Chapter 7 — Andrew and Rebecca Walk Back to Apologize to Chloe
Rebecca lowered her hand.
She wiped the frosting onto a paper towel on the counter.
She turned away from Buster.
Andrew stood up from his crouch by the kitchen island.
He looked at his wife with a sympathetic expression.
They both knew they had made a significant mistake.
Rebecca walked slowly out of the kitchen.
She crossed the dining room and entered the living room.
Chloe was still wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.
Her shoulders trembled with residual emotion.
Rebecca stopped a few feet away from her daughter.
Rebecca knelt down on the soft rug to match Chloe’s height.
“Chloe, honey,” Rebecca began softly.
Chloe took a sharp step backward.
She crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
She kept her tear-filled eyes fixed on the floor.
“Go away,” Chloe mumbled.
“You yelled at me,” she added, her voice cracking.
Rebecca reached out to place a gentle hand on Chloe’s shoulder.
Chloe shrugged the touch away immediately.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Rebecca said, her voice shaking slightly.
“Mommy jumped to conclusions too fast,” she admitted.
“I shouldn’t have accused you without checking the facts first.”
Chloe sniffled and looked up.
Her bottom lip quivered.
“You said I ruined the party dessert,” Chloe whispered.
“I was just walking by to get my book.”
“I know,” Rebecca replied, her throat tight with regret.
Andrew walked into the living room behind them.
He stopped beside the couch.
He crouched down next to Rebecca and Chloe.
“Your mother and I tracked down the real culprit,” Andrew said gently.
Chloe looked between her parents with cautious skepticism.
“How?” she asked quietly.
“Did you find fingerprints?”
“Better than fingerprints,” Andrew smiled warmly.
“We followed a very sticky trail of evidence right to the source.”
Chloe tilted her head slightly.
“What kind of evidence?” she asked.
“Paw prints,” Andrew explained.
“White frosting paw prints all over the dark wooden floor.”
Chloe blinked away her remaining tears.
“Paw prints?” she repeated.
“That’s right,” Andrew nodded.
“And when we tracked them around the corner, we found the suspect red-handed.”
“Or rather,” Andrew added with a small chuckle, “frosting-nosed.”
Chloe let out a sudden, confused breath.
“Who was it?” she asked.