“I’ll buy everyone whatever dessert they want.”
“That’s a big promise.”
“Skipping stones is a serious business.”
Richard smiled and led her to the shore. “The best stones are usually closest to the water.”
Paris scanned the ground before showing him a stone. “Like this one?”
The flat stone said a lot about Paris’ skipping stone experience. “You weren’t kidding when you said you’re good.”
“Amazing,” Paris corrected. “I used to do this all the time with my granddad.”
Jack hurried toward them with Toto yapping at his heels. “Are you ready?”
Richard nodded. For the first time in years, he was ready for anything life threw at him. Including a woman who would give him any dessert he wanted, as long as his skipping stone didn’t let him down.
Chapter 15
On Wednesday, Richard carried the chocolate cake he’d made to the church’s main meeting room. Shelley, John’s wife, had offered to bake a birthday cake for Jack, but Richard wanted to make it himself. He’d searched the Internet, finally finding a cake that came highly recommended, and hoped for the best.
He couldn’t believe Jack was nine years old today. It only seemed like yesterday he’d brought him home from the hospital with Angie. They’d been excited about the future and scared of looking after a newborn baby. Today, thinking about the time he’d spent with his family before going to Afghanistan made him sad.
No one knew whether Angie’s overdose was a mistake or intentional but, either way, it didn’t matter. Jack had lost his mom, and Richard had lost his best friend.
Jack raced toward him. “Pastor John forgot the ketchup. He’s going back to the church to get it.”
“That’s good. When we’re outside the meeting room, can you open the door? I don’t want to drop the cake.”
Jack kept pace with him. “Nora said you must be clever to bake a cake.”
Nora was Jack’s friend. They spent a lot of time together at the after school-programs. “I’m not sure about clever, but I’m pleased with how it turned out. What do you think?”
Jack’s gaze moved to the whale-shaped cake. “It’s the best birthday cake ever.”
A warmth spread through Richard’s chest. He’d stressed about decorating it, worried it wouldn’t turn out as good as the picture he’d seen. Creating the pale gray frosting had been a mission but, once the blue waves covered the worst bits, it looked pretty good.
He held the box a little tighter. “After the cake is on the table, all we need to do is hang the banners.”
“When will everyone arrive?”
“Soon. We told them to be here at four o’clock, and it’s nearly that now.”
Wednesday afternoons were usually quiet in the village, but not today. Jack had wanted to invite everyone to his birthday, which was why they were having it in the church. Instead of presents, they’d asked everyone to bring a small plate of food to share.
When he walked into the meeting room, Richard was surprised at how much decorating had been done. In the time it took him to go home and collect the cake, the banners had been strung across the windows, and helium-filled balloons bobbed against the ceiling.
“What do you think?” John asked from behind him.
“It’s fantastic.”
“It’s amazing,” Jack said in awe. “Look at all the food.”
Richard’s eyes widened when he saw the table. There wasn’t a spare inch of space for another plate. “Where did it come from?”
Before John could reply, the main doors burst open. Jack’s friends streamed into the room, singing “Happy Birthday”.
Richard placed the cake on a small table and lit the candles. Instead of being overwhelmed with all the attention, Jack was enjoying every moment.
