Immediately, Lucy was pulled into a round of hugs. Willow first, and then Mattie. And then Willow again.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” she asked Mattie.
Mattie shrugged. “It’s Wednesday night. Billy said he’d cover me for an hour and to tell you happy birthday even though you didn’t tell anybody. And Sasha is bummed she couldn’t be here, but Billy can’t cook worth a damn. She said we’ll have ice cream after close the next time you’re in.”
“Okay, Nick. You’re up again,” Willow said, gesturing toward a mound of fabric on one of the tables.
Lucy watched Nick lift the cute valances down from their brackets so the windows were bare. And then he replaced each one with long drapes pre-hung on different curtain rods. They blocked out the daylight, and the bakery’s soft lighting and the fairy lights hung around the crown molding gave the place a festive air.
Lucy looked at Willow, confused. “I’m almost afraid to ask what we’ll be doing that we don’t want anybody to be able to see.”
In answer, Willow turned to the door to the kitchen. “All clear!”
The door opened and Taylor burst through, a huge grin lighting up her face. “Surprise!”
Carson was with her, and Lucy got a little weepy as Taylor pulled her in for a hug. She’d had friends who were up for going out for drinks with her on her birthday, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a proper birthday party. With actual friends.
And her sister.
“I’m going to get the cake,” Willow said. “I hope everybody’s ready to sing.”
“Oh no,” Carson whispered, and everybody laughed.
“Back when we were in school, Carson was always just asked to mouth the words when we’d sing for the Christmas program,” Taylor explained.
Carson’s face was a vivid red, but he was grinning. “I did karaoke once at the Keel because I lost a bet, and Billy had to comp everybody a drink to keep them from walking out.”
“You can sing as loud as you want because it’s my party,” Lucy said. “I have to ask, though, what song did you sing at karaoke?”
“That Titanic song by Celine Dion,” he said. “‘My Heart Will Go On.’”
“Ouch.Really?”
“Again, I lost a bet.”
“I guess it’s better than having to shave your head.”
Carson and Taylor shook their heads in unison, making her laugh. Then Carson asked Nick how business was and they started a side conversation while Taylor moved closer to Lucy.
“I know covering the windows was silly, but I hope it’s okay,” Taylor said. “We could have had the party on the deck at the Keel, but…you know. I know I’m a grown woman and it’s ridiculous, but sheismy mom, and rubbing a celebration of your birth in her face seemed like a step too far.”
“I get it, and I’m just glad you’re here. Plus, if we were at the Keel, Lavinia couldn’t come and I’d be down three guests.”
Maybe the thumping noise was Nick shifting the chairs so Willow would be able to set down the cake, but that wouldn’t explain why they all looked down at the floor.
“Sorry, Jacob,” Lucy yelled toward her feet, just in case. “Downfourguests.”
“Okay, everybody,” Willow said as she pushed through the door with the cake in her hand. In the center was a single candle that looked like a chunky thirty, and the flame flickered as she started to sing.
They all sang, even Carson, who was a truly awful singer. But he sang with enthusiasm and Lucy loved it. Nick, she noticed, had a rather nice voice. He might not have made it as a professional, but she’d bet he’d be a hit at karaoke.
She wondered what song he’d sing.
“Okay, make a wish and blow out your candle,” Willow told her when the singing was over.
Lucy’s birthday wish was easy—and thankfully a secret because it involved her and Nick and zero clothes. She leaned close to the cake and inhaled deeply.
But before she could blow, the candle went out.
