She glanced in the direction of Rock Creek House just once before shaking herself. Memories wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had work to do.
Her knees sunk into the earth as she pulled weeds, dirt embedding itself under her fingernails since she refused to wear gloves. She pulled a clump of Queen Anne’s lace and shivered as she remembered the feel of Jake’s arms around her after so long.
Damn it damn it damn it.
She knew she was screwed.
Her weeding paused when she reached the smattering of pastel gladioli that towered like a stack of bonbons dusted with sugar. Remembrance.
The stalks swayed toward her in an enticing dance. Setting down her garden shears, she plucked a bell-shaped bloom and squeezed a drop of juice from the petals, the taste sweet on her tongue.
She had to remember. The pain. She couldn’t forget; there was far too much at risk. He wanted to be friends—and that’s exactly the same trap she’d found herself in before.
But as the fog rose up around her vision, it wasn’t Jake she saw, but a series of dark symbols at the bottom of a lukewarm, blue-patterned teacup.
As her eyes closed, a looming flutter of white appeared again from the forest.
Rum Soaked Peach Muffins with Streusel Topping
Careful with these. They incite euphoria and preserve only happy memories. Peaches are a symbol of youth and immortality. Walnuts symbolize the gathering of energy, especially in beginning new projects. Use this recipe sparingly or it’ll prove the worse for you. You’ve been warned. People who don’t listen to old folk’s wisdom are too stupid to pour piss out of a boot before they put it on.
Ingredients
For the muffins
? cup all-purpose flour
1? teaspoon baking powder
? teaspoon salt
? cup white sugar
? cup brown sugar
1 cup finely chopped peaches canned in syrup divided ? and ?
? cup milk
1 egg
? cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp dark rum
For the streusel topping
? cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
? teaspoon baking powder
? teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Directions
For the muffins
1.?Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.
2.?Dump peaches into sauce pan and add brown sugar and rum, bring to a boil. Turn down to low until all liquid is reduced. Let cool.
3.?Add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar to a large bowl and whisk together to combine.
4.?Add ? c of the peaches and stir well to coat.
5.?Add the milk, egg, oil and vanilla extract, and stir together with a rubber spatula just until the flour disappears.
6.?Portion the batter out into the muffin cups evenly （about ? full）。
For the topping
1.?Combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon and baking powder in a small bowl and stir.
2.?Add the cold butter in chunks and break it up with your fingers in the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3.?Top the muffins with the remaining peaches and with a spoonful of the streusel topping.
4.?Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into one of the muffins comes out clean.
??3??
SADIE WAS THIRTEEN YEARS old and wiping dirt-covered palms on her stained jeans. She had to do something to keep her mind busy while Seth was inside with Gigi. She had no idea what was coming, only that it was important. A ceremony of sorts—the day she’d find out her Revelare curse. Seth, having been born four minutes sooner—something he never let her forget—had gone first. Out in the garden, she straightened and looked at the back door so often she felt like a groundhog peeping its head out of the earth. Seth would tell her what to expect as soon as he came out. She knew he would. Still, she used her forearm to wipe sweat from her forehead despite the spring rainclouds hovering overhead.
Just as she kneeled down again, her knees caked in mud, the screen door banged open.
“Your turn,” he called out, jumping the stairs in one go.
She scrutinized his face, looking for some hint.
“What was it? What happened? What’s your curse?”
“I swore on the lemon tree.” He shrugged, but there was a tightness to it.
“You what?” she demanded. “Why?” She tried to keep the hurt from her voice and failed.
“She made me. Go on—she’s waiting for you.”
“You’re the worst,” she spat out, shoving past him and up the stairs. Before she yanked the screen door open, she scrunched her eyes shut. Seth had never kept anything from her. But she wouldn’t let it dampen this day. She’d been waiting for it since the first moment Aunt Tava had told her about it in hushed tones as she painted Sadie’s fingernails in pink sparkles when she was seven years old.