“I know!” interrupted Miss Webster excitedly. “Here’s what we’ll do. If you won’t let me and Mr. Pettinger bring the cake, how about next Saturday, the day before your party, I take all four of you into Shoreline and instead of buying a cake, I’ll buy you everything you need to make the one you want. We’ll get extracts and food coloring and cake-decorating tools. The whole shebang! And we’ll make a day of it. Mr. Pettinger works Saturday but we can have a girls’ day out!”

“And I’ll bring Chinese takeout for the party as my contribution,” said Mr. Pettinger.

Marlin was so excited she clapped her hands.

“Can we have balloons?” cried Charlie.

“Charlie,” said Fiona because Charlie knew they were never to ask for things.

“Yes, Charlie, we can have balloons,” said Miss Webster, laughing.

“The expensive kind?” asked Charlie.

“Well, I don’t know, Charlie,” said Miss Webster, smiling at Mr. Pettinger over Charlie’s head. “What’s the expensive kind?”

“She means Mylar helium balloons,” said Fiona defeatedly.

“We were never allowed the expensive kind,” said Charlie.

“Oh, Charlie,” said Fiona, sighing.

“Yes, we’ll get a big bunch of those too,” said Miss Webster, putting a reassuring hand on Fiona’s leg to let her know it was all right.

“This is very nice of you,” said Fiona. “But you really don’t have to. Especially the balloons.”

“I’m looking forward to it as much as the rest of you,” said Miss Webster happily. “I haven’t had a shopping spree in ages or the kind of party with balloons and it’s the perfect way to celebrate because…” She stopped, looking at Mr. Pettinger as if to ask permission, and when he nodded she said, “We’ll make our big announcement at the party too!”

Fiona immediately threw Charlie a warning look but Charlie said simply, “We’ve got a secret too!”

“Me too!” said Marlin happily. “And I’ll make my big announcement too! Cake-decorating tools is the perfect gift. It’s just what I need for my project.”

“This is the moneymaking project?” asked Fiona. “Is this what your announcement is about?”

“I won’t say another thing!” said Marlin smugly, miming locking her lips and throwing away the key.

That’s it, thought Fiona. She wants to start a cake-making business. Well, that’s not so bad. It won’t be the moneymaker she thinks but even if it brings her pocket money and makes her happy, it’s a good thing. And I’ll pretend when she announces it that I had no idea.

The girls could hardly wait for the following Saturday to roll around. Miss Webster came for them in her car at nine o’clock and for the first time since they arrived at the airport they went through one side of St. Mary’s By the Sea and out the other, taking the hourlong journey up-island to Shoreline. Because Marlin was the birthday girl she sat in front with Miss Webster. The others sat semi-squished in the back seat of Miss Webster’s tiny car, peering out at everything as if for the first time.