Page 179 of Banter & Blushes

“I’ll wait outside,” Flynn said. “Glad they’re okay, Marshy.” He clapped Zaki’s back.

“I’ll be out in a few minutes, Flynn,” Meggie said. “Please call Kat and tell her to let everyone at the party know they’re okay.” She turned to us. “My friends and I were telling the girls about the time we got trapped in the tunnel underneath this barn. It’s been filled in, so it’s not a danger anymore. But we were missing for a long time, and no one knew where we were. The whole town looked for us, just like they were looking for them. Everyone was so scared and worried that something bad mighthave happened to us.”

Amelie wailed louder. “I am so bad! I’m so sorry, Daddy! We ruined the party!”

“And everyone is mad at us! Our new friends are never going to want to play with us again.” Isla sniffled.

“Hey,” Zaki said. “Whoa, whoa. Hang on a second. Listen, my sweet little pranksters. You did not ruin the party, just the cake. No one’s mad at you. I promise. Mistakes happen, and believe me—this one is going to be a story we’ll tell for years. The arch will be okay. It’ll just need to be repainted for tomorrow.”

“Can we help?” Isla asked, lifting her head to look at Meggie. “I’m a good painter.”

Meggie nodded. “Of course.”

I sat down next to Zaki. “First things first—I know you’re both very upset, but are you okay? Can I look at your feet?”

Isla sobbed, “I cut my toe, Wynnie. It hurts a little. But wedidruin the party, didn’t we?”

“No, sweetie,” I assured her. “It just stopped for a little bit so everyone could look for you and your sister. How are your feet, Amelie?”

“Dirty.”

I held in a chuckle.

“I’ll get the first aid kit,” Mellie offered. “And a nice warm, soapy towel.”

“I’ll help,” Maddie offered.

“Thanks.” I stroked Amelie’s hair. “I know you got scared. That’s okay. You know you can come to us, right?”

She hung her head. “I didn’t think. I just ran.”

“And I ran after her because I didn’t want her to be alone,” Isla said.

“You’re a great sister,” I said, reaching over Zaki to squeeze her hand.

Zaki echoed my observation, then gently told them all the things I’d suggested at the barn door just moments earlier.

Maddie and Mellie returned and insisted on washing the girls’ feet—and their faces. Laffy and Vennie yipped their approval and tried to help. The girls laughed, and I had to pull the dogs away while Mellie bandaged Isla’s toe.

When they were all cleaned up, Meggie knelt in front of the girls. “Do you know what’s more important than parties, wedding arches, bonfires, or even cakes?"

“Cake’s pretty important,” Isla said.

Amelie nodded seriously. “Really important.”

Meggie laughed lightly. “It is. But it’s not as important as your family and friends. No matter what happens, no matter how big of a mess things turn into, your parents and family and us friends—who are like family to you—are always going to love you. Forever and ever. That’s not going to change, no matter how many cakes you squish or how many arches you set on fire."

Zaki agreed. “Just like I said. And you know, you’re not the first ones to cause a little cake chaos. I once tripped over a plant and landed on top oftheactual wedding cake at a teammate’s reception. I was stuck in frosting up to my elbows.”

The girls giggled. “No!” Isla exclaimed. “Did you hide?”

“Nah. But I did make several phone calls to local bakeries and offer them a lot of money to bring a new cake. And then someone told me that only the top layers of the cake were actually cake and the rest of it was fake and frosted for decoration. Therealcake everyone was going to eat was a sheet cake in the kitchen!”

“Oh, Daddy!” Amelie giggled. “You got lucky!”

“Yep. And you know what? We all laughed about it later. Just like Flynn and Meggie will. What matters is that you’re safe and that you promise to always tell us when something goes wrong, okay?”

“We’ll always help you,” I said. “There’s nothing you can’t tell us. We’re a family, and family sticks together—even when things get messy.”

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