“But there’s always dough surrounding the hole.” She put down the spoon. “Do you know what I’m trying to say?”

“Sort of,” I said. “We all have a hole in us?”

Nans cocked her head. “Sometimes we do. Sometimes those holes close up and sometimes they get smaller, but they’re always there. But no matter what, those holes are surrounded.”

“So our family is a donut?” I asked.

Nans laughed. “Kind of. I like to think the donut is more of a symbol of our family. That even when there are holes that can never be filled, there’s a lot of sweetness totally surrounding them to help them not get any bigger.”

She looked at me like she wanted me to say something, but I wasn’t sure what.

“Lindsay,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. “You are surrounded by people who love you. I want you to always remember that.”

I smiled. “I will.”

“Hey, where are those donuts?” Molly yelled as she stormed into the kitchen.

Nans laughed. “Right here! Right here!”

I helped her pile them on a platter, and Molly carried them out to the table.

When I sat down in the living room, I couldn’t help noticing Kelsey sneaking looks at a certain silvery gray dress. She kept walking by it and touching it.

“Why don’t you try that on?” I asked.

She spun around. “Me? Oh, I couldn’t. These are all for you to try on.”

“Well, I already have my dress,” I said.

“But it’s your party,” she said.

“If it’s my party, then you have to do as I say,” I teased.

“Well,” she said, looking longingly at the dress. “This is really beautiful.”

“Come on,” I said, and pulled her toward the dressing room.

I helped put on the silver dress. It had lots of layers that made it shimmer when Kelsey moved. There were these see-through ruffles that went around the bodice and short sleeves that kind of looked like wings. I stood back.

“Kelsey, you look like a fairy princess,” I said.

“Like for Halloween?” she asked.

“No, no, like a beautiful princess,” I said. “Go look!” I pushed her out toward the mirror.

“Hey!” said Molly. “Kelsey, those dresses are for Lindsay!”

“Well, I already found mine,” I said.

“So the rest are up for grabs?” asked Molly.

“Girls, girls!” said Aunt Melissa. “These were chosen for Lindsay. This is her party. We will find your dresses later!”

“Well, if they like some of these, why not let them try them on?” asked Mimi. “We have so many. Plus, it will save me the trouble of returning all of them!”

Aunt Melissa looked at me. “Are you okay with this? These dresses were for you to choose from.”

I nodded my head. “I made Kelsey try this one on. She loves it, and look how pretty she is in it!”