Page 7 of Amber: Deja Brew

“No, we’re not!” Julian yells, his voice getting more agitated by the minute. “There’s no baby! Mom, tell them there's no baby!”

“What was that, dear?” Mrs. Wade asks. “Sorry, I was just talking to your sis—”

“Tell them we’re not having a baby.”

“Oh, of course you’re not having a baby.”

“They’re not?” Erin whines.

“Well, that’s disappointing,” Kris says.

“Isn’t it?” Taylor sighs.

“I’m sure they’ll be having babies in no time, girls,” Mrs. Wade tells them.

I wait for Julian to shout that we’re not having babies anytime soon, but this time, he doesn’t say a thing. Before I can start to worry about what that might mean, Mrs. Wade changes the subject.

“You know, Juli. Now that your dad’s retired, he’s been talking about opening a restaurant.”

“He has?” Julian asks.

“He’d be great at it,” I add. Whenever I’ve visited, he’s always been experimenting in the kitchen, making gourmet meals with a touch of magic.

“He’s been trying out all the dishes on me and the girls,” Mrs. Wade says happily.

“And he has a job!” Erin cries.

“He’s been working at a local restaurant part-time to learn the business,” Mrs. Wade explains. “But I’m hoping you two could help him with his business plan.”

“We’d be happy to help,” Julian says.

“Of course,” I add.

“Great. We’ll pack our bags and head down in the morning.”

“You can’t!” Julian cries.

“Why on Earth not?” Mrs. Wade demands.

“Because...” Julian shoots me a wide-eyed, pleading look. “Dad has to work.”

“He’s off for the rest of the week, so—”

“Erin has school!” Julian shouts.

“And Erin can afford to miss a day or two. Isn’t that right, Erin?”

“Of course,” Erin says, sounding disgruntled. Then she shouts into the phone so loudly her voice echoes around the room, “I’m not a little kid, Juli!”

“See? She’s not a little kid, Juli.” His mom chuckles. “Now, let me call your dad and look up flights and...”

"Mom, no! We're not ready for guests. And we don't have the space."

"Oh, don't you worry. I'm sure we can find a nice bed and breakfast to stay at."

“Mom, you can’t. Things are so busy at the cafe. We won’t even have time to talk to Dad or show you around!"

“Sure we will,” I interject. “We can—”