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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Katie Powner
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

“Sorry we’re late,” Frank said. “You know how it is.”

Frank was always the first person to arrive at the church building and the last person to leave. And he always dropped everything when someone needed to talk.

“Don’t worry about it.” Mitch gestured for them to find a seat. “We’re glad you’re here.”

Bea fished around in the junk drawer and came up with a handful of candles and a lighter while Marge took out little plates from the cupboard. She knew right where they were. Mitch watched her warily, hoping Frank wouldn’t notice. She seemed so at home here.

He tried to examine his heart to see if that bothered him, but it was too full of memories of Caroline. All the birthday cakes she’d made. All the birthday kisses. Year after year of little surprises hidden around the house, just for him.

He didn’t need those things. He could get by just fine without gifts, or a cake for that matter. But without Caroline?

Bea stuck the candles in the cake and lit them. “Ready?”

As she carried the cake over and set it in front of him, everyone sang the birthday song. Frank belted it out as if leading the congregation. Marge’s eyes twinkled like the amethyst stones hanging from the bottom of her metal hoop earrings.

She caught him looking and sang a little louder. “Happy birthday, dear Miiitch . . .”

All of a sudden, he couldn’t remember Caroline’s voice singing the familiar song. Couldn’t hear it.

“Happy birthday to you.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

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Mitch snuck one more bite of cake from the plate before covering it with plastic wrap. “You look beat, B.B. Why don’t you go sit on the couch. Jeremy and I can finish up.”

She scrubbed at one of the cake pans and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Their company had gone home about an hour ago after sticking around to visit for quite a while. He’d practically had to push Marge out the door. Then he and Jeremy and Bea had eaten some meat sticks and leftover cake for dinner and started cleaning up the kitchen. He’d thrown Bea’s unused baking attempt in the garbage when she wasn’t looking.

Jeremy took the pan from her hands and gently nudged her aside. “He’s right. You should go rest.”

She looked back and forth between their faces as if trying to gauge how serious they were, then held up her hands. “All right. I surrender.”

She trudged from the kitchen and disappeared. Mitch grabbed a dishrag from the sink to wipe the table.

Jeremy rinsed the cake pan and set it on a towel. “She doesn’t like that name, you know.”

Mitch frowned. “What name?”

“B.B. She doesn’t want people calling her that anymore.”

Mitch’s neck tensed. “It’s just an old habit. She doesn’t mind.”

“Yes, she does.”