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“You know yourself that grieving is a tricky thing. So, this could really mess him up. That’s why it’s important that he gets the help he needs to properly manage his situation before returning to police work. Seeing a therapist was one option, but I’ve offered Grief Group as an alternative, and it’s been approved. Now it’s up to Matthew to decide the path forward.”

Katherine stayed silent as she filled their cups with hot water before letting Peter choose from the box of a dozen different tea flavors.

“Hey, impressive stash,” he said, pointing to the brand on the packet of Earl Grey in his hand.

“Oh, geez.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Is there any chance your sense of humor will ever be less corny?”

“Probably not,” he chuckled. “Isn’t it great?”

Smiling, Katherine decided that while the mood was light, she’d casually convince Peter on the merits of him inviting Matthew to Grief Group instead of her doing it.

“Like I said, I’ve only spoken to him twice, so I’m sure it’d be better coming from you. Besides, he might wonder how I knew about the conditions of his return to work and wouldn’t appreciate you sharing that with anyone. We both know what it’s like to have people far too aware of the details surrounding your personal life.”

“You make a good point,” Peter said, reaching inside the cookie jar Katherine had placed between them. “Thanks for that.”

Since the Brandons were always home about the time Katherine did her gardening on Sundays, she figured Matthew and Julia didn’t attend church. And maybe, since they weren’t regular church-goers, Matthew would choose the option of meeting with a therapist instead.

“Holy Lord!” Peter proclaimed with his mouth full of shortbread cookie. “These are incredible!”

“Aren’t they?”

“Is this a new recipe?”

“Nope.”

“Then why haven’t I ever had them before?” he asked, stuffing the rest of the cookie into his mouth. “Are you Bennett women holding out on me?”

“No.” Katherine smiled. “That’s not a Bennett family recipe. It’s a Fraser one, and I promised Millie years ago that I’d only make and serve them at home. She said they’re from a sacred recipe passed down through Hamish’s family, and I wasn’t allowed to make them anywhere else. Especially not the diner.”

Peter reached inside the cookie jar for another and pulled out three more. “But you can serve themhereand towhomever you want?”

“Yep.”

“Well, that’s it,” he said through a mouthful of crumbly, buttery goodness. “From here on out, Grief Group meets at your house.”

With a laugh, Katherine shook her head. “Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”

Chapter 8

In one week, Sarah Brandon had worried more about the health and happiness of her son than his entire life. Hearing him pacing the floor in the middle of the night, she knew he wasn’t sleeping much. He certainly wasn’t eating enough. And she’d never seen the same angry, frustrated expression on his face this many days in a row.

Julia had been Matthew’s first love and the mother of his child, so saying goodbye to her had been hard for the entire Brandon family. But it didn’t seem to completely break Matthew’s heart. At least not in the way Sarah’s heart would break if she ever lost Matthew’s dad.

Over the years, Sarah and her husband watched as Matthew and Julia’s relationship had grown. From starting out as friends who became high school sweethearts, then newlyweds who one day became expecting parents, it had been a blessing to watch all their hopes and dreams for their son come true. But shortly before the birth of their granddaughter, Sarah noticed a change in their relationship. A growing divide between them.

On countless occasions, she dismissed it as Julia struggling with the changes to her body in the third trimester of her pregnancy, seeing as she seemed to have sailed through her first and second trimesters with ease. But in the middle of her third trimester, Julia grew irritable and short-tempered. Then, after Libby was born, any budding maternal attachment Julia had seemed to dissolve quickly, leaving Matthew bearing the bulk of responsibility for their growing family.

At the time, Sarah even wondered if Julia struggled with post-partum depression, praying her daughter-in-law would regain the enthusiasm she once had for becoming a mother. But circumstances didn’t change. Then, when Matthew announced that they were moving to Windsong for Julia’s job, Sarah feared things would only get worse. But she never imagined it could be this bad.

Watching Matthew walk around in an angry daze had grown unbearable. And she wasn’t about to let it go on any longer.

“So, what are your plans?” she asked, hoping to break through Matthew’s silent trance as he watched his daughter play with a pile of toys on the living room floor. “Matthew!”

“Yeah, Mom?”

“I’m going out for groceries, and I noticed Libby’s running low on diapers. Should I buy a small pack to tide you over or a truckload?”

“What’sthatsupposed to mean?”