Category:

"For those pajama pants? What is this European nonsense?"

"They are not pajama pants, they are called lounging pants."

"They look like pajama pants to me. In fact, I have a pair just like them from Costco. Are you sure your daughter-in-law didn't get them from Costco?"

Winifred huffs. "My Kelly is a good girl, very filial. She likes to spoil me. I hope that if you ever get a daughter-in-law, she will be half as good as my Kelly."

"When I get a daughter-in-law, you mean," Vera says cunningly.

"Oh?"

"Tonight's dinner is so special," Vera says with a small smile.

Winifred falls for her bait. "And why is that?"

"Because it will be at Tilly's new place. Tilly and Selena's new place."

Winifred's eyebrows rise to her hairline. "Oh? They are moving in together, your Tilly and that police officer?"

"Yes!" When Vera thinks of this fact, she feels a joy so fierce it bubbles up inside and bursts into a huge grin. "And once that happens, you know it won't be any time at all before they get engaged."

"Hmm," Winifred grunts. "Maybe. But you know young people these days, they think nothing of moving in or breaking up. So I wouldn't count your chickens just yet, Vera."

And with that, Winifred saunters back to her accursed bakery, muttering about her expensive pants. Vera hopes they are forever stained. She looks down at the bucket of clay and takes a deep breath. She's being silly, she knows it. There is no need for her to be nervous. Tilly and Selena will settle nicely into their new place, and before she knows it, there will be a proposal, then a wedding, and then...twin grandbabies. Nay, triplets! When Vera closes her eyes, she can just see it—Vera sitting on an overstuffed sofa with one arm around Emma and the other arm around three fat babies. She is manifesting like the TikTok told her to. She can practically smell their milky baby smell.

Tonight is going to go perfectly. She can tell, it will be the beginning of an amazing chapter in her life.

Tilly and Selena's new place is a sweet little duplex in the Mission District, just a short ten-minute drive from Vera's house. Oliver arrives at two with Julia and Emma in tow to pick Vera up. They come out of the car to help Vera with the ungodly amount of food she's prepared, even little Emma. She carries a thermos of cold winter melon drink that is nearly as tall as she is and totters down the driveway, and the sight of her makes Vera's heart ache with affection.

"Vera, don't you think that you've made too much food?" Oliver says, grunting as he heaves a cooler stuffed to the gills with food into the trunk.

Julia elbows him viciously. "No, she didn't." She turns to Vera and says firmly, "No, you didn't, Vera."

"There's enough food here for twenty people," Oliver says.

"And I will happily take any leftovers home," Julia says. "Stop telling her to cook less, Ollie. You know Emma and I basically live off Vera's Sunday leftovers."

Oliver rolls his eyes. "Well, yes, so do I. I'm just saying, you should take it easy, Vera."

"Tch," Vera tuts. "I'll take it easy when you young people learn to take care of yourselves. But you are like children, I have to make sure you get fed." Ever since Vera solved the mystery of Marshall's death last year, she's remained close to the people who'd been involved in the case. Oliver, Marshall's twin brother; Julia, Marshall's ex-wife; and Emma, Marshall's daughter. Now, she steps inside the car and helps strap Emma into her car seat.

"You haven't kissed me yet," Emma says in her usual solemn voice.

"You supposed to kiss me, I'm your elder."

Emma considers this for a second, then nods and plants a kiss on Vera's papery cheek. Vera smiles and returns the kiss. They hold hands the entire way to Tilly and Selena's.

When they arrive at Tilly's, there are lots of hugs to be given and received, and everyone oohs and aahs over the amount of food that is being carried inside.