Leon rang it up, and Noah handed over a few dollars in change. We chatted with the other patrons for a few minutes, comparing our books and the personalized notes that Vero had written for us.
‘A stay is as good as a change,’ I read, opening mine. ‘Dad will love it. Thanks so much.’
Vero beamed. ‘Thanks for finding the books. It was almost like someone cast a disappearing spell on them! How strange!’
‘So strange,’ I echoed.
‘Wow, that was quite the read,’ said Lara, emerging from the romance room. She was fanning herself with the paperback she’d been perusing. ‘So, what did I miss?’
Chapter 24
THE MISSING PIECE
Back at the Pink House, Rosie was deep in a cake-decorating session as Mom sat by, offering piping recommendations in between dictating an email on her phone. The Bluetooth speaker on the counter crackled with a playlist of eighties hits, the music going in and out as Rosie roamed about the kitchen gathering up piping nozzles and adjusting the settings on her KitchenAid.
Finn – who apparentlywasalive – kicked back on one of the giant couches, quietly strumming at one of Charlie’s guitars. Not the sunburst one from the workbench in the music room, but a glossy tan-coloured instrument so well loved that the varnish on its body had started to wear away.
‘Just in time for dessert!’ Rosie exclaimed, waggling a maple carrot cupcake at me. It had been beautifully iced with a swirl of cinnamon cream cheese and topped with a tidily piped carrot.
‘I did the ones on the rejects plate,’ said Mom. She pointed to half a dozen cupcakes of varying sizes, all sporting lopsided icing and wonky autumnal sugar leaves. ‘They still taste good, I promise. Your stomach won’t know the difference.’
Finn held up a plate covered with crumbs and cupcake wrappers. ‘Amelia tells no lies.’
Noah and I both helped ourselves to cupcakes – a spiced chai one for me, and a cinnamon pumpkin one for Noah. Weleaned against the counter to eat them, although I took a step to one side as I noticed Finn’s attention on me.
‘How was the book signing?’ Rosie was expertly piping some perfect roses onto a cupcake and adding it to the tiered cake stand for the non-reject cupcakes. ‘I do love that shop. I found a book shaped like a cat the first time I went in, you know. Then Cleo showed up on our doorstep the next morning. Kismet.’
‘Kitty-met,’ offered Finn.
‘Don’t quit your day job,’ said Rosie with a rueful grin.
‘What day job?’ said Noah, taking a spatula from a mixing bowl and licking it clean. Spatulas and beaters were, of course, the best bit of any kind of baking. Warnings about raw eggs be damned.
Finn made a face at his brother. And then a rude gesture.
A week or so ago, I would’ve chuckled along at their antics. But now they were starting to exhaust me. The constant bickering, the tension, the weird weather – it was too much.
But it’s because of you, Molly, said a small voice in my head.
Ignoring both the boys and my snarky inner voice, I set down my signed copy on the counter, freeing up my hands to gorge myself on cupcakes. ‘I got a signed one for Dad.’
‘He can store it with his secret cereal-box collection,’ said Mom, dabbing a glob of fallen icing with a napkin. Of course Mom wouldn’t just scoop it up with a finger like a normal person. ‘Where’s Tiff? Did she stay in town?’
I tried not to let a frown darken my features. ‘She and Lara wanted to hang back a bit.’
Ihopedthat was the case, at least. I kept thinking about the way Tiff had looked at Leon, and how ordinarily she’d be on the phone with Damien. When was the last time she’d spoken to Damien, now that I thought of it? What if they’d broken up and she just hadn’t said anything?
Or what if she and Leon were …
No, surely not. Tiff wasn’t like that. Finn, yes. Tiff, no.
‘I think so,’ I hedged. ‘With Lara. They wanted to make the most of the free pizza.’
‘I see you went the jigsaw route, Noah.’ Mom nodded approvingly. She loved a productive hobby.
Noah slid the jigsaw box across the counter so that she could examine the image on the front. She raised her eyebrows at the piece count – all right, so it was going to be an ambitious undertaking.
‘What a glorious scene,’ said Rosie, standing on her tiptoes for a better look. ‘You can set it up on the dining table if you want, since we’re mostly eating outside while you’re here. Or you could try the big table in the sunroom.’
