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eyes and slowly took in a deep breath through her nose.
    “Sweet Mother of Mercy!” a familiar voice cried.
    Cold hands suddenly clamped down on her cheeks. Kendall’s eyes sprang open and she was greeted by her grandmother’s horrified expression.
    “Are you all right?” Maeve asked, giving Kendall’s head a little shake. “Speak to me, dear!”
    To Kendall’s chagrin, Maeve’s frantic shaking actually managed to make her feel better. Kendall pulled back slightly and sent Dee and her grandmother a sheepish smile. “I’m fine. Really. I think I just need some air.” And a life. And about $20,000 worth of repairs done at half the cost.
    Grammy’s eyes narrowed. “Have you eaten anything yet today?”
    Kendall blinked. Eaten?
    She mentally added breakfast to her running list of needs. “Um, well, I had some coffee this morning.”
    Maeve gasped, dramatically clutching a hand to her heart.
    Maybe she shouldn’t have been so honest. Even Dee seemed to know the mistake Kendall had made and winced. Now she was in for a lecture on taking better care of her health. But her appetite still wasn’t what it had been before Jake passed away, and the nervousness she felt at starting up her own business was really getting to her.
    “Coffee is not a meal, nor is it in a major food group,” her grandmother said sternly. “Just what kind of baker are you going to be if you don’t even taste your own product?”
    Dee raised a guilty hand. “Um, I think that’s my fault. I’ve got about eight extra pounds on me that say I’ve been doing way too many taste tests.”
    Maeve’s lips twitched, but she kept her expression stern. “Shame on you, Kendall. You have to take better care of yourself with all the things that need to be done around here. And Dee, I expect you and Georgie to make sure my granddaughter eats while I’m away in New York.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Dee mumbled, looking as if she desperately wanted a way out from the conversation. Not that Kendall didn’t want to go and hide somewhere too. When Grammy was in rare form—as she obviously was today—she could be pretty darn scary.
    “And another thing,” Maeve continued, waving a finger, “I think you both—”
    “Oh, wow, look at the time!” Dee exclaimed, pointing to her wrist even though she wasn’t wearing a watch. “I better get back to work or Georgie’s going to have my butt on a plate. Mondays are always extra busy at the pharmacy and she’s going to need the extra tech help, so…I should really be there. Now . Bye, Kendall. Um, so nice seeing you again, Mrs. Lennox.”
    “Chicken,” Kendall mouthed, but Dee just shrugged and made a beeline for the door.
    As soon as Dee made her quick escape, Maeve’s gaze swept the area of the diner and her already deep frown somehow managed to sag even farther.
    “I know it doesn’t look ideal in here,” Kendall rushed to explain, “but I think with a little elbow grease and Brad’s help—”
    “Brad?” Maeve interrupted. Her grandmother’s features suddenly softened. “You mean Georgie’s brother?”
    “Well, yeah, he’s been really great about helping me. I don’t think I would have been able to lease this place if it wasn’t for him. He’s cutting me a break on repair costs.”
    “I always did like that young man,” Maeve said, tapping a red-colored fingernail against her matching lips. “Polite. Very protective of his sister, if I remember correctly. Good-looking fellow too, wouldn’t you say?” she said, shooting her an inquisitive glance.
    The question took Kendall off guard for a moment. In all the years she had known Brad, her grandmother had never spoken of him in that way before. “Uh, Brad is… Yes, I guess he is very handsome.”
    Of course Brad was handsome! Duh. Not that she happened to notice something like that because she was interested in him. She only noticed because it was one of those far-removed observations any woman with a pair of working eyes could