Chapter 176

Penelope didn't get to say the words she'd prepared out loud, but she was fine with it. She wasn't in a rush. She drove to Springtime Bakery for brownies. As she'd thought, the line was longer in the morning than in the afternoon. The tantalizing aroma of pastries wafted in the air, whetting her appetite. … Julia was so focused on work the entire morning that she didn't even glance at her phone when messages and calls came in. Cameron entered with a warmed glass of milk at ten. Only then did she take a break, unlocking her phone to see a message from Penelope. Her finger hovered over the screen for a while before clicking on it. It turned out to be a voice message saying, "I love Aunt Penny the most…" Xavier's voice rang out loud, piercing through the quiet room. The message was sent at 8:45 am. Julia glanced once again at Penelope's message, a rueful smile flashing across her face. She exited the app to see a notification from Instagram. Someone had made a new post. Instinc