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and all those in it.”
    Xavier said, “She sounds like she’s pretty indispensable.”
    “She was.” My chest felt heavy. A few years after Bradley broke it off with me, my dad died, followed a year later by my mom, then several years later, Hattie. “I miss her.”
    Xavier peeled back the cover on the plate and extracted the last muffin. He made eye contact with me. “Sounds like she was a very special person to you.”
    “Yes, she was.”
    Xavier leaned on the counter and popped a piece of muffin in his mouth. “So tell me about Hattie.”
    “There are countless stories. But one really sticks out in my mind. I think I was around three or four. I wanted to look like her. So I went and cut off my waist-length blonde hair with a pair of dull children’s scissors. I twisted the short stubs of jagged hair into little curls with bobby pins, hoping to replicate her hair.”
    Xavier nodded. “Did you succeed?”
    “Hardly. Hattie saw what I had done and gasped. She said that I had different color skin than her, so my hair could not look like hers. I was too young to understand.” I gazed out of the kitchen window as I continued. “She nicknamed me Shadow.”
    “Shadow?” Xavier repeated.
    “Yes, every time Hattie cooked or baked or did anything, I was right there beside her. She was so patient with me. Letting me make a mess of things until I got it right.” Stopping myself, I realized how melancholy I sounded. “Look at me going down memory lane and dragging you along. I’m so sorry. I’m sure you have a lot to do besides listening to me rattle on.”
    “I enjoyed you sharing your tale.” Xavier grinned at me. “However, I do have to head into work.”
    “Why, of course.” I smoothed down my dress. “Thank you for being so prompt.”
    Xavier tilted his head.
    I pointed to the lease on the counter.
    Xavier sauntered over to me and whispered in my ear, “And thank you for the extra treat.”
    Goose bumps tingled on my arm. When he said treat, he did mean the muffin and not the accidental brush at my chest, didn’t he? I just couldn’t trust the male gender. Tonight I would sleep with my eyes open.

Chapter Four
     
    After dinner, we stood in the kitchen. Cat scooped ice cream on top of sliced peaches. “Did you already make the muffins?”
    “Yes. I thought I’d get a head start on them.” I wasn’t sure if my oven would keep working, either. It seemed to have a mind of its own.
    Cat pointed the scoop at the ceiling. “That’s a great idea. Unless Mr. Phong gets to them first.”
    “Well, I’d just have to take a switch to him if he did.” I smiled.
    “Yeah, right. You are so tough. Like dough.” Cat put a spoon in each bowl, then handed me one.
    “Hey, I’m not that soft. I bet I could hurt someone if I had to.” I thought of Bradley as I took a seat at the table. “Only if I had to, of course. By nature I’m not a violent person.” I spooned cool, sweet vanilla ice cream into my mouth.
    Cat sat next to me. “If it came to protecting my kids against some whack job, I bet I could do some serious damage to anyone trying to hurt them. I just hope that never happens.”
    “I have no doubt that you are formidable.”
    “You are, too.” Cat waved her spoon at me. “Remember all the things that José taught us in self-defense class?”
    “Vaguely.”
    “Like the arm hold. Or the hit-’em-in-the-groin move? Or the swift kick to the head or gut?” Cat ate a spoonful of her dessert.
    I furrowed my brow. “I vaguely remember how to do the choke hold. But not much else.”
    “Hmm. Maybe when Annie Mae gets back we can get José to give us all a refresher course. It’s been a couple of years, and I’m a little rusty, too,” Cat said.
    What I needed was a getting-out-of-debt course. “Yes, that would be great.”
    “Plus, no offense, with all these relatives here and you not knowing them very well, I’m just saying. You should be prepared just in case one of them is a not-so-great