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I glance behind me at the couple who’s gotten in line since we started this conversation. Meanwhile, she still hasn’t taken my order.

“We’ll take two hot chocolates and two cheesecakes.”

She leans to the side to see who’s sitting with me. “Chase is here!”

When she jumps up and down in excitement like that, she looks more like the happy little girl I watched grow up and less like the moody teenager she’s become.

“He’s coming to Chloe’s party on Sunday, right? Mom is paying me to help her babysit. I’ve got lots of games planned.”

“Yes. He’s excited too.”

“So… is it true about Georgina?”

There it is. This is the reason for calling me Auntie.

“It’s true. She’ll be performing Saturday night at the spring festival. Hopefully your mom doesn’t make you work that night.” I wink at her.

“She wouldn’t!”

I move away from the counter to let the people behind me place their order and get back to Chase.

“Sophia can’t wait to see you at Chloe’s party on Sunday,” I tell Chase as I sit back down.

“It’s going to be a girl party.”

“Penny will be there.”

“Penny’s a girl.”

“She’s your cousin. It doesn’t count. But you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“No. I’ll go. I already told Chloe yes. It would be rude to cancel.”

Uh-huh.

Sophia comes over, balancing a metal tray on her arm that wavers precariously as she takes a hot chocolate off of it and places it on the table in front of Chase.

“Thanks,” Chase says, barely above a whisper.

His face goes two shades redder, and he can’t look Sophia in the eyes.

He’s had this childhood crush on her for a year and a half now.

“So,” Sophia says, putting the last cheesecake on the table. “I heard you’ll be in charge of Georgina while she’s in Dogwood…”

I wonder who told her that.

“I’ll be helping her find everything she needs.”

“Maybe what she needs is a cheesecake at the best bakery in town.”

She raises a hand, palm facing up, as if she’s just randomly guessing.

“Maybe,” I say, leaving her hanging a little bit.

I’d do everything I could to make Sophia happy. But I haven’t even spoken to Georgina’s agent yet, and I don’t want to promise something I can’t deliver.

I ask Chase to tell me everything that happened this week. He puts up with it for about five minutes, then changes the subject back to baseball. I don’t mind. I love listening to him talk, especially when he has that excited look on his face.