Silence.
Jillie slurps hot chocolate loudly.
I immediately shake my head. “No.”
Sadie says it at the exact same time.
“No.”
Maddie presses forward anyway. “One month. Public appearances only. Simple narrative. You met in Briar Cove. You’re seeing where things go. No secrets. No scandal. Interest dies down naturally.”
“Absolutely not,” I repeat.
Sadie nods sharply. “Thank you.”
Maddie points at the café windows.
Three photographers stand outside in the snow.
Waiting. Jillie notices them too. Her smile fades slightly. And suddenly this stops feeling theoretical.
“Mommy,” she whispers quietly, “are they gonna keep following us?”
Sadie’s face changes instantly.
Fear.
Anger.
Protectiveness.
All at once.
I feel something twist hard in my chest again. Because no six-year-old should look scared walking into a bakery.
Maddie softens her voice. “Only while the story stays chaotic.”
I hate this.
Man, I really hate this.
But then Jillie scoots closer to Sadie and asks in a tiny voice: “Did I do something bad?”
That does it.
Completely.
I look at Sadie.
She looks back at me.
And suddenly we are no longer discussing publicity.
We’re discussing damage control for a little girl already learning how cruel strangers can be.
I exhale slowly.
“One month,” I hear myself say.
