“They’re adopting us!” said Charlie.

“Miss Webster practically spat it out on the spot!” said Natasha.

“Maybe,” said Fiona because even she couldn’t help thinking this must surely be the secret and that it was coming not a moment too soon before things got too sticky with Mr. Pennypacker.

“What do you think part one is?” asked Marlin.

“Well, obviously that they’re getting married,” said Natasha.

“No, that they’re adopting us!” said Charlie again.

“Part two?” said Natasha.

“They’re buying us all ponies!” said Charlie.

“More likely part one is they’re getting married,” said Marlin.

“Maybe,” said Fiona cautiously. “But, I mean they just met. Too soon? And none of us can speculate about this in front of them. Ever. We cannot let on what we’re hoping for and if it turns out that that is the secret, we have to act surprised.”

“Good,” said Charlie. “We have a secret too. Our secret is that we know their secret! But they don’t know ours, which is that we know theirs.”

“Maybe,” said Fiona. “But it’s dangerous to assume.”

Fiona began to think her own private secret might be over and that Davy would never talk to her again. That she hadn’t handled the decline of his invitation well. He obviously felt rebuffed. It had been over a week since they’d last talked. She was an idiot. She had ruined things before they even got started.

Then one day when she was sitting on the stump waiting for the bell he came around the side of the building, spied her, and put one finger up as if to say, wait. Then, grinning, he took off his backpack, opened the back pocket, grabbed something out, came over, and handed it to her.

“Birthday cake confetti,” he said. “The best fudge flavor in my opinion.”

“This is for me?” she asked.

“Well, if you can’t make it to the fudge stand, the fudge can come to you.” He looked embarrassed.

The bell rang and she was torn. She wanted to stay and talk and now she had to go in.

“Thanks,” she said. “Do you want to meet here for lunch maybe?”

“Stump lunch,” he said, grinning again. “Sure.”

She was trembling with her own bold invitation. “Okay,” she said, and walked quickly into the building to hide her shaky legs.

After that they met every day for lunch. Talking was still awkward. She sometimes thought she spent more time when she was with him worrying about how she was coming off than listening to what he was saying.

She wondered how long she would be able to keep her friendship with him from her sisters and what they would think when they found out. Being in separate schools helped but even so Davy had a sister in Natasha’s class and if he told her about their lunches together she might tell Natasha. Or someone else might tell any of her sisters. And because she and Davy had lunch together every day, word was beginning to go around the secondary school.