Chapter 161
Run to Summer

It was one of those things where the power of hindsight just became one of personal comedy. Right now, the very idea that her chosen activity for a bit of relaxation and head clearing would be baking had her chuckling to herself. Once upon a time, she had been such a disaster when put in charge of any kind of food preparation. Sure, she'd been so much younger at the time, but the age and skill level were not locked together, not one bit; she'd just been a culinary menace. But now? Now, she was a pretty good cook, unlikely to give anyone food poisoning, that was for sure, and as a baker… Oh, she would easily admit to surpassing any and all expectations for herself. As humble as she'd always be, it was undeniable that she was getting to be better than good. She'd climbed her up from basics, always looking to pick up new skills, new recipes she could ace and surpass, until she didn't need to rely so much on instructions, she could just follow her own knowledge.

She didn't always succeed, and some fails were truly disappointing, but she'd keep trying, keep learning. And there was still so much for her to discover… That was what she was doing today, which could have come off like a very strange way of relaxing, but then lately she'd been running these 'experiments' in the long-distance company of her aunt, Charlene Olsen. Her mother's little sister may have been contemporary enough to her to feel more like a cousin than an aunt, but whatever her official title was, the important part was that Maya and Charlie had hit it off from day one, and the thing that had helped them get to know each other and bond the most was this, baking together from their kitchens, so many miles away from one another as they were.

"How's it looking on your end?" Charlie asked, a common question in their baking calls.

"Uh… touch and go there for a second, but I think it worked out alright," Maya breathed as she inspected her work. "How's yours doing?"

"I think it's on life support…" Charlie groaned. Maya tried to see and when she was shown… yeah, it was not looking good.

"Looking good for a miracle save? Maybe?" she encouraged her.

"Yeah, working on it, I… Oh, I know what I'm doing wrong, hold on…" Splitting her attention between her side and the screen, Maya was relieved to see that her aunt had indeed climbed herself out of trouble. They were back on track to carry on. "You know, we could have just done cookies," Charlie joked, and Maya laughed.

"I have made way too many of those in the last week," she countered. "I needed to have this."

"A panic attack?" Charlie suggested, redoubling her niece's laughter until she nearly knocked a bowl off the counter and just barely caught it, both of them yelping in unison.

The school year had just ended, summer was freshly started. Maya wasn't teaching yet, but she had her baking club, and they all had the same thought as she'd done. They wanted to do something special to close out their year. The eighth graders were moving on to high school in the fall, so it was only fair that they get a good send-off, right? So, what were they going to do? They all loved a good bake sale, they'd had several of those already since they'd started together, including their biggest one so far, running up to Christmas. They wanted this one to be even bigger than that, and Maya, having never met a big challenge she didn't at least consider, had set them on the path. It had been all hands on deck, for days and days, and as much as the club kids had provided, Maya had been like a cookie-making machine… and cupcake-making… and brownie-making…

They'd stayed on track through it all, and as hectic as it had been behind the scenes, the important part was that everyone had fun, and they made a lot of things they were proud of, and they earned up more than enough to not only cover their costs but get to hand over a far greater amount to their chosen charity. By the time it was over, their graduating young bakers were as glad as they were to move on to high school as they were sad to have to leave the club behind. Maya could not pretend as though she wouldn't miss them just as they would miss her and the club. All she could tell them was that she hoped that they would keep baking, and as to high school, well… If they didn't have a baking club, maybe they could start one there, carry on as they'd been doing with her.

When she'd seen them off for the summer, saying goodbye to the soon to be high school freshmen, she was left with the seventh graders, who would be in eighth in the fall… her students. And there would be brand new kids, coming into the middle school for the first time… Oh, she hadn't known how excited she'd be at the thought of it, but she really was. Already, she'd come to realize that this fall would bring her friend, former teammate and captain Julianne Shelby's youngest siblings into her midst. Ruby and Abby had been little more than babies when she'd first met them, and now they would have just finished sixth grade, bringing them to the middle school and, in great likelihood, into her brand-new class. It really could not come soon enough.

"Hey, Harry, hey bud!" Maya beamed as her baby cousin was carried into view. They'd just finished their bakes, Charlie and her, and as patient as the three-month-old had seemingly been, all this time, he'd had enough and demanded attention from his mother. He was still being a bit fussy, but it wouldn't be long that he'd calm again, and then it would be Jamie's turn, on Maya's side, so that soon aunt and niece would be sitting with their respective sons in arm as their call wound down.

"You know, I've been thinking…" Charlie slowly started, casually entertaining her baby all the while, "I think I'd like to come and spend the summer in Austin with you, and Katy, all the kids… David, Caity, Harry, and I," she specified, like she might have made it sound like she was about to dump her family for the next however many weeks. No, she was looking for the four of them to spend all this time with her sister, her nieces, nephews…

The moment she suggested it, Maya felt a jolt, her whole brain seeming to shout, yes! There was no need to even consider it, though naturally they would have to work out details. On the idea alone, there was only one response.

"That would be amazing!" Maya told her aunt, laughing a moment later when her tone rebounded off Jamie and he gave a good squeal. "You tell her, Tadpole."

"Glad you both think so," Charlie beamed.

"You know, actually…" Maya sat up as she was reminded… "Be right back."

From her side, watching through her tablet screen, Charlie would watch her niece get up, carrying Jamie along and disappearing out the kitchen door. She would briefly watch Shadow and Whiskey chase one another in and out of frame before disappearing again on their way toward the living room. Finally, a few minutes after disappearing, Maya would return, minus one baby boy.

"Where's…" Charlie started to ask.

"Left him with Pappy Joe for a bit of TV time," Maya quickly replied before leaning against the counter's edge, the better to fill up the screen with the great fortune of coincidence she'd been handed, all the better to enable the Olsens' Austin summer. "I just remembered how he and Patty mentioned they were thinking of going off to travel this summer. So, I went and asked if that was still on, and it is. They're planning to leave next week, coming back at the end of August…" She let the words trail off, allowing her aunt to fill in the blanks by herself. It didn't take long, and now Charlie was the one with the big, excited eyes.

"You mean…"

"Yeah," Maya laughed. "You guys can stay in their house while they're gone. It'll be great!" she declared, and Charlie seemed to think the same.

"I'm going to have to talk to David…" she thought aloud, realizing that this meant packing, and figuring out how they'd make the trip, maybe on the road, depending on what they had to bring…

"My mom's going to be so excited when she finds out," Maya smiled, imagining the look on her face when she'd hear that her baby sister, still so much of a stranger but no less dear to her in the time since she'd started getting to know her, would be within driving distance for weeks and weeks on end.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me…" Charlie nodded, then, "Or I guess you would," she amended, and Maya appreciated this thought. Her situation with her own Hart siblings may not have been just the same, but it bore enough similarities that yes, she did have some idea of what it felt like for Charlie just now.

"Yeah…" she simply said, and Charlie smiled. They both paused for a beat, and it was easy to see they'd had the same idea at the same time: oh, they were getting to do so much baking together, actually together this time. As if this idea wasn't already making them that much more excited for the coming summer… "You know, this could be even better, I mean… Summer's really where I get a lot of cake orders, so… maybe you could help me with those."

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," Charlie agreed at once, and their shared giddiness was lifted all over again. "I should go, I've got a lot to…"

"Yeah, yeah, for sure. Keep me posted, okay?"

"I will! See you soon," she grinned, and Maya did as well, giving one last little wave to baby Harry before the call was disconnected.

Lucas had been out with Elliott and Noah, the three of them on a museum/movie day with Max Farrell and his sister and father, and Max McAllister and one of her mothers. They returned now, the boys immediately seeking out their baby brother. As soon as they heard that he was with Pappy Joe, they were seen out the back door until they were let into the little house by Patty.

"Can I help you?" Maya drawled as she turned back to find her husband peeking inside the refrigerator. Lucas stood back up and looked at her, his look of innocence so alike to their sons' that Maya lost any ability to hold a straight face. "Shut the door, please?" she pointed through her giggles. The only way she managed to know that he'd done it was when she felt him loop his arms around her waist. She responded by locking hers around his shoulders, leaning into his hold.

"Looked good," he smirked. "What I saw of it anyway," he added with a shrug.

"Wait until you taste it," she pressed her own vote of confidence in a whisper, and that charmed look on his face only served to make her give him just the right spark of mischief so that he'd feel it even more. He kissed her, and for a solid minute the rest of the world might as well have ceased to exist. But then this was hardly the time or the place to let things get any further, and anyway… "Oh! Guess what," she tapped his chest as the memory came back to her.

"Samples?" he tried.

"Nice try," she smiled, stepping back toward the counter. "Will you settle for bowl scrapings?" Yes, yes, he would. So, as he gathered up what he could with a spoon – alternating between eating one and offering her the next – he was caught up on the plan with Charlie and the Olsens coming for the summer, staying in the senior Friars' house while they were off traveling together.

"So, does that mean I'm fired as your summer assistant?" he asked as he finally had to resolve that there was nothing left in the bowl to be salvaged. He placed it in the sink and inevitably set to cleaning it.

"I assure you, your talents are continually appreciated, here in Maya's Kitchen, as are your services," she informed him in her best business voice. Lucas grinned, tipping his head in thanks. "True, I am bringing outside skill, but that doesn't mean you're out, not at all… Just means you have two bosses now," she added the last tease, and the look on his face was too good to keep her from melting into more giggles.

"Fine, but you're boss number one, yeah?" he guessed, and she gave a coy shrug, showing her hand, where her wedding ring had been returned as soon as she'd finished baking and cleaning up – everything but the bowl with the 'bonus treat.' "Okay, good."

"You love it when I mess with you, huh?" Maya asked, and much as he tried to deny it, his smirk said it all. "I can work with that…"

"Yeah?" Lucas gave her a mock stare down, and she confidently nodded. "Go for it."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners