“Oh, well, the rock-bank camp kids are such a great group of people, and we have so much fun together! I always learn something new from each of them. For example, one of them just did a Kickstarter campaign—”

Tamiko did a facepalm and shook her head. “I’m so sorry I have to leave you to deal with this crazy socialite by yourself while I’m away, Alley Cat!”

Sierra just grinned and shook her head at us.

Tamiko and her family were leaving the next day for their vacation in Japan. I was dreading her departure, since she was so much fun and the three of us were so well balanced as a work team and best-friend group. It was funny, but I almost felt nervous about it being just Sierra and me alone. Tamiko had a way of speaking the truth, clearing the air, and calling us on any silliness, and she always kept everything running smoothly.

Plus, I didn’t have a ton of friends, so with Tamiko away, 50 percent of my best friends would be gone.

I guessed Sierra felt sad about it too, because she moaned, “It’s not going to be the same without you here, Tamiko!”

Tamiko sighed dramatically. “I’m going to Japan, not another planet,” she said. “And it’s only for three weeks. We’ll keep in touch via SuperSnap, and we can even FacePage if you want. Instead of being sad, think of all the cool souvenirs I’m going to bring you back from Tokyo. You know, in Japan it’s a tradition for businesspeople to bring souvenirs—usually food—back for their coworkers when they go on business trips.”

My mom had just come into the front of the store from her office. She heard us chatting and said, “And all the ice cream research you’re going to do for me makes this kind of like a business trip!”

“Mmm! I can’t wait!” said Tamiko, patting her stomach.

My mother had given Tamiko fifty dollars to spend on researching the “soft cream” flavors in Japan. Soft cream was like our soft-serve ice cream—and it was popular for its unusual regional flavors, like soy sauce or yam or corn. Since my mom was always looking for new ideas to keep things at Molly’s exciting, and since Tamiko was such a good trend-spotter, we had high hopes for Tamiko’s post-trip recommendations.

“We can’t wait to hear what you find. Check in often and hurry back!” I said wistfully.

“We’re all going to miss you, Tamiko, but hopefully we won’t have much time to be sad,” my mom said.

We all looked at her, confused.

“It’s summer! Ice cream season!” she reminded us. “We’ll be so busy, the time will go by like that.” She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

I nodded. “That’s true. Hopefully we’ll blink, and—presto!—Tamiko will be back.”