Evelyn shook her head again, but this time with a smile. “She may not want to come. Last time at bingo, things got so competitive I nearly brought a baseball bat!”

Juniper smiled softly, her heart tugging between duty and desire, the weight of her choices bearing down on her like the snowfall outside. “I wish I could, but I have a lot to prepare for tomorrow.”

“Big day at work?” Evelyn asked, concern threading through her voice like a subtle undercurrent.

Juniper nodded, swirling the remaining coffee in her mug, the dark liquid reflecting her pensive expression. She had a feeling that tomorrow’s meeting would be a turning point, for better or worse. “Something like that.”

“Just remember to take care of yourself. Don’t let it consume you,” Evelyn said softly, her eyes searching her daughter’s face, looking for a glimpse of the carefree girl she once knew behind the mask of determination.

“I won’t,” Juniper promised, though a flicker of doubt lingered, an unspoken uncertainty hanging in the air between them.