My cheeks turned pink with their praise, and I took a long sip of my drink. Summer opened the box of pastries, and I smiled when I saw it was filled with my favorite Swedish cardamom buns—the ones I couldn’t eat anymore without thinking of Leo.
“I got the recipe from Frida, so hopefully they’re good,” she said, setting two of them on the plate in front of me.
I’d already eaten half of one by the time my friends took theirs. “They’re amazing,” I said around another huge bite. I held out a small piece for Felix, which he delicately took from my hand.
“Don’t let James see you,” Ivy said, cocking an eyebrow. Her beta was the town vet, who was growing increasingly stressed about Felix’s diet. He’d done a presentation at the last town meeting that consisted of a series of slides labeledCat Food, with pictures of kibble and cans of wet foot, andNot Cat Food, with pictures of cakes, hamburgers, and fries.
“I only gave him a small piece.” I widened my eyes innocently, pointedly ignoring the fact that Felix was sneaking large bites of the pastry in my hand from under the table.
Ivy shook her head. “I saw nothing.”
Summer dished up fruit salad into small bowls. “So, Lucy. Last year in your twenties. How are you feeling?”
“Well, I had three mental breakdowns yesterday, but I haven’t had one yet today, so that’s promising.”
“No! Why mental breakdowns? My thirties have been my favorite decade so far,” Ivy said.
The horrible urge to snap at my friend came over me. It was easy for her to say. She’d found her pack.
I took a deep breath. Ivy wasn’t the one I was frustrated with. “That’s good. Something to look forward to.” My smile felt weird and plastic. “And in the meantime, I’ve been reading up on my Saturn return era.”
“What’s that?” Olive asked.
“It takes Saturn twenty-nine years to complete a rotation around the sun, so every twenty-nine years you’re in your Saturn return,which signals a lot of big life changes.” My friends looked just as confused as before, but I pressed on. “This is the year I’m going to find myself. I started making a list of what I want to do, like read my horoscope every day, see a fortune teller, get my aura photographed, and a bunch of other stuff.”
“Oohhh, I love that! What did your horoscope say today?” Olive asked.
“I’m not sure because my newspaper hadn’t arrived yet. Ever since Kevin took over the paper route from his sister, I’m lucky if I get the newspaper by lunch.” And theStarlight Tribunedid not have an online version.
“Wait, you’re getting yours on the correct day? My lastStarlight Tribunearrivedthree days late,” Ivy said. “We ended up at a showing ofLove Under the Bleachersat the movie theater instead ofNotting Hill.”
Olive snorted. “Love Under the Bleachersis a classic.”
“Classily bad,” Ivy groaned. “Although I did like the alien flash dance.”
While Summer got up to demonstrate said dance, Olive put her arm around me. “Your Saturn return plan sounds fun, Luce. I’ll come with you for any of it. I just hope you know that you don’t need to find yourself. You’re not lost.”
I leaned my head against her shoulder. I’d known Olive for less than a year, but I couldn’t imagine my life without her. No matter what she said, though, I’d been adrift for a while now, probably since beforetheycame into my life, but certainly after they’d left it in flames.
But it was a new year, a new phase of life. I sent all my hopes for a fresh start into the universe, envisioning triumphing over the growing pains of my Saturn return and welcoming all the good surprises waiting for me.
4
Lucy
“Drumroll, please.” I made asound that bore a vague resemblance to a drum, and Felix gave me an unimpressed stare from his spot on my sewing chair.
“Hey, it’s my birthday. You have to be nice to me.” I scowled, but he just swished his tail. Whatever goodwill I’d gained from sharing this morning’s cardamom bun apparently hadn’t lasted to this afternoon.
“Okay, fine. You can save your enthusiasm for the big reveal.” I reached into my large tote bag. “Ta-da!” I held up the outfit I’d sewn for him—a collared shirt with a strawberry print and matching hat and bow tie. “Now, I know you have a thing about the color red,” I said, fending off his meows of protest, “but I promise it’s all in your head. You lookgreatin red, and I really wanted to make a dress with this pattern and you need an outfit to match. Plus, it’s my birthday, so I should get my way.”
Felix flopped to his side in a move I interpreted as resigned acceptance, and I beamed. “Thanks, Mr.Mayor. You won’t regret it, and your fans will love it.”
I got him dressed before hurrying into the back room and putting on my matching strawberry dress. I’d lain down for a quick nap after brunch and ended up sleeping way longer than I’d planned. I had to move fast to get to my moms’ in time for my birthday dinner.
I drummed my fingers against my lips. “Where should we take pictures? It’s too early in the season for the strawberry patch, but we could see if there are wildflowers in the field by the lighthouse?”
Felix meowed in approval.
