Page 166 of Never Forever

“Nora,” she called as I walked by and I pretended I didn’t hear her.

Years ago, she’d gotten my fortune dead wrong. Disastrously wrong. Part of me understood it was all bullshit, and maybe it was my fault for believing her, but I was just a kid when she gave me that fortune. And I’d believed in it with my whole soul.

I opened the door to Bobette and Belle and the smell of cake and chocolate and butter and sugar drifted out the door like a comforting hug from a long lost friend.

When the world gave you lemons…bring them to Ms. Mari so she could add butter and sugar and bake them into a pie.

“Hey Ms. Mari,” I said to the curly-haired woman behind the counter. Her black curls were more silver these days, but she was still super funky.

“Oh Nora! I’m so glad to see you. Stella’s been asking about you since we heard you were coming home.”

News of my arrival home to Calico Cove had traveled fast. Too fast. It felt like everyone knew everything. “Is Stella home?” I asked.

Stella had decided not to go to college after high school, choosing culinary school to study baking instead. We’d been good friends in high school.

“Semester doesn’t start until next month. She’s upstairs trying to keep up with demand.” Mari gestured to her display cases, which were looking pretty sparse. The Fall Festival brought tons of people into town and Bobette’s was a popular spot.

“Tell her I’ll give her a call when things calm down. In the meantime, can I have a chocolate cupcake.” There was one left. One beautiful cupcake. Like it was waiting for me.

Mari’s lips twisted as she assessed me “Chocolate huh?”

I nodded, smiling back at her.

“With chocolate icing?”

I nodded again.

“With maybe some chocolate chips inside it?”

She knew my go-to comfort cupcake. Any time I’d suffered heartbreak over boys, school, or…HeWhoShallNotBeNamedI came to Bobette and Belle for the good stuff.

It only made sense I’d end up back here afterTHE INCIDENT.

“I only have a five-dollar bill.” I pulled the crumpled bill pathetically out of my pocket. I had some euros, but that wasn’t going to do me any good. “If that doesn’t cover it-”

“Your money’s no good here, Nora. You know that. Everything your mom and your uncle did for us? This cupcake is on me.”

There was a special perk being a Barnes/Dumont in Calico Cove. My dad was always there to help other fisherman when they needed anything – boat repairs, engine work, when a fisherman got sick.

My mom and uncle supported local businesses with private loans – the first being Bobette and Belle. I didn’t pay forcupcakes, beers, flowers or books in this town. It was beautiful the way people tried to pay my parents back through me and my brothers and sisters.

She bagged up the cupcake and handed it to me over the counter. But when I grabbed it she didn’t let go.

“Nora, honey,” she whispered. “It was awful what happened to you. I want you to know, you are so loved-”

“Thank you, Ms. Mari, I gotta go. You know? Corn hole and stuff.”

I didn’t give her a chance to say anything else. I ripped that bag out of her hand and ran for the door.

There was a bench in the shade, where I could eat my pity cupcake and people watch but was pretty out of the action.

Maybe coming home afterTHE INCIDENTwas a bad idea. Everyone in Calico Cove cared about me except now they were worried about me. They wanted totalkto me.

I shoved half that cupcake in mouth.

Staying in Paris, however, was not an option. So, I came home in shame. To eat chocolate and avoid probing questions.

Ugh.

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