I’d just finished buckling them when I heard voices outside my open window. Walking over, I expected to see Ben, or maybe Jilly and Michael Salem, who were alsojoining us. But the yard was empty, whoever had arrived already out of sight under the front porch overhang. When I headed back downstairs to greet them, though, there was only William, shutting the front door. When he saw me, he jumped, startled.
“You’re supposed to be upstairs,” he said, shifting what I now saw was a box in his arms, on the top the name of a bakery just down from the office.
“It only takes so long to pick out shoes,” I said. “What’s that?”
He looked down at the box as if he’d never seen it before. “This? Oh. Nothing.”
“Looks like a cake,” I pointed out.
“Itmightbe a cake,” he said. “It could also be any number of other things that come in boxes.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Looks like a cake,” I said again.
“Fine.” He sighed, shaking his head and looking at the ceiling. “If you must know—”
“I must,” I said. I always got such a kick out of seeing William squirm. It was like the best birthday present ever.
“—I made you a chocolate chip cheesecake last night for your birthday. It was perfect, until I tried to put it into the car to bring here and dropped it all over the console.”
“Iloveyour chocolate chip cheesecake,” I said.
He gave me a pained look. “Are you trying to make me feel awful?”
“William.” I smiled. “It’s fine. I love any kind of cake, you know that. I’m just glad we’re all together.”
“Well, this is from Sweet Tooth, so it’s going to be good,” he pointed out, nodding at the box. “Thank goodness Ambrose was just leaving the office and could run out and get one. He’s a lifesaver. I just hope he has good taste in desserts. I left it all up to him.”
“Ambrose?” I said. “That’s who was just here?”
“Well, you weren’t supposed to know,” he said, “but clearly my shoe subterfuge was as lame as I suspected.”
I turned, looking out the glass panel by the door. The street was quiet, no one in sight. What did I want to see, anyway? We’d wrapped things up as neatly as could be expected after all our messy threads. End of story. Once and for all.
“William?” Matt called out from the kitchen. “I’m wondering about crackers or baguette with this artisanal blue. Can you weigh in?”
“Coming,” he replied, setting the box down on the hallway table just as the doorbell rang. Immediately, my mom came inside from the back deck, smoothing her hair. I took a look through the glass: standing there was a dark-haired man in a sport jacket, holding a huge bouquet of flowers.
Behind me, William and Matt were huddled over the cheese plate, their voices low. I heard William laugh, the sound a comfort as always, then looked at my mom again, the smile that broke across John’s face as she opened the door to face him. So much happiness at once; it was almost too much, like a bright light that made me squint.
This was how it was supposed to be, I thought, as I walked over to the Sweet Tooth box, looking down at it. Carefully, I eased it open, immediately smelling sugar: thecake was round and chocolate frosted, dotted with white icing roses.HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOUNA, it said in an arc of perfect lettering on the top. And below, smaller:MAKE A WISH.
I blinked, immediately feeling a lump rise in my throat.I left it all up to him, William had told me. I thought of that night with the candles, how frustrated I’d been by Ambrose’s insistence on blowing them out his way, and then of the wish wall at Maya and Roger’s wedding, the second chances I’d asked for. I’d made so many wishes, though, that hadn’t come true.
My mom was coming down the hallway now, John in tow: I saw she was holding his hand, her cheeks pink, happier than I’d ever seen her. “This is Louna,” she said, taking my arm. “Louna, this is John Sheldon.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” I said, as the doorbell rang again.
“Happy birthday.” Up close, I saw what I’d thought was one big bouquet was actually two smaller ones. He handed me a bunch of daisies, then gave my mother the other, gorgeous, frilly peonies. Her favorite. Nice. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Of course,” I said, as the doorbell rang again. “One second, let me just get this. I think it’s my boyfriend.”
As I left them, I realized this was the first time I’d referred to him this way out loud. It felt strange in my mouth, in a way I hadn’t expected, something I tried to swallow as I went down the hallway to the door. When I opened it, Ben was standing there with a bunch of balloons, more flowers, and what was clearly a tennis racket, wrapped in pink paper decorated with hearts. He had his phone in his hand andsnapped a picture of my face before I could even manage to smile.
“Hey,” I said, blinking. “Is this the surprise?”
“One of them,” he replied, stepping forward and kissing me on the cheek. No dive bomb: I saw it coming, and didn’t flinch a bit. “Sorry I’m late. There was all this traffic. A dog darted out in the road and some guy followed and got hit trying to grab it. Total gridlock.”
Instantly, I felt cold. “A dog? Was... is everyone okay?”
