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upside-down cake, and her dad is a sour cream coffee cake with a crumbly blueberry center.” (Here Amy’s father raised his polka-dot cup of milk in the air and cheered, as though to confirm that this was indeed his perfect cake.) “But with you”—Cady closed her eyes—“for some reason it’s a little harder.”
    Toby shifted in his seat. “Well, I . . .”
    Cady popped her eyes open. “I guess I’ll just have to think on it some more,” she said. And the way her face lit up, she looked a bit like a baby bird who’d just discovered there was sunlight in the world.
    Toby took another, bigger bite of cake, and began to settle into himself. Somehow, in this place, he felt happier, calmer, than he had in quite some time. As though perhaps the pebble in his shoe had managed to work its own way out.
    It was a very nice sort of feeling.
    He was finishing up his last bite of cake when Miss Mallory leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Just let me know when you’re ready to fill out the paperwork,” she told him. “I’ll be so sorry to let her go, but . . .” Her gaze drifted across the table to Cady, giggling with Amy as they slapped playing cards down on the polka-dot cloth, and she set her hand over her heart again. “I can’t say I didn’t feel you coming.”
    Toby swallowed. “Sorry?” he said.
    Miss Mallory turned her focus back to him. “That is why you came, isn’t it?” she asked. “To adopt Cady?”
    Toby felt the oddest sensation then, as though every emotion he’d ever had—happiness, sadness, worry, surprise—was colliding inside his body, battling to see which one of them might win. It was not so different from the sensation he’d felt once long ago, in that tiny village in Africa, when he’d been a very different man. For just one second, Toby was sure that his face had betrayed him, but he managed to shift everything back in place just in time.
    “You do want to adopt her, don’t you?” Miss Mallory asked, studying him carefully.
    Across the table, Cady laughed again, slapping down another card. And in that moment, Toby knew. He’d give anything to be a father again.
    “I’d love to adopt Cady,” he said.
    And that— that —was not at all a lie.

One Week Later . . .

V’s Mystery Fudge Cake
a cake that contains a delicious secret at its center

    FOR THE CAKE:
    1 1 / 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
    1 / 3 cup flour
    1 / 4 tsp salt
    2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    4 tbsp butter ( 1 / 2 stick), at room temperature (plus extra for greasing the muffin tins)
    1 / 3 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for preparing the muffin tins)
    3 large eggs, at room temperature
    FOR THE TOPPING:
    powdered sugar (optional)
    1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease the bottoms and sides of six cups of a standard muffin tin with butter. Sprinkle the inside of the six buttered tins with granulated sugar, and tap to distribute it evenly.
    2. In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl fitted into a saucepan of simmering water, carefully melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 10 to 15 minutes.
    3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
    4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer, on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
    5. With a spoon or spatula, gradually stir the flour mixture into the batter until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate and combine, again being careful not to overmix.
    6. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when shaken lightly. Let the cakes stand 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto serving plates. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Recipe makes 6 mini mystery fudge cakes with deliciously gooey middles. Best served warm.

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    Cady
    C ADY HAD