Normally Jamie King entered the house from the back, but he'd noticed a package on the stoop of the front door as he pulled in. He went around, picked it up, and reached for the doorknob. The second the front door opened, he heard a wail coming from inside. Recognizing it as Callie's voice he dropped everything and rushed toward the sound.

He found his wife in the kitchen. She was crumpled on the floor crying uncontrollably. His heart dropped fearing the worst.

"Callie? What's wrong? What happened?" he demanded as he knelt down beside her searching for any visible sign of an injury. Seeing no blood, he lightly moved his hands down her arms. Nothing seemed to be broken.

Callie took a deep breath. "I-I-I am n-n-n-not h-h-hurt," she managed to stutter out before a new stream of tears began flowing.

Jamie did the only thing he could do. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. Then he rocked her slowly while rubbing her back and humming softly. Eventually the sobbing stopped.

She looked up at him with the red eyes and the saddest expression he'd ever seen on her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Jamie smiled softly and gave her another hug. "I'm just glad you're safe. You are okay, right?"

For a moment he thought a new wave of tears was about to begin, but Callie took a deep breath. "I'm fine, but dinner is ruined," she stated mournfully.

For the first time since he'd entered, Jamie looked around the kitchen. She'd obviously been cooking all afternoon in preparation for Lee and his mother coming over tonight. On the oven was a pan of what he guessed had been meat at some point. A bowl on the counter was filled with some kind of greenish mush. Other attempts at dishes were scattered around.

"It's the first time we're hosting a dinner at our new house, and I ruined it!"

Suddenly a voiced called out, "Jamie! Callie!" It was Lee. Jamie realized that in his panic he had left the front door wide open with the mail scattered on the floor.

"Lee, it's okay!" he called back. "We're in the kitchen."

His mother's voice came from the back door, "Sweetheart?"

"Kitchen Mom," Jamie replied.

Called groaned as Lee and Amanda entered from separate sides. Both of them had their weapons drawn.

"Guys, it's okay," he reassured them. Despite the confused looks the two holstered their guns.

Amanda glanced around the kitchen. She quickly took in the sight and figured out what was going on. Taking charge she pulled Callie up to her feet. "Fellas, you need to get this place straightened up. I'm taking Callie upstairs so she can get a shower and change. Then we are going out to eat."

"No," Callie argued, "You don't have to do that. I can put something together."

"No, no, no," Amanda insisted. "You've had a rough day, and we are going out."

An hour and a half later, they were seated around a table laughing about what had happened.

"Are you feeling better now?" Lee asked Callie.

"Yes, just a little embarrassed," she confessed.

"You don't have any reason to be," Amanda comforted her. "It happens to everyone."

"I don't understand. I followed all of your recipes exactly. I can't figure out what happened."

"My recipes?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, the ones from your recipe box," Callie explained.

"Which box?" Her mother-in-law quickly questioned.

"The blue one with the ribbon."

A gleam of understanding came to Amanda's face. "Ohhh. That's not mine. It was my mother's."

"But…I thought she was a good cook." Callie was even more perplexed.

By this time Lee had caught on too, "She was a great cook, just not a very trusting one." He snickered.

"What?" Callie wasn't getting the point.

Amanda explained, "Mother was always concerned that someone.."

"Her sister Lillian," Lee interjected.

"Someone," Amanda gave him a stern look, "was going to steal her recipes. So she would purposely write the recipe with a mistake in it. Something that wouldn't be noticeable, but would ensure that the dish wouldn't turn out correctly. She was the only one who knew how to make it correctly."

Jamie grinned. "That sneaky genius," he said with admiration.

The table was quiet as the three who had known and loved Dotty took a moment to reflect.

Unsure how to cheer them up, Callie tried changing the subject. "Actually, we can go back to the house for dessert. THAT recipe turned out perfect."

"What did you make?" Jamie asked curiously.

"Pilgrim's Peach Puff," his wife stated proudly.

To Callie and Jamie's confusion, their dinner companions burst into laughter. They could only stare at each other as they wondered what was so funny.

"You're right," Amanda said with a loving look at Lee when she could finally speak, "Pilgrim's Peach Puff always turns out perfect."