Turning to Wendy, she scolded, "you naughty girl, you scared the hell out of me."
Wendy laughed, handing Grace a drink. "Consider this payback for all the times you've surprised me. And don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Just wanted to make sure you didn't suspect a thing."
Grace shook her head, still processing everything. "Well, you definitely succeeded. Thank you all so much. This means the world to me."
After some time, Caden stepped forward and cleared his throat. He was also there with his two friends, Greg and Zadok.
"It's my singular honor to invite the birthday girl to come forward and cut her cake," he said. "But before that I'd like to say a few words about her."
Grace was speechless. She wondered what Caden could possibly say about her. What did he know about her? If there was anybody to say something, that would have been none other than Wendy, who had known her since they were children.