38

“A girl after my own heart,” Kendall said, wiping Everly’s face with a napkin she had dunked in her water glass. “Chocolate is my favorite kind of cake.”

“Me too!” She reached for her milk, leaving chocolate handprints on the cup. When she finished drinking, she dumped another spoonful of whipped cream on her plate, her lips forming a big circle, full of excitement. “When are you going to be on TV? I need to remember, so I can ask Daddy if I can watch.”

“The TV cameras are following her around now,” I said.

“NOW?!” Everly shouted across the restaurant before realizing how loud she had been and laughing at herself.

“Not now, now,” Kendall said. “But they have been over the last week, and the show will probably come on in a few months.”

“Uncle D, make sure to tell Dad that, ’kay?”

“Of course.”

Everly wiggled as she ate, the thrill not even close to wearing off and the sugar just starting to kick in. After a few more bites, she flopped back against her seat. She patted her belly. “Umph.