plate of goodies to her usual spot on the counter and hoisted herself up to sit on it.
Bridgette walked around the kitchen eyeing the freshly made goodies and said, “Your text said to get my ass to the bakery in the morning because you needed girlie advice. I figured the more the better.”
It dawned on Piper that she hadn’t told Bridgette why she needed advice. “Willow, how’d you know I wanted to talk about Harley and the girls?”
Willow and Bridgette exchanged a look that told Piper her sisters had a secret, and that annoyed the shit out of her.
“Someone better start talking, because I’m in no mood to be fucked with.” Piper buried her irritation in another bite of sugary goodness.
“Bodhi’s mother told him that Mom told her that Harley’s mother said you picked up Harley from the hospital and you were helping him with the girls,” Bridgette explained.
“Sweetwater gossip at its finest.” Piper finished her doughnut and picked up the cinnamon bun. Some aspects of small-town life sucked, but there was nowhere else Piper would want to be than near her family. “Did she also tell you that she gave Harley a picture of the two of us dancing at Ben’s wedding? He’s got the damn thing on his refrigerator.”
Willow laughed. “You know Mom. She loves to make people happy. She made healing lotions for Delaney after she got the news about having cancer, hoping they would help, and last weekend she made a love potion for Doris Pilcheck.”
Their mother made organic fragrances, shampoos, body washes, soaps, and lotions and sold them in stores around town. But she was best known for the love potions she claimed to put in some of her wares. She swore she was responsible for at least half of the love connections in town.
“Doris is seventy-five years old,” Piper said.
“And still in her prime, according to Mom.” Willow glanced at Bridgette, who was still pondering the sweets, and said, “You need to actually pick one up and eat it. Despite how it looks when Piper scarfs them down, they won’t leap into your mouth.”
“I have another ten pounds to lose, so I’m just going to get drunk on their delicious aromas and savor the sight of them. I’m carrying five pounds here.” Bridgette patted her butt in her pretty floral dress and said, “And five pounds here.” She grabbed her boobs.
Piper rolled her eyes. “You look great and Bodhi adores you, so choose one and eat the damn thing already.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You can eat anything and not gain a pound,” Bridgette said.
“Which translates to there’s no natural way for me to grow bigger breasts or a rounder ass.” Piper took another bite.
“You don’t get it.” Bridgette leaned her hip on the counter and said, “Being pregnant with Emerson changed my whole body even worse than when I was pregnant with Louie. I have all this loose skin on my stomach, more stretch marks that I swear look like road maps, and my boobs are starting to look like an old lady’s.”
“Whatever. You have a beautiful baby girl and you see things about your body no one else does. You’re still hot, Bridge. Own those curves,” Piper encouraged her.
Bridgette looked at Willow.
“Don’t look at me. I’m on team eat-the-sweets,” Willow said. She went to the other end of the counter and began frosting a cake. “I’m also on team give-me-all-the-details, so spill, Pipe. What’s up with you and Harley? Why do you need advice?”
She finished a bite of the cinnamon bun, trying to figure out if she should lead with Jolie or Harley. Jolie was easier, so she skipped right over the hot, confusing one and said, “I need advice about Jolie. She’s in that sullen, eye-rolling, preteen stage, and I’m worried about her because of everything her mom is going through. I think she should talk to someone, but I’m not sure it’s really mine or Harley’s place to ask a teacher or counselor to talk to her. Sophie, on the other hand, is her normal happy-go-lucky self. I think that’s good, but what do I know? I deal with grown men who have more testosterone than emotions. What would you guys do?”
“That’s a tough one,” Bridgette said, looking longingly at the cake Willow was frosting. “Did you tell Delaney?”
“With everything Delaney is going through, Harley doesn’t want to worry her. On one hand I think he’s right. But on the other, what if he’s wrong?”
Willow looked up from the