But customers came and went without saying a word. No one even hinted they’d seen anything, which made no sense. The ad was in the first section, on page eleven. How could anyone have missed it?

A little after eight, Gladys walked in. The eightysomething woman walked purposefully to the counter.

“I want to talk business,” she said.

“All right.” Shelby smiled. “About the paper?”

“What? No. My great-niece. Nancee. She’s thinking of coming to Fool’s Gold for a few months, just to get her feet under her. I want her to stay, but we’ll see. The point is she makes cupcakes.”

Shelby couldn’t figure out why no one cared about the ad. It was huge. It was very clear. She and Aidan announced their marriage. Was no one reading the paper today, or was it one of those things psychologists were always talking about? That everyone assumed the world was talking about them, when in fact the world was too busy talking about itself?

“Are you listening to me?” Gladys asked.

“Huh? No. Sorry. You were saying?”

“Nancee makes cupcakes. Really good ones. You’re always trying new things in the bakery. That has to be hard on man power and equipment. You only have so much space back there, and so many employees. Having Nancee bake your cupcakes would free up space and time.”

The savvy business assessment coming from an old lady in a flowered dress was a little disconcerting. If Amber ever agreed to even half of Shelby’s ideas, they would be hard-pressed to make it all work in their current location. Which was only one of the reasons Shelby wanted to expand.

“It’s an interesting idea,” she said. “Let me know when Nancee’s going to be here. We can talk. I’ll have to run it all by Amber, as well.”

“That’s fine. I’ll let you know.” Gladys smiled. “You have a good day.”

The older woman turned to go. Shelby picked up the paper.

“Wait! Didn’t you want to say something about this?”

Gladys stared at her blankly.

Shelby sighed. “The announcement? About me and Aidan?”

“Oh, look. You got married. Congratulations. If you want a present, you need to have a reception. Or a party, although a reception’s better. And no, they’re not the same thing at all.”

Hardly the reaction Shelby had been looking for. “You’re not surprised? Shocked? Slightly stunned?”

“No. Why would anyone be surprised?”

With that, she left.

Shelby spent the rest of the morning having customers not mention a thing. It was as if no one cared at all. So much for a fun prank, she thought ruefully. A little before eleven, Madeline stomped into the store.

“I had an early wedding gown delivery,” her friend said, her expression tight. “So I had to sign for it, then iron and steam it.” Her mouth turned down. “How could you not tell me? I can’t believe you and Aidan eloped without saying anything.”

Shelby groaned. “We didn’t.”

“You had to. There’s no way you had a wedding here in town.” Tears filled Madeline’s eyes. “Was it a destination wedding and you didn’t invite me? I thought we were friends.”

Shelby hurried around the counter and touched Madeline’s arm. “There was no wedding. Aidan and I aren’t married.”

“But there’s the announcement.”

“It’s April Fool’s Day.”

Madeline wiped away a tear. “So?”

“It’s a joke. We did it to be funny.”

Her friend sniffed. “So you’re not married?”

“No.”