When she got out, she bounced on her toes for a minute before she reached for my hand.
My heart skipped a beat.
I wanted to ask her if she was continuing the game that she’d started with my mother yesterday—fake getting married—but I was afraid if I asked, she’d pull away.
I didn’t want her to pull away.
Even if she was playing a game, it was better than not having her hand in mine.
I reached for the door to the shop and pulled it open, allowing Nettie to pass inside before I followed her.
Nettie dropped my hand and screeched. “Birdee!”
The woman at the table with the large man who definitely wasn’t her soon-to-be husband looked up.
Her smile was brilliant as she got up and walked toward Nettie.
The two women embraced and started talking a mile a minute.
The man got up and walked over to me, offering me his hand.
“Shade,” I said in greeting.
“How’s it going, Boone?” he asked.
Shade, Birdee, Nettie, Eddy, and I had all been in high school at the same time, though in different graduating classes. I’d graduated two years ahead of Shade and Birdee, while only one before Eddy and Nettie.
Speaking of other classmates, Mable Haynes walked in. Though, when she’d gone to school with us, she was Mable Watts.
“Mable.” Shade nodded his head and left, heading behind the counter to help his mom.
Mable and Shade had never gotten along.
Shade didn’t like how once upon a time, Mable had been mean to Birdee. Though, at the time, Birdee and Mable hadn’t gotten along because their mother/stepmother had played them against each other, creating dramatic lies and scenarios that had kept them hating each other.
All of that had come to a head about a year ago, actually. Though they were all friendly now, it would take some time to see that everyone was genuine in their goodness.
“Hey, babies,” Reyelle called out. “Who’s ordering first?”
Mable gestured for me to go. “I know you have to get to work.”
I looked over at her. “You don’t?”
She beamed. “Actually, I quit last week. I start working full-time on my catering business today.”
My brows rose. “Really? That’s great news, Mable.”
“What’s great news?” Birdee asked as she bumped her sister’s shoulder.
Mable explained.
“Ohh.” Nettie’s eyes went wide as she placed her hands in front of her face in a praying gesture. “Will you please make me that chocolate devil’s food cake you made me in high school?”
The chocolate cake that Nettie had begged Mable to make when she was having her cravings.
Mable remembered that span of time as well, and her eyes went calculating as she said, “Sure. Anytime, Net.”
“Any day now, ladies and gentleman. Those spice cakes aren’t going to make themselves,” Reyelle ordered.
