“I’m not doing anything,” she said, eyes already glassy.
“You’re doing something.”
She made a choked noise, ran around the counter in one fluid, desperate motion, and crashed into me with a hug so full-force it nearly knocked me backward. Arms locked around my ribs, face buried in my neck, rocking us like we were twelve again and the world had just broken something important. She was shaking, and I could feel the hot press of tears against my skin.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered, voice thick and cracking. “I’m so damn proud I could combust. You brave, beautiful idiot. Look what you did. Did you save the town? You might have. Also,Somebody Said in Sweebriaris you. I had no freaking idea.”
I hugged her back just as hard, laughing through the sudden rush of tears, the two of us swaying in the middle of the Stop & Go like we were the only people in the world. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more,” she said, sniffling loudly into my shoulder. “Never pull away like that again—hiding out from life, keeping everything locked up tight—or I’ll smother you with affection until you beg for mercy.” She finally pulled back, swiping at her face with both hands, mascara already smudged in dark streaks under her eyes. “Okay. Composure. We’re adults. Sort of.”
I laughed again, softer this time, wiping at my own cheeks. “Sort of,” I agreed.
She gave me one last quick squeeze on the arms before stepping back fully, exhaling like she’d just run a mile. “God, look at us. Crying in the Stop & Go before noon. Elizabeth’s going to ban us for emotional contamination.”
“Too late,” Elizabeth called from the back without turning around. “I’ve already witnessed the crime scene. You’re both on probation.”
Harper grinned through the mess of her face. “See? We’re fine. We’re great.” She reached up, thumbed a stray tear from under my eye with surprising gentleness. “You’re really okay?”
I nodded. “Getting there. Thanks to you.”
“I’m always here for you. Always,” she said simply, and the word carried nineteen years of history behind it.
Bella, still perched on her stool, watched the whole exchange with patient interest. “Mom’s mascara is ruined,” she observed calmly.
Harper groaned. “Thanks for the update, kiddo.”
“You’re welcome,” Bella said, as casual as could be. She tilted her head, regarding me with calm, seven-and-a-half-year-old certainty. “I knew it was you,” she said.
I blinked. “Did you?”
“From the first episode I heard. The voice was just your voice, but lower. And you always say ‘the thing is’ before something important. You did it every time.” She shrugged one small shoulder. “I always knew. I don’t know how everyone else didn’t figure it out. You talk the same way when you’re telling me stories. You pause in the same places. It was so obvious.”
I stared at her. “You knew? This whole time?”
Bella gave a small, sheepish shrug, still wiping at her eyes. “Pretty much. I didn’t even tell my mom. We listened together sometimes, and she never figured it out.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” My voice came out quieter than I meant it to.
Bella met my gaze, soft and steady. “Because if you’d wanted anyone to know, you would have said so. I liked your stories. I can keep a secret.”
I swallowed hard, throat tight again. “I wasn’t ready for anyone to know. You were right. Thank you.”
“I’m proud of you, Becca,” Harper said, then hugged Bella. “You too, my little secret keeper.”
“Thank you.” I breathed deeply, trying not to cry again.
Bella looked pleased with herself. “Can I have hot chocolate?”
“I’ll get it,” Elizabeth called, already moving.
She slid a hot chocolate in front of Bella with a grin.
Bella cradled her cup with both hands and took a solemn sip. “Little marshmallows. The good ones. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Elizabeth called back, already at the back of the store.
Harper and I shared a look—the silent language of childhood besties, now wet-eyed and brighter than it had been in a long time. They gathered their things to leave. Bella paused at the door and then announced, “I’m telling my class about the podcast for show-and-tell. I’ll describe it accurately, so make the next one good.”
