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Katherine bit back a smile. She always liked hearing her father’s figures of speech spoken in her mother’s accent and vice versa.

“Mom, you know I am always happy to see you, but did you come by for something in particular?”

“No, not really,” Ginny tried to fib, but Katherine’s raised brow forced her to confess. “Oh, alright… some of the ladies in my class were talking about The Copperwall being closed. Since I hadn’t heard about it from you, I had to come to see for myself. When I got here, Beth Ann told me you were out back. So here I am.”

Katherine hugged her mother again, then led her back inside the diner. “Let’s have a cup of tea and talk for a bit before lunch starts.”

Surprised to see Katherine so willing to sit in the middle of a workday, Mrs. Bennett studied her, unsure of what was different, yet still intrigued.

“So, what’s new?”

“You tell me, Katherine Bennett. What’s new with you?”

Katherine blushed, remembering why Matthew called her by her first and last name.

“Nothing.” Katherine shrugged as she fought to hide a grin. “Just the same old, same old.”

“And why don’t I believe you?” Ginny said, making it obvious that she was getting a kick out of seeing Katherine’s coy smile and bright eyes. “You know, you look just like your father when he’s got a secret.”

Katherine lifted her mug and took a long drink to cover the grin that was getting harder and harder to hide.

“Something’s going on with you, baby girl, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Maybe I should call your sisters. I bet they would know. The five of you have always been as thick as—”

“Excuse me,” a soft, friendly sounding voice interrupted her mother. “Are you Katie Bennett?”

Startled, Katherine had to dab drops of tea from her chin with a napkin. No one but Matthew called her Katie Bennett.

Putting her cup down, she spun around on the stool to see a smiling couple standing behind her. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Are you Katie Bennett?” the woman repeated.

The man standing next to her was holding Libby in his arms. He looked like an older version of Matthew.

“Mrs. Brandon?”

“Mama,” Libby said to Katherine, then reached out with her chubby little arms as everyone within a twenty-foot radius, including Beth Ann and her mother, stared at them. Without skipping a beat, Beth Ann hurried over to the closest remainingcustomers and started a friendly dialogue to distract them from hearing the conversation at the counter.

“Darling, does this sweet baby know you?” Ginny Bennett spoke with a smile. Although she did her best to look pleasant and friendly, she was bursting with curiosity.

“Mama…” Libby repeated, her bottom lip beginning to curl into a pout when Katherine didn’t immediately jump up and reach for her. Matthew’s dad, on the other hand, was eager to hand off his granddaughter.

“Whew,” he said after stepping forward and passing Libby off to Katherine. Then he gripped one shoulder, rotating it in a half-circle forward and another half-circle back. “I don’t know how it happened, but I swear she’s gotten twice as heavy since the last time we saw her.”

As the group laughed, Libby placed her tiny hands on either side of Katherine’s face and smiled, showing all eight of her pearly white teeth.

“Hi, Libby Doll.” Katherine smiled back, planting a quick peck on her cheek. Then she shifted Libby onto one hip and put out her free hand to greet Matthew’s parents.

“Of course, you’re Mr. and Mrs. Brandon,” she said, shaking each of their hands, feeling a bit flustered. “I’m Katherine Bennett-Chandler.”

Mr. and Mrs. Brandon looked confused.

“I mean, yes, I’m Katie Bennett.”

Katherine wasn’t doing as well as she hoped she would when meeting Matthew’s parents and she knew she’d have to regain her composure and fast with the overly curious audience around them.

“This is my mother, Ginny Bennett. Mom, this is Officer Brandon’s parents. Umm—” Then Katherine froze, her face turning red. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that Matthewalways referred to his parents as Mom and Dad. Thankfully, Mr. Brandon stepped forward to save her.

“I’m Matt Brandon, and this is my wife, Sarah,” he said, shaking hands with Mrs. Bennett. His wife eventually did the same but with a look of hesitation as she was now watching Libby like a hawk, along with Katherine’s every move.