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Zach smirked. “Would probably make for a good hat. His ass is cute.”
Everyone howled at that, Blake covering his pink cheeks.
“How about one that says They’re Not Sprinkles, They’re Jimmies,” Tyler added.
“That’s actually brilliant,” Calvin replied.
“What about The War Room?” Blake added.
“Or Warning: Milkshakes May Explode,” Jay teased, winking at Melanie.
Melanie gave him the finger in response. “That only happened to me once.”
“Be careful,” Rory added. “You’ll be saying that forever.”
“Rory, dropping an entire cake is different than one milkshake explosion on the wall,” Blake said.
“I DIDN’T DROP IT! SHE BUMPED INTO ME!”
They all were laughing now, fighting back and forth. And yet, she secretly loved it. Loved having her family together, no matter how sticky it got.
“How about The Scoopers,” she said.
Melanie smiled, wiggling in her seat. “I love it.”
“We could sell them at the shop,” Calvin said, his brain in business mode.
“Is this our life now?” Jay asked. “Hey, army boy, not everything is about making money.”
“Says the guy who’s saving up to move to Japan,” Calvin responded with a flick of his hand.
Rory whipped her head toward Jay as the group went still. Jay remained silent, glaring down at Calvin.
“That’s it,” Blake said, hopping up. “New rule: No more secrets. My heart can’t take it anymore. Why am I always the last to know everything?”
“You weren’t the last to know,” Jay said coolly. “Because no one knew.”
The group stayed silent as Jay hopped off the railing, making his way to the porch swing. He grabbed Melanie’s hands, kissing her knuckles. “Sweet Mel, happy birthday.”
She nodded, and then the Scoopers watched as Jay got in his car, escaping into the night.
Melanie looked over at Calvin. “Babe, really?”
“Did you know?” Rory whispered, tears pricking her eyes.
“No,” Melanie responded. “But I did know they had a meeting recently.”
“About what?”
“Jay told me that he wouldn’t be around next summer,” Calvin said. “Wanted to give me enough warning to hire and train someone new.”
“Because he’s moving to Japan?”
“He wants to transfer to a school out there,” he explained. “Says there’s a program he’s interested in.”
“What program?”
Calvin just shook his head. “I’ve said enough. I think at this point you need to talk to him.”
