She’d better be. As she drove to Francie’s, Ahri debated again if she should buy her own little clunker after all. Maybe the Diederiks would help her with it.
When Ahri entered the B&B, she was greeted by the delicious fragrance of freshly baked bread. Her stomach growled.
“I’m home,” she called.
“I hope you had a good day.” Francie gave Ahri a quick hug when she stepped into the kitchen. “You’re off the hook. My weekend guests had a family emergency and canceled, so you and the kids will have the house to yourselvesthis weekend.”
“Okay.” Relief washed over Ahri, and she felt a little guilty. Caring for the children was no problem. Stepping in for Francie in the kitchen was a whole other thing.
After the childrenhad taken their baths, Ahri had settled down on the couch to read them a bedtime story. Even though it was a Friday night, Francie had them trained to go to bed early. Car engines and the sound of tires crunching on the gravel driveway made them all perk up.
“It’s Rafe’s car,” Lessa cried as she jumped off the couch.
Nik ran after her, so Ahri followed. What would bring Rafe here tonight? He hadn’t mentioned coming over at the office.
Surprisingly, it was Darius who stepped onto the porch first, carrying a box in one hand and a laptop case in the other. Behind him came all four guys, equally laden.
“Hey, Ahri.” She opened the door for Darius, and he stepped inside.
“Happy Birthday, sis.” Kayn jogged up the steps and kissed her on the cheek. “Since you’re babysitting, we decided to bring the party to you.”
“Thank you.” Still holding the door, she blinked at the burning in her eyes. Of course her brother wouldn’t let her ignore her birthday.
As Ezreal brushed past her, he shot her a shy glance and mumbled something that could have been a birthday greeting. Rafe was the last one to the door, Lessa and Nik struggling under the weight of a shopping bag they carried between them.
“I didn’t know it’s your birthday!” Nik cried, his eyes bright. His birthday had been a few days before she arrived in Boone, so the memory was fresh on his mind. “Rafe brought a cake.”
“And Ezreal got the ice cream. See.” Lessa tried to lift the bag.
“Show it to her in the kitchen.” Rafe grinned at Ahri. “Happy Birthday a little early.”
“You all didn’t have to do this.”
“He fired up his kitchen for the first time and baked you a cake,” Kayn said, coming out of the kitchen. “Something called a Hummingbird Cake.”
Flushing, Rafe scowled at her brother and made a dismissal sound.
“Kayn said you like bananas.” Rafe headed for the kitchen, carrying a square pastry box. “It’s got pineapple and pecans too. I hope that’s all right.”
“It sounds delicious.”
Ahri hurried into the kitchen to get down the plates. While Rafe removed the cake from the box, the others made short work of setting up for the party. He used one of his mother’s spatulas to straighten the frosting and then sprinkled chopped pecans on top.
“What did you call it again?” she asked.
“Here in the South we call it a Hummingbird Cake,” Rafe said. “Rumor has it that it came from Jamaica where it’s called a Doctor Bird Cake.”
“What kind of frosting?” Ahri asked.
“Cream cheese, of course.”
“Can we eat it yet?” Nik whined.
“We have to sing first,” Ez whispered. “Remember?”
“What about the candles?” Lessa asked.
“Grownups don’t need candles,” Ahri said. “Don’t remind me of my age.”
