I let out a sigh that sounds like an equal mix of relief and exasperation. “Thank you.”

They shuffle back to the counter and join Dean’s mother and Tia Mariana. Melissa pulls out her phone and displays her screen, prompting all four women to gather closer together. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s sharing photographs of her trip out west. Will that be Lina, Natalia, Rey, and me someday? A generation of filhos de brasileiros keeping this place going after the tias are gone? No, I’d rather not think about that. Not just yet. Thankfully, the bell above the door rings, and I turn my attention to our newest arrivals. Not so thankfully, I recognize them immediately.

“Molly and Peter, this is a surprise!” I say, trying to act unfazed and struggling to get past the frog in my throat. Shit, shit, shit. Why, why, why?

Molly smiles. “It’s a rare day off for us both, and we decided to treat it as a mini-date.” She points a thumb at Peter, her expression flirty and playful. “This one couldn’t stop talking about the salgadinhos we had the last time we were here. Figured we’d buy a few to take home.”

“Oh, that’s great. Well, let me take care of that for you!” My body’s gone haywire and won’t stop moving from side to side. To an outside observer, I probably look like the least talented member of a fifties doo-wop band. “Want to grab a table while I put together a to-go box?”

Peter tilts his head and waggles his eyebrows. “Nah, looking through the display case is part of the experience, right?” He rubs his hands together in good-natured anticipation. “Besides, I don’t know the names, but I can recognize my favorites.”

Behind us, the tias and Dean’s mother are tittering as if they’re old friends sitting on a stoop and gossiping about their neighbors. I suspect they haven’t even noticed Molly and Peter’s arrival since they’re hunched over Melissa’s phone, presumably looking at photographs on the screen.

“Well, why don’t you grab yourselves a drink while I wash my hands and get set up behind the counter,” I say.

If Molly and Peter are distracted, I might have just enough time to fire off a discreet warning shot to Melissa and the tias. Fortunately, Molly and Peter turn in the direction of the fridge. But then Melissa and the tias wander off together down an aisle, and I’m forced to scurry to the back to wash my hands. Heart pounding, I return within seconds and pluck the tongs from the holder. “Ready when you are,” I call out to Peter and Molly.

They hurry over, and Peter bends down to get a better look at the selection. “What’s that one over there?” he asks, pointing at the case.