Money problems were their new reality, but Mom had insisted they take tonight to act like everything was normal before they started penny pinching in the morning. Mom didn’t want Greta’s first memories of their new home to be full of stress and worry.
The ice cream shop was only a block away, with a cute neon sign featuring the shop’s name in curly letters inside three scoops of ice cream.
“Can I actually have three scoops?” Greta asked when they pulled in. “I know which flavors I want.”
Mom smiled. “Maybe just this once.”
Marianne linked arms with Elinor as soon as they got out of the car and hurried her up to the door.
“No matchmaking,” Elinor warned, knowing the plea was futile. Once Marianne got an idea in her head, it was nearly impossible to talk her out of it.
Marianne laughed. “Anything I do will be counteracted by your standoffishness anyway. So, let’s go in there and start sending him mixed messages.”
“Oh, joy.”
Inside, Edward was waiting in a booth large enough to fit them all, but he hopped up to meet them at the counters where they all stared down at the tubs. Choosing ice cream flavors was serious business. Even Greta, who had claimed to have her flavors picked out, could no longer decide.
“These orders are all together,” Edward told the teenage kid behind the counter. “I’ll have one scoop of rocky road inside a waffle cone.”
“You don’t need to pay. That’s not why we invited you.” Elinor started to pull out her wallet from her purse, but Edward’s hand came down gently over hers. The touch of his warm fingers left her temporarily dumbstruck.
“Please let me.”
She schooled her features and looked up at him. “All right.”
When he turned away, Marianne did a little happy dance with her pointer fingers, making eyes at Elinor.
“Stop that,” Elinor hissed. She pushed past her ridiculous sister and ordered a Neapolitan-flavored cone, avoiding the ice cream clerk’s half-hidden smirk. Perfect. In this small town, everyone would know in no time at all about Marianne’s silly victory dance and Elinor’s hopes.
Mom touched Elinor’s arm before whispering. “We have to go as soon as we get our ice cream.”
“What’s the matter?” She looked at Mom’s face before noticing Greta’s tear-stained one.
“Greta forgot to lock Babbity’s cage, and the house has those doggy doors.”
Oh, no. They should have secured those blasted doors with tape before they left. Like any good rabbit, Babbity was a natural escape artist. But Greta needed reassurances, not doubts. Elinor pulled Greta to her and whispered into her hair, “I’m sure Babbity’s in her cage, and if not, she probably found a nice packing box to hide in and wait for us. Don’t worry.”
“Do you think?” Greta sniffed. Her three scoops of ice cream were ready, and after they handed it to her, she held it without eating it.
“I do. We’ll find her.” Elinor walked to Edward, who was paying at the register. She felt terrible now, like they only showed up to get free ice cream out of him. Ice cream gold-diggers, that’s what they were.
“I’m so sorry. We have to go. Pet emergency at home. It was so nice to meet you.”
It was too soon for hugs, and they were both holding ice cream cones in their right hands, so she gave him a friendly nod before dragging a confused Marianne out of the shop.
“Bye, Edward,” Marianne called over her shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll run into you again.”
