Cornbread & Crossroads

full of love, laughter, and good food, I’d forgotten all about my morning woes. Pecking the top of Rayline’s head, I took Nana’s advice to heart and chose to live the rest of the day in the joy of this very moment.

Chapter Two
Following right behind everyone else, I moseyed out the front door and onto the porch. My bad mood had evaporated like the steam coming off of my plate full of buttermilk biscuits with slices of country ham with jelly. I couldn’t turn down stacks of fluffy blueberry pancakes smothered in butter and drowned in maple syrup. I barely had room for crunchy hash browns with scrambled eggs on top and one of Nana’s gigantic cinnamon rolls with an obscene amount of frosting dripping off the sides. Somehow, I rose to the occasion and gobbled it all up.
Sunlight dappled through the trees, and I grinned at the bright day ahead of me as I patted my engorged tummy and finished the last couple bites of the piece of bacon I’d stolen from my brother’s plate.
“Now, that’s what I like to see. Detective Clairmont, don’t you think my granddaughter looks so much prettier with a smile on her face instead of a frown?” Nana teased, holding Rayline while she saw us out.
Mason draped an arm over my shoulder. “I think she looks pretty no matter what.” He pressed his lips onto the top of my head while heat rose in my cheeks.
“Good answer,” my grandmother declared with a wink to me. My niece agreed with a throaty baby giggle.
Matt cleared his throat in agitation at the detective’s public display of affection for me. “I should be heading to the station. We might as well go together, don’t you think, Detective?” He raised his eyebrows at Mason.
I shot my brother a glare of death, but before I could mutter a single word of sass, TJ jumped to my defense. “Don’t go ruining a perfectly fine start to the day. Leave your sister and her boyfriend alone. Plus, you promised to come help me muck stalls and feed the horses.”
My brother groaned and rolled his eyes for dramatic effect. “Fine. But I’m not dealing with the unicorn.”
“You got something against Sparkles?” I asked. Matt had to be crazy if he didn’t like the adorable mythical beastie.
He scrunched up his nose. “I like her just fine, but each and every time I get around her, you know what she does. And this is my only clean uniform, so if she farts rainbow glitter all over me, I’ll have absolutely nothing to wear to work.”
Rayline squealed and clapped her hands, and we all broke into laughter with her. Nana kissed her great-granddaughter’s forehead. “You forgettin’ that you’re a witch? Why don’t you just spellcast a protection shield over your clothes?”
Matt’s jaw dropped. “I swear, it never occurred to me.” With a shake of his head, he escorted his wife to their car. “Man, that’s a lot of laundry I didn’t need to do. Nana, TJ will be back to pick up Rayline after lunch. Detective, I’ll be seein’ you at the station soon enough.” He scooted around the front of his car to the driver’s side. “Birdy, I’ll see you tonight at the town potluck.”
My brother’s farewell wrinkled my improved state of mind. In all of the chaos, I’d plumb forgotten about the Welcome Potluck at the park. Well, frosted fairy wings with a side of unicorn manure! How was I ever going to get everything on today’s list done and cook something?
“If the chess pie you’d made hadn’t been destroyed, I could have brought that,” I moaned.
“Don’t worry,” Mason assured me. “David wanted to help me make lasagna. I can check and see if he can pick up the ingredients to make two instead.”
I’d forgotten about the former bellboy from Charleston who was in the first wave of newcomers to Honeysuckle. True to his word, Mason had offered to let the half dryad room at his house for the time being.
“Why, that’s mighty generous of you,” Nana declared with admiration while she rocked my niece back and forth. “You keep treating Birdy this good and you won’t be able to get rid of her.”
Prickly heat scorched my cheeks, and I shot daggers at my grandmother for making such a pointed statement. “I appreciate the offer, but since I’m on the welcome committee, it wouldn’t look right for me not to bring something on my own.”
While Mason had lived here long enough not to be quite the outsider he used to be, he still didn’t get the importance of everyone contributing for themselves.
With relief, I came up with an easy solution and snapped my fingers. “I know! I’ll bake up a few batches of cornbread.”
“You need any extra skillets?” Nana asked. “I can send over one or two of mine.”
I rushed up the porch stairs to give my grandmother a proper goodbye. “No, I can use the ones I’ve already got.” Kissing her on her cheek, I also kissed my niece on top of her head, careful not to mess up her soft, wispy hair. “Be good to her.”
Nana clicked her tongue at me. “I’m always good to our little ray of sunshine.”
“I was talking to Junior,” I joked over my shoulder as I fetched my bike. “I’ll see you both tonight.” The screen door slammed shut behind Nana as she took my niece inside.
Full from breakfast, I worked for a couple of seconds to fix the tire and inflate it again good as new with my rejuvenated energy.
Mason pulled his keys from his pocket. “I would have offered to drive you to your first appointment, but it looks like you don’t need the help anymore.”
Holding onto the handlebars of the bike, I leaned in far enough to peck his stubbled cheek. “It wouldn’t make sense for you to go out of your way. But I do appreciate the sentiment.”
He brushed his hand down my arm. “I don’t suppose you have any