She tried it. “Mmmm. Wow! This is amazing. What a combination. Tart, sour, creamy, just the right amount of sweet. It’s a revelation!”

I grinned. “A lot of my mom’s flavors are pretty unconventional—that’s what she calls them—but they really give you ‘scope for imagination,’ ” I said, quoting a trademark snippet from Anne of Green Gables.

“The world ‘wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it?’ ” replied Mrs. O’Brien in another Anne quotation, and we both laughed. “You know, Allie, I have an idea. Maybe you’d like to give me a book and ice cream pairing to feature at my store each week, and I could have it in a little frame on the counter, with the Molly’s address and info. If you could list my store on your pairing sign, we’d be cross-promoting!”

I beamed. “That’s such a good idea. I have to check with my mom, but I’m sure she’ll say yes. She loves your store too.”

Mrs. O’Brien dug into her purse and withdrew a business card and handed it to me. “Why don’t you e-mail me and let me know? Then you could e-mail me a flyer each week that I can print out and feature. Sound good?”

“Great! Thank you so much.”

We said our good-byes, and I was still smiling when she left.

Sierra came out from cleaning the bathroom and saw me at the counter.

“Did Colin come in and I missed it?” she asked.

I shook myself out of my daydream. “No! Why?”

“You have that dreamy grin on your face that you sometimes get.…”

I chuckled. “I guess it’s just my happy face. But now that I think of Colin, it’s my sad face!” I made a frown. “What am I going to do about him? I’m paralyzed!”

Sierra blew out a gust of air in exasperation. “Just text him! I’ve been telling you for weeks to contact him. What on earth are you thinking?” Her mouth was pressed into a grim line. “You’re making me wonder if I’d even have heard from you if I hadn’t marked down the date of your return from Holly Oaks and texted you the second I woke up that day. Would you have contacted me to let me know you were home?”

“Oh, Sierra, of course I would have!” I protested.

Sierra shrugged. “How can I be sure?”

I bit my lip. “I would have. That’s how. We’re friends, and you can always count on me.”

“Colin probably would have thought the same thing about you about six weeks ago, Alley Cat,” Sierra said quietly.

“Hmm,” I said, biting on my thumbnail.

“Think about it,” Sierra said.

Then my phone buzzed. It was Tamiko FaceTiming me!