"How was your swim?" Miss Trask asked as the group sat at the table for lunch, large pitchers of lemonade, piles of sandwiches, and a big chocolate layered cake on the table.

"It was great," Honey answered, smiling at her governess.

Everyone nodded in response, some fighting down redness and ducking their heads.

"Ooh," Honey said, remembering the events of this morning. "Did Sergeant Molinson call to tell you anything about the case?"

Miss Trask smiled. "Yes, actually. He told me about your latest discovery."

"Did he tell you about Trixie's big promotion?" Honey asked, looking proudly at her friend.

Trixie blushed. "It's no big deal," she said.

"Of course it is!" Di said, smiling at Trixie. "Sergeant Molinson told her that as long as she doesn't get involved in the field work, he'll listen to her theories if she has any ideas about the case."

Jim smiled. "He said she had his full cooperation."

"That's wonderful, Trixie!" Miss Trask said, smiling at the blonde. "I can only imagine how happy you are."

Trixie smiled bashfully. "I'm really glad. But I also just want this to be finished; I think that it came at too high a cost."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well," Dan said, looking at Trixie. "With you on the case, it's bound to be finished in a jiffy."

"Let's just hope she can stay away from the field work," Honey says, knowing her friend well.

Brian nodded in agreement. "I think that that's her favourite part of the case. Looking for clues and stuff. I think she'd rather get stuck on a roof in the middle of a flood to prove a hunch than sit at a desk with all of the clues in front of her to figure out."

Trixie, Jim, and Honey all shivered at the reminder of their trip to Iowa and the flood that had left them stranded on a rooftop until they got rescued.

"Bad example," Trixie said. "I did not like that flood."

"Or that trip to Iowa," Mart said slyly.

Di raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know. I think that she enjoyed being the object of Ned's affections."

Trixie blushed. "He just thought I was a good shot, which, of course, I'm not. I only made those baskets by luck, and anyways, he's just a friend."

"Like how Jim's just a friend," Dan said, raising an eyebrow.

And Trixie was absolutely lost for words. She and Ned were not the same kind of friends as she and Jim were, but saying that would imply that something romantic was going on between her and Jim, and, even though she knew that something like that was true, her friends didn't know that.

Finally, after gaping for a little bit, she found something to say. "I've known Jim for a much longer time, and we've been through more than I have with Ned, so of course Jim and I are different friends than Ned and I am."

"Of course," Dan mimicked, earning a glare from Trixie.

"And let's not forget dear Dot Murray," Mart said, looking slyly at his sister, and then to Jim. "We all know how much Jim appreciated her hospitality."

Jim turned red, casting a worried glance at Trixie. "Come on, Mart. She was just nice enough to show me around. If you think that anything was going on in that front than you're sadly mistaken."

"If you say so…" Mart said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

When the group finished their lunch, they went to visit their parents. Miss Trask had told the group that Tom and Celia had woken up in the morning when they visited the police station, and the Bob-Whites were eager to see them too.

After a quick visit, Dan had to go back to Mr. Maypenny's house, especially after the time he'd been off.

After speaking to their parents, the Beldens elected to go see Bobby and bring him to see his parents. While Honey and Jim stayed behind, Brian took his siblings and Di to the Lynch's house in his jalopy.

Upon seeing Trixie, the first grader threw his chubby arms around his big sister's neck. "I misseded you, Trixie!" he said, burying his head in his sister's curls.

She smiled. "I missed you too, Bobby."

After greeting the rest of his siblings and giving a special hug that was reserved for Di, the Beldens took him back to see their parents, leaving Di to see her little brothers.

Once the door to his parents' room opened, Bobby ran to the bed and jumped onto his parents, paying no heed to their tired faces, which had lightened remarkably at the sight of their youngest child.

While Bobby was reuniting with his parents, Trixie went downstairs. She had already given a quick greeting to the other people present in the house, and she had so many thoughts in her mind that she needed to cool down.

As she went into the kitchen, hoping to get a glass of water, she came face to face with the object that had occupied most of her frazzled thoughts; one James Winthrop Frayne II.

He was just leaving the kitchen, but seeing Trixie, he blushed, looking down. Trixie found herself blushing too, and they stood there in the threshold of the kitchen, neither of them saying anything.

After a few seconds, Jim looked shyly at her, backing up into the kitchen to let her through.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I was just getting some water."

Trixie found herself smiling. "I was actually coming to get some water too."

Jim chuckled. "Let's hope it doesn't spill this time."

Trixie blushed at the memory, entering the kitchen and going over to the cupboard to grab a glass.

She paused and looked back, glass in hand, and saw Jim looking back at her shyly, awkwardly deciding whether to stay or leave. Her heart contracted.

"Jim," she said softly, looking at him.

"Trixie," he whispered back, looking at her with such care that her heart leaped in her throat.

With a stride he crossed the kitchen and came to stand in front of her.

"Do you have any time on your hands?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.

"Yeah," she replied, forcing herself to look at him. "It's not like I have anything planned."

A small smile crossed his lips. "Dad wants me to go see Mr. Maypenny for something, so you can ride over there with me," he suggested, meeting her eyes.

"That sounds great, Jim." She smiled shyly. "Then we can talk."

He nodded. "I'll go tell Honey." He scratched his head. "Meet me at the stables in five minutes?"

She nodded, her glass of water forgotten.