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Rachel mixed a splash of vanilla into the batter and blended it in. “Have you talked to Gordon?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“How did it go?”

Daisy shook her head. “Not well. I did a number on him.”

“You didn’t ask for this. If you could have chosen a different outcome, you would have chosen it.”

“Terry said the same to me when I asked her about leaving me. Woulda, shoulda, coulda doesn’t really count.” She sighed. “At least this time I was honest with Gordon. I didn’t try to hide my feelings.”

“He needs time to cool off.”

“You didn’t see the look in his eyes.”

Rachel came around the counter and wrapped her arms around Daisy. “For the record, I’m excited about the baby.”

Daisy’s questioning gaze met Rachel’s. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. And if it’s a girl, she’ll be dressed to the nines. I’ve all the girls’ clothes, in two sets.”

Daisy traced her finger around the rim of her soda can. “Given my luck, it’ll be a boy.”

“Dad will be thrilled with the first male McCrae in the house. I know he loves us, but he’d kill for another guy on the premises.”

“Mom and Dad.” Daisy groaned. “That’s going to be an interesting conversation.”

“They’ll be a little surprised, but they’ll adapt.”

Daisy squeezed Rachel’s arm. “Thanks.”

Rachel returned to her mixing bowl. “We make a fine pair.”

“Call us knocked up and hacked off.”

Rachel laughed. Using the recipe card, she finished mixing the cake. Soon she had the batter arranged in two parchment-lined cake pans. She popped them in the oven. Soon the apartment filled with the sweet smells of vanilla and cinnamon.

As they inhaled the scents of baking cake, the room chilled. Rachel rubbed her hands over her arms and moved toward the stove.

Daisy set her soda down. “I think I finally feel human.”

Rachel held her chilled fingers toward the oven. “No nausea? Aren’t you a little ahead of schedule today? Shouldn’t it be two or three more hours before the nonnausea time?”

“I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. The kid is giving me a reprieve, and I’m taking it. When are those cakes going to be ready? I’m starving.”

At that moment the buzzer dinged. “Ask, and you shall receive.” Rachel slipped a red oven mitt onto her hand, opened the oven door, and pulled out the cakes.

“God, they smell great.” Daisy inhaled deeply. “And they don’t make me sick to my stomach.”

Smiling, Rachel dumped a cake onto a white plate. Steam rose, and normally she would have waited for it to cool before she cut it. Tonight, she cut it immediately and plated a piece for Daisy. “Here ya go.”

Daisy blew on the hot cake and then bit into it. She closed her eyes, slowly chewing. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Rachel picked up a hot cake wedge and bit into it. “Not bad.”

“Looks like Jenna knew how to bake.”

“I’ll say. And no eggs. No small feat.” She shuddered as a cool blast of air blew. “I think the AC kicked into overdrive.”

“What do you mean?” Daisy finished the first piece of cake.

“I’m freezing.”

“Really? I’m kind of warm. It must be ninety outside.”

“It’s twelve in here.”

Daisy bit into the cake. “Maybe you’re getting sick.”

“I feel fine. But it turned cold in here.”

Daisy shook her head. “This cake is amazing. It feels like I haven’t eaten in weeks.”

The chill settled deeper in Rachel’s bones, and suddenly all the loneliness of the last seventeen months rose. Tears threatened, but she swallowed, forcing them back. “Times like this I really miss Mike. He’d have loved discovering a new recipe like this.”

Daisy reached for a second piece of cake and, as if she hadn’t heard Rachel, said, “I really hope I don’t screw this kid up. I don’t have a clue how I’m going to pull motherhood off.”

Rachel swiped away a tear. “Mike’s birthday is next week. He’d have been thirty-five. It’s not fair he died.”

“What if I’m like Terry, and I try but I fail?” As Daisy nibbled the cake, her frown deepened. “I don’t want to fail my child.”

The two sisters, each lost in a web of fear and worry, stood in the kitchen for several minutes. And then outside a car engine revved.

Both sisters blinked at the intrusion and then stared at each other as if they’d forgotten the other was there.

Rachel shoved a shaking hand through her hair and stepped away from the cake. She cleared her throat and shook her head. “My emotions were amped up one thousand percent.”

“Me too. And I do not like it.”

Rachel glanced at the half-eaten cake and the counter now littered with crumbs. “It’s like the cake cast a spell.”

Daisy’s gaze trailed hers. “It wasn’t the cake.”

“How do you know?”

“It was hormonal.”

“You maybe, but I went through my cycle last week.”

Daisy pushed her cake plate away. “It wasn’t the cake, Rachel. How could it make us feel so much?”

“I don’t know. But we were fine until we bit into the first piece.”

“It wasn’t the cake.” She reached for her ginger ale and sipped slowly. “We’re both just on edge.”

Rachel stretched her arms over her head. “Do you feel pretty good? Because I feel like a million bucks.”

Daisy rose. “My feel-good window has passed. I think I might go rest. You okay here?”

Rachel nodded. “Yeah. I’m good. Real good. Thanks.”

“Good,” Daisy said. “I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

“What can I do?”

“This time I don’t think I’ll be able to muscle my way through the problem. I’m not in charge anymore.”