“How many layers is this cake supposed to be?”

“Eight. Each of the four cakes will be halved. I could make it as high as I want, but I don’t want it toppling over.”

“And the icing?”

“Pure cream. That goes on tomorrow. That’s where the whiskey comes in—before the cream gets lathered on. As for the five children who are coming, each gets a special small cake, muffin-size, without whiskey. Easy enough to do. Same batter. I’m doing extras, in case any other children show up.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”

“It’s my job to think of everything. I just hope Rice is managing by himself out there today.” She waved a sticky hand toward the main room. “If he needs help, he’ll come and ask.”

Not only was the wedding cake being prepared in the kitchen, but Saturday’s ceremony and party would be held at Cassie’s as well. “Where else would we have the wedding?” Cass had said when she’d first heard the news. “We’ll close up for the day—front and back—and have a real party.”

A FEW PEOPLE from out of town had arrived, including Gwen’s sons from Texas and their families. Gwen was both excited and anxious. They’d be staying with her for three days and would return again in August for a longer holiday. Gwen and Allam had been preparing.

When the Grands, as promised, came home before the new year, the twice-daily trips to Rico had come to a halt. After that, Gwen was restless for a few days, wondering about him. She had found herself checking the clock, thinking of his routine: he’ll be having his chop; he’ll be out of his cage, following Cecilia around the kitchen. She’ll be chattering away to him—for Cecilia had turned out to be a chatterer. And then Gwen decided to make her farewell official. On a small sheet of paper, she wrote:

Dear Rico,

Maybe your tiny parrot brain has stored some old memory of me. Maybe we both worked through a few things. You listened to me and I thank you for that. But I listened to you, too. We are always on a learning curve—remember that. I understand why your owners missed you when they were away. I miss you, too.

Gwen

She had tucked this into an envelope and addressed it: Rico c/o CAGE. And dropped it into a mailbox at the end of her street. That was the end of that. She laughed, thinking of the mail sorters.

After that, she and Allam had begun to fix up the house. They did a bit of painting and prepared the two spare rooms upstairs, and ensured that there was good space for a couple in the downstairs bedroom. When everyone arrived for the wedding, Gwen’s two granddaughters declared that they were taking over the lower room. Especially when they realized they could have their own space without their parents around.

When Gwen had told her sons about her upcoming marriage, both were cautious initially. What kind of man was Allam? Now that they’d met him, they seemed to be happy for her. Relieved? She knew they were surprised when they learned that her friends were in charge of the wedding. They’d never known their mother to be a part of any group. Especially a group as involved and caring as this one seemed to be. They’d already met Tom and Hazzley and Cass and Rice. They were to meet the others Saturday afternoon. The group would be small, the wedding modest. A judge who was a friend of Tom’s would conduct the ceremony.