Stay Sweet(67)

Amelia keeps a smile on her face, remembering the ways Cate cuts corners sometimes. But Grady’s probably right. It has been a challenging summer. Cate hasn’t had the incentive to step up her role. Maybe that will change now.

“And I’ll get the Head Girl pay raise too. Right?” Cate asks.

Grady nods. “I’m shifting all of the Head Girl responsibilities onto you. Making the schedule, supply orders, stock—”

“I know, I know,” she says to Grady, almost like she’s annoyed, like he’s ruining this, and then she turns her attention fully to Amelia. Cate’s eyes are sparkling. She’s happier than Amelia would ever have expected her to be, because Cate always played like being Head Girl was no big deal. “Amelia, are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I always said you’d make a great Head Girl.” These words are 100 percent true, and yet it does hurt Amelia to say them. Maybe because she knows that, this time, Cate’s not going to argue with her. And she doesn’t. She wraps Amelia in a spine-cracking hug.

“Okay, I’m going to let you girls hash this all out.” He nods. “Glad this worked out so well.”

Cate watches him go. “Ugh, I thought he’d never leave.” Amelia laughs nervously as Cate pulls her onto the love seat. “Gah! This is so crazy!” Cate drums her feet on the floor.

Amelia nods. “Totally crazy.” She squeezes Cate’s hands and then lets them go.

“C’mon! Let’s do something to celebrate! At least a Starbucks run!” And then, with a laugh, “That’s an order.”

“I should really get started on another batch.”

“Wah. You’re no fun.”

Amelia scoots forward, her behind perched on the edge of the couch cushion. “The thing is . . . I want to do it. I like making the ice cream. I’m good at it.” It feels freeing, to admit at least this much to Cate.

“Well, then I’m glad you found what you were looking for.” And Cate holds out her arms for another hug.

Though Cate is still probably a little annoyed with her, and would definitely not hug her if she knew Amelia had just kissed Grady, Amelia wraps her arms around Cate anyway and squeezes her as tightly as she can. It’s a miracle, really, that they were able to get to this place after how contentious things were between them just a few minutes ago. It is, Amelia thinks, a testament to their friendship.

Amelia stands up. “Cate? I’m sorry again about yesterday. I really didn’t want to miss it.”

“Don’t worry. There will be other chances. Plenty of other chances.” Amelia is halfway out the door when Cate clears her throat. “Hey, before you go . . . ,” Cate says, and Amelia turns back. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want it to be weird.”

Amelia swallows, thinking of Grady. Could Cate sense something? “Of course.”

“Can I have the Head Girl pin? I mean, you’re in this new position now, and it’s like, the girls are down here at the stand with me. I think it will be good for morale if they know something’s really changed.”

Amelia feels a pang. Her ice cream victory has been all but eclipsed by Cate’s promotion. But maybe Amelia deserves that for being too much of a coward to tell Cate about kissing Grady. It’s pretty clear by the way this summer has gone that she wasn’t Head Girl material after all.

“You don’t have to do it now,” Cate says quickly, sensing that this might be a delicate subject. But Amelia removes the pin from her collar and hands it over. Cate takes it to the mirror, puts it on, and beams, brushing her hair off her shoulder on that side, to get a better look.





CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE


AMELIA MAKES ICE CREAM FOR the rest of the day. Mixing up new bases, pasteurizing them, letting them steep, putting them in the blast chiller, running them through the Emery Thompson. But unlike when she was blindly trying to replicate Molly’s secret recipes, she feels much more confident, much less stressed. It’s blissful.

Grady brings her lunch—a chicken salad sandwich, a Coke, and a bag of chips from the local deli. And he apologizes to Amelia for springing that Head Girl stuff on her today. “I just knew you were upset because Cate was upset. And I wanted to help you because you’ve done so much to help me.”

“It was a good idea,” Amelia says. “I do want to concentrate on this.”

“Okay, good. If you want some company, I could bring my schoolwork down here.”

“Sure. That would be nice.”

She does enjoy Grady’s’ company, of course. Though they don’t kiss, per Amelia’s decree, they find plenty of times to touch each other, his hand on her knee, her knocking into him. Grady hooking his chin on her shoulder. Amelia likes him, more than she wants to admit to herself.

But the work?

She loves the work.

When Grady heads upstairs to take an online exam, Amelia returns to Molly’s diary. She doesn’t need to find the recipes anymore. And maybe she should feel guilty for continuing to read it. But she doesn’t. She feels only kinship.

July 15, 1945

I sold clear out of ice cream at the Red Cross benefit. The dishes went faster than the girls and I could churn. There was always a line, people waiting for more. And once I ran out, people in town asked if I’d have more for sale at our dairy stand.