It seemed that she was baking nowadays with renewed vigor, humming old hymns. She left her kitchen window wide open, and a passerby would be greeted with the wafting aroma. Cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate drifted through the air. On the counter, she kept one cooling tray carelessly near the sill, visible from the sidewalk.
Magnolia knew human temptation always won in the end. Though the boys drifted past, smirking as if disinterested, she sensed their eyes followed her trays of brownies, loaves of bread, and apple pies cooling in the afternoon sun. If Magnolia was satisfied, she hid it well.