Chloe carefully peeled back the foil. The cupcakes looked a little uneven, a little lopsided, but they smelled amazing. Vanilla and sugar and something hopeful. No one moved.

Sienna, my ten-year-old niece, wrinkled her nose. “Are they gluten-free?”

I blinked. “No, should they be?”

“Mom says I’m not doing gluten this week,” Sienna announced with the gravity of a life-altering decision.

Monica smiled, as if this were a profound lifestyle announcement. I looked at Sienna’s plate. “That roll you’re eating isn’t exactly gluten-free.”

A tight laugh from Monica. “Well, Mom made that. It’s different.”

My mother nodded quickly, too brightly. “Sweetheart, it’s lovely that you tried. But we have so much food already. Let’s just set these aside for now, all right?” She lifted the tray before I could answer, her movements careful and gracious, and carried it toward the kitchen.