Page 8 of The Girl and the Lies

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Let’s eat,” Dean says. “Xavier wouldn’t let us eat anything until you got here.”

“There’s all kinds of stuff in the kitchen,” Bellamy says.

“And we have this,” Eric announces, holding up the bags of Thai food. “I really did go pick up the food order. And, Xavier… extra peanut sauce.”

“Excellent,” he says calmly. I start for the kitchen, but he stops me. “Wait, Emma. You’re not ready yet.”

“I’m not?”

He picks up a yellow party hat and plops it down on my head.

“Proceed.”

We go into the kitchen, and everyone fills plates with food, which we bring into the dining room and living room to eat. I can’t believe they pulled this off. I don’t know how they managed to keep the secret from me. It’s a good thing nothing more serious happened while I was in Ashbury keeping me there.

We’re finishing up when Cupcake lifts her hands up in the air to get everyone’s attention.

“Time for games!” she says.

“Games?” I ask.

“Of course,” she says. “You can’t have a classic birthday party without some classic birthday party games. I hope you are ready to pin the tail on the donkey!”

I do not by any means feel ready to pin the tail on the donkey. But she is so excited I can’t turn her down.

It turns out they have planned an entire party that would have been the highlight of the year for any six-year-old—complete with games, goodie bags, and cake and ice cream. We discover a competitive streak in Xavier as he aggressively tries to get the tail in the precise right position and it looks like the anxiety is going to get the most of him as we play musical chairs. Bebe is having the time of her life.

“I made it for you,” Cupcake announces as I’m opening gifts. “I hope you like it.”

I reach into the gift bag sitting on my lap and pull out a large, plush crocheted cinnamon roll with big eyes and a smile.

I laugh. “It’s amazing. Thank you, Cupcake.”

“It’s scented,” she tells me.

I bury my nose in the plush and breathe in the smell of cinnamon.

“She’s been so excited to give that to you she almost ruined the surprise,” Xavier says.

Cupcake giggles and rests her head on his shoulder. He leans his head over to rest on hers for a moment, and I feel my heart squeeze.

The party wears on until well after Bebe has fallen asleep on the couch. Eventually, Eric scoops her into his arms to carry her back to my house. Sam already invited them to stay with us for the night and got the guest room ready without me knowing, so Bellamy takes the little girl from her father’s arms and carries her the rest of the way to the bed when we get to the house.

“I’m going to grab a shower and put on some pajamas,” I tell Eric. “You going to be up for a little while?”

“Yeah, there’s actually something I wanted to show you if you’re up for it,” he says. “I know we just had your birthday party, but if you’re willing to think about work again, it might interest you.”

“Sure,” I say. “I’ll be right back.”

When I’ve showered and am in my favorite summertime pajamas, I go to the kitchen to make some tea and bring it with me into the living room. Eric is watching TV when I get there, but he grabs the remote and mutes it when he sees me. He picks up his tablet from where it was sitting on the coffee table, and I sit down beside him.

“Have you ever heard of Tracy Ellis?” he asks.

“No,” I say. “Who is that?”

“She calls herself a faith-based inspirational speaker and writer. Essentially a multimedia televangelist. She’s pretty controversial. A lot of people don’t like her style or the kinds of messages that she preaches. But there are others who think that she’s the greatest spiritual voice of our time.”

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