The sun was barely up the next morning as Abigail Stanton tucked a napkin over the warm, buttery biscuits and snapped on the lid of the tin container she sent to the school house every morning. The kitchen of the café smelled of brewing coffee and bread and cinnamon rolls. The bell on the front door jingled and she peered around the open door to the cafe's dining room.
"You're just in time, Jack!" she laughed. "I just took them out of the oven." Jack groaned playfully as she carried a plate with a steaming cinnamon roll to a table and set it down. He pulled out a chair and sat down in front of the confection. Abigail watched as he cut a piece off with a fork and slipped it between his lips. Jack's eyes closed and he shook his head slowly.
"You are spoiling me, you know," he said. "Your cinnamon rolls every morning is a terrible habit to have." Abigail smiled proudly.
"You are my taste tester," she said. "A negative word from you and the batch goes right into the trash bin." Jack took another bite and closed his eyes as he chewed, savoring every single cinnamon sensation in his mouth. Abigail poured a small glass of cold milk from the pitcher on the sideboard and set it on the table next to his plate. Jack nodded his thanks and took a drink before digging in to the roll again. Abigail laughed softly and headed back to the kitchen. Elizabeth was tying the sash of her dark blue dress as she made her way into the kitchen from their rooms above.
"He's waiting for you," Abigail said as she arranged the rest of the warm rolls on to a serving platter for the glass case in the dining room.
"Waiting for me or eating his breakfast?" Elizabeth frowned slightly. Abigail grinned.
"Both," she said happily as she carried the platter of cinnamon rolls into the dining room. Elizabeth rolled her blue eyes and tucked a stray curl back into the narrow ribbon at the nape of her neck. Jack looked up as she entered the dining room and grinned.
"Good morning," he smiled happily. Elizabeth smiled ruefully and wiped a smidgen of cinnamon from the corner of his lips. Jack swiped quickly at his mouth with a napkin and stood up from his chair.
"I'll be back for the rest of that," he said as backed toward the door where Elizabeth waited. Abigail nodded and then her eyes widened.
"Elizabeth, wait!" she cried softly and hurried back to the kitchen. She returned with the biscuit tin and handed it to her friend.
"You don't have to keep doing this, you know," Elizabeth said. "I'm sure they all eat something before they leave their home."
"I like doing it," Abigail said as she pressed the tin into Elizabeth's hands. "I know how hungry Peter used to be in the morning."
"And the tin is empty every day," Elizabeth chuckled. "Thank you, Abigail."
"Have a good day," Abigail said as she stood at the open door and watched the two of them head down the board walk toward the edge of town and the school house. She stood there for a long moment and breathed in the cool morning air. The sky was brightening and the town was beginning to awaken. She waved happily as a stage went past and drew to a stop in front of the general store. The driver jumped down and opened the door. He spoke to someone inside and then gestured toward the café. Abigail shrugged happily and headed back in to her business. Customers first thing in the morning? It was going to be a great day.
Jack waited until they were out of sight of Main Street to pull Elizabeth to a halt on the pathway. She laughed as he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Ummm," Elizabeth sighed. "You taste like cinnamon." Jack ginned and drew her closer for a hug.
"And you smell like hyacinths," he said. She chuckled and drew back from his embrace. She glanced around furtively.
"And any minute one of my students is going to come tripping down this path on their way to school and….." she said softly.
"I know," he replied. He grinned again and took her hand as they made their way through the small stand of trees and came in sight of the school house.
"Someone is already there," Jack said. A little girl with long dark curls was in the swing, her legs pumping as the swing rose toward the leafy branches.
"Emma Grace?" Elizabeth said. The little girl grinned and her feet in scuffed, laced boots dragged in the grass bringing the swing to a stop. She hopped off the swing and ran toward Elizabeth.
"Miss Thatcher!" the little girl cried happily and threw her arms around Elizabeth's waist. Jack took the tin of biscuits from her and grinned as Elizabeth knelt down to give the little girl a proper hug.
"Look at you!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she held the little girl at arm's length to study her. "You have grown so much over the summer and your teeth have grown in!" The little girl grinned broadly and reached up to scratch a smudged, pert little nose.
"Where is Ned?" Elizabeth asked as she stood up again and glanced around. The little girl's brow puckered.
"He's coming," she said. "He had some chores to do first." Elizabeth nodded and took the biscuit tin from Jack.
"Did you have breakfast this morning?" she asked.
"Of course I did," Emma Grace sighed. "My Mam made us stewed apples and ham slices and bread with peach jam."
"Ham slices?" Jack feigned surprise. "Already? I didn't know that anyone had done their butchering yet." Emma Grace's face fell and she looked up at him fearfully.
"All that food….." Elizabeth said as she opened the box in her hands. "You wouldn't be interested in one of Mrs. Stanton's biscuits, would you now? Still warm too." Emma Grace's brown eyes traveled from Jack to the tantalizing golden biscuits under the napkin in the box. She reached out slowly to take one and then took a small bite.
"Good morning, Miss Thatcher!" came a voice from the path. Elizabeth put the top back on the box and sighed heavily as she glanced at Jack. The noises and clamoring became more pronounced as children began to gather around the steps of the school. Jack nodded as she looked down at Emma Grace.
"You haven't seen the new school house yet, have you?" she asked. The little girl shook her head and slipped the biscuit carefully into the pocket of her pinafore. Elizabeth took her hand and they made their way to the front steps of the clapboard building.
"We have a desk just for you," Elizabeth said. Jack nodded with a smile as he watched her unlock the door and lead her students inside. He turned and headed back toward town where there was half a cinnamon roll waiting.