.

  Jayden didn’t enjoy writing, but like his mother, he had a thing for stories. His medium for capturing those stories, however, was behind the lens of a camera. He wanted to capture the world, and every story in it. People, places, foods, heritage, myths and legends…it didn’t matter, Jayden was intrigued by them all.

  Sure, his thirtieth birthday was coming up soon, but traveling was expensive and Jayden was working on trying to get a sponsor for his world tour, since his paycheck varied greatly from month to month.

  His reputation as a photographer around his small town of Seagull Cove was growing, but there were only so many opportunities in a tiny Oregon town where fish and saltwater taffy were the biggest tourist attractions they boasted.

  Well…that and Aspen’s internet notoriety.

  His cousin Aspen had had a very public grand opening of her cafe a couple years ago and the ensuing hate/love relationship with the blogger who dissed her. Now Aspen and Austin were married and doing great, but sometimes they still got a burst of people wanting pictures with their ugly couch and to taste Aspen’s unusual cake flavors.

  “Not that that helps you any,” Jayden grumbled as he pushed his green beans around his plate.

  “What was that?”

  Jayden’s head snapped up. He hadn’t realized he’d been speaking out loud. The heat in his cheeks was enough to reheat his dinner. “Nothing. Just muttering to myself.”

  His mom gave him a look, but shrugged. “All I want is for you to be happy, Jay.”

  Jayden relaxed a little. “I know.”

  “Yet you don’t seem happy.”

  He blinked. “What?”

  HIs mom sighed, long and loud. It was impressive really how good she was at that particular form of expression. “You don’t seem happy,” she explained. “You run around with that camera, snapping pictures of anything and everything, but never settling on one specialty. You visit Aspen’s bakery enough to be an employee, and you volunteer at the Gingerbread Inn more than the full-time workers.” She tilted her head, her eyebrows high. “You’re good at teasing and charming like you haven’t a care in the world, but…” There was that sigh again. “But you seem to just be bouncing and floundering with no real purpose.”

  Jayden was stunned. He had to physically clench his jaw to keep his mouth from falling open like the gaping fish he saw every time he went to the grocery store.

  His dad cleared his throat, but kept his eyes on his dinner plate. It was empty, but apparently, still very interesting to a former police detective.