When Mr. Harris pulled up to the store, there was huge sign out front that read, “Closed for Disaster.”

“Disaster? What kind of disaster?” Kylie wondered out loud. She knocked on the front door. “Mr. Ludwig? Are you in there?”

“Go away!” said a meek voice. “Can’t you read the sign?”

“But we brought you your order!” said Lexi.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said GO!” the voice shouted.

“Let’s go, girls,” Mr. Harris said. “He obviously doesn’t want any cupcakes.”

“Wait!” Sadie shouted. “Mr. Ludwig! It’s us, Peace, Love, and Cupcakes!”

The lock slowly turned and the door creaked open. There was Mr. Ludwig, bundled in his coat, hat, and scarf. Sadie thought he looked like she had this morning: all red-eyed and puffy. Had he been crying, too?

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look awful!”

“What’s wrong? Isn’t it obvious?” he replied. “There’s an enormous hole in my roof, and my entire store is buried under snow and water! I’m ruined!”

Mr. Harris surveyed the huge hole in the roof. “It gave under the weight of the snow,” he said. “It’s pretty bad but probably fixable.” The glass display cases were shattered, all the shelving had fallen off the walls, and the floor was about a foot under water. Mr. Ludwig kept holding his head in his hands, moaning.

“Fixable? I’ve called everyone in the tristate area, begging them to fix it. No one can get my store open. They’re saying it will take months. But to be closed for months—that would be end of the Golden Spoon for sure.”

“Does this mean you don’t want your 240 cupcakes?” Jenna asked.

Sadie elbowed her in the ribs. “We totally understand, Mr. Ludwig,” she replied. “But I know someone who can fix it.”

“You do? Who?” Mr. Ludwig’s face brightened.

Sadie grabbed her dad’s hand and pulled him forward. “Him. My dad. Harris Contracting. He’s a great builder.”

Mr. Harris looked shocked. “I, um, well, I…” he began. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey, but I don’t know if I can fix it.”

“Of course you can!” Sadie insisted. “You can fix anything! Remember when PLC built that Statue of Liberty out of key lime cupcakes and her head kept falling off? You totally stuck it on with Gorilla Glue.”

“Honey, that was a cupcake sculpture. This is a roof that’s been totaled. I can’t use Gorilla Glue. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Please, Dad,” Sadie pleaded. “I’m sure Mr. Ludwig would pay you to fix it fast.”

“Oh, yes. If you can get it fixed in a few weeks and I can open my store, I would be so grateful!” Mr. Ludwig begged.

“Pretty please with frosting on top?” Sadie threw in. She knew that a quick paycheck was just what her dad needed—and that might put an end to all the arguing at home.

“I’ll have to think about,” Mr. Harris said. “I’ll let you know tonight.”

•••

After Mr. Harris dropped Jenna, Lexi, and Kylie off at their homes, Sadie cranked up the car radio and stared out the window. Selena Gomez was singing “Falling Down,” and that’s exactly how she felt—like the world was falling down around her. She was furious at her father for blowing this “Golden” opportunity. What was wrong with him?

“I know you’re angry,” he said. Sadie pretended not to hear. “Ignoring me isn’t helping.”

“Well, you’re not helping either!” she fired back. “You and Mom say we have no money. You’re always fighting over it. Why wouldn’t you take that job?”

“Because I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” her father explained. “Would you take an order for 10,000 cupcakes in two hours if you knew it was impossible to deliver?”

“It’s not the same thing,” Sadie sniffed.

“No, it’s not. Fixing a roof is a major job, honey. What Mr. Ludwig is asking may be impossible. We’re not talking a little leak or a few broken shingles. We’re talking a giant hole and major water damage. The Golden Spoon is totaled.”

“But won’t you just try?” Sadie insisted. “How do you know if it’s impossible unless you try?”

“I said I’ll think about it. I need to take some measurements and get some estimates on the materials.”

At least, Sadie thought, he wasn’t completely giving up. That was a relief! But she didn’t feel much better when her mom told her the roads were open and school would be in session tomorrow. “Everything is back to normal,” Mrs. Harris said.

Sadie wished that was true. She used to think her parents were so romantic and “mushy.” They held hands at the movies and kissed each other hello and good-bye.

“When I met your father, it was like a bolt of lightning struck me,” her mom had confided in her once. “He was handsome, strong, charming. He absolutely swept me off my feet.”

What happened between them? Sadie wondered. She looked at their wedding picture on the mantel. Her mom wore an elegant, strapless, white lace gown and veil, and her dad was in a top hat and tails. They looked so in love! When had things started to fall apart?

Sadie suddenly remembered what her dad had told her on the car ride home: “Sometimes you can try and try, but something is just too broken to be fixed.”

She gulped. Was he talking about the Golden Spoon’s roof.…or her parents’ marriage? Was that too broken to fix as well? Had he and her mom decided they were done trying?