needed to get out of the apartment for a while."
A few moments later Colleen and Janine made their way to the table from different sides of the square. Dixie was manning the bookstore or else Julie would've invited her too. She was so grateful for the strong female energy she had in her life now.
“Man, we've been slammed at the studio today," Janine said, as she sat down and leaned over to look into the stroller. "We had a new class this morning for women over sixty, and those ladies were rowdy!"
Julie laughed. "A rowdy yoga class? I'm not sure that's the way it’s supposed to work."
"Things have been quiet at work for me today. Of course, I can't keep Tucker away from my desk. He's constantly leaving me a little love notes," Colleen swooned.
“Gag. Love notes cause situations like this to happen," Meg said, pointing at the baby and laughing.
Julie enjoyed the banter that she got to have with her adult daughters. It was a totally different kind of relationship than she'd had with them as kids. It was still taking some getting used to, especially the part about keeping her opinions to herself unless she was asked for her input. That was very difficult, especially when she saw her daughters making potential mistakes. But who was she to judge? She had certainly made her fair share of mistakes, even well into adulthood.
"What can I get you ladies?" Denitra asked. They all placed their typical orders, Janine getting her chicken salad pita, Colleen ordering soup and a sandwich, Meg getting a burger and fries, and Julie getting her favorite big salad. They rarely veered from what they got, although sometimes they would try something new. Once, Julie had gotten a new item on the menu called a seared tuna croissant. It was the most disgusting thing she’d ever eaten, and they quickly removed it from the menu after multiple complaints.
"I heard the bakery opened today. Has anyone tried it yet?"
“No, I haven't had a moment to take a breath today. I guess the holiday season tourists are starting to flock into town because the bookstore has been crazy busy this week," Julie said, taking a sip of her water.
“I love the name," Colleen said. For a long time, the bakery did not have a sign up, but one had finally been erected the day before. It was called Hotcakes.
"We will have to check it out. I'm hoping they have poundcake."
"Maybe we can run in there before we all have to go back to work," Colleen said.
"Some of us don't go back to work," Meg corrected.
"You know what I mean."
"Actually, taking care of a baby is definitely considered work," Julie said. "It's harder than anything I have to do at the bookstore."
"Very true. I mean, I'm not a mother, but I know you're working hard, Meg. And being sleep deprived doesn't help." Janine said.
A few minutes later, Denitra brought their food and they ate and chatted for over half an hour. As they settled up on the bill and left a tip on the table, Julie looked up at the bakery one more time.
"Do y'all have time to go check out Hotcakes?"
They all looked at each other and then started laughing. "I think it's pretty safe to say that we are a bunch of sugar addicts, so we might as well admit it and see what kind of decadent desserts we can find," Janine said.
They all stood up and walked down a few storefronts before making their way to the bakery. There had been a line all morning, but thankfully it was pretty light at the moment, probably because most people were at lunch.
"Let's do this," Julie said, pushing the door open and then holding it for Meg to get the stroller through.
The place was really cute inside, a southern theme definitely on display. There were lots of whites and pinks and a little bit of gold here and there. The tables had beautiful white lace tablecloths while the walls were a mixture of white and pink stripes. There were big mirrors with painted white wrought iron all over the walls, as well as some ornate gold candle wall sconces. Most striking were the older, black-and-white pictures displayed on the walls.
"These look familiar," Janine said as she looked at one of the photos on the walls.
Julie walked closer. "Yeah. I can't place where I've seen these before…"
"Well, you should recognize that woman. She's your great grandmother!"
Julie froze in place, staring