Other Birds

Zoey shows Charlotte her apartment and tells her about her mother. She’s upset that Frasier didn’t mention her before, and Charlotte comments that Frasier probably has many secrets. Zoey shows Charlotte photos of her mother and friends from back home, which reminds Charlotte of Pepper. Mac arrives and offers Charlotte several leads on a new job, including selling tickets for a tour company, but Charlotte reacts defensively. After lunch, she and Zoey find the tour company and book a bus tour around the island. As they wait for the tour to begin, Zoey tells Charlotte the plot of Sweet Mallow: Henry and Teb, two men who look very similar, meet during World War I. When Henry dies, Teb assumes Henry’s identity and goes to his home on Mallow Island. He bonds with Henry’s grandfather, and when police come looking for him, the grandfather rallies the town to his defense. Henry learns that the grandfather is able to see ghosts—the ghost of Teb told his grandfather about Henry’s loyalty and honor.

On the bus tour, and Zoey and Charlotte learn about the history of the island. They stop in front of Roscoe Avanger’s home since he’s a local celebrity. Zoey now understands her mother’s love for the town. After the tour, Charlotte goes to the ticket desk on Mac’s recommendation and is offered a job. That night, Mac discovers a witch ball that Charlotte left him as a thank-you gift.

When Camille was young, she presented herself to an elderly man in her neighborhood and offered to be his wife. The man agreed; he was mourning the death of the man he loved. Camille and the elderly man were reasonably happy, though they never had children. After his death, she worked at a restaurant until it closed and she inherited all their excess cornmeal. She began making cornbread for the stray children around the neighborhood, giving them a safe place to stay and taking care of them. That’s how she came to be a surrogate mother figure to Mac. She hopes that soon Mac will find someone to take care of.

Zoey looks through her stepmother’s social media; her stepmother has turned Zoey’s old bedroom into a craft room. Zoey compares her current living situation to her stepmother’s curated life.

Charlotte stops by on her way to her new job. Though they are grateful for the week they spent together, Zoey is despondent that they haven’t found Lizbeth’s story. Mac comes in to thank Charlotte for the witch ball, but confesses that it broke when he wasn’t looking. She offers him a replacement, and Mac invites them both to dine at his restaurant. After he leaves, Zoey prods Charlotte about Mac’s invitation. Charlotte leaves for work and Zoey goes through the last of Lizbeth’s things. Part way through her work, she realizes that Pigeon has left. Zoey goes to Lucy’s apartment and knocks on her door to invite her to lunch. There is no response.

At the very end of her cleaning, Zoey discovers childhood photos of Lizbeth and Lucy and school photos of Oliver as a child. The photos force her to reassess her mental image of Oliver; she texts him the photos. Considering Oliver and Lizbeth’s relationship makes Zoey think about her own relationship with her mother, and the fact that her mother didn’t create a space for her in the apartment. Oliver replies to her text, and they start a conversation about Oliver’s family and school. Zoey leaves the photos at Lucy’s door. When she returns the next morning, they’ve disappeared.

At Popcorn, Mac prepares for Charlotte and Zoey’s arrival. He has a good relationship with his staff, because he hires them based on their personal stories. He prepares a set menu for Charlotte and Zoey, and his co-workers tease him about having female guests. One cook, Javier, references their legendary house ghost named Benedict, known for being a hopeless romantic. Several staff members have had ghostly experiences, such as finding a mysterious rose. Today, Mac finds a heart-shaped chocolate—another ghostly gift. Meanwhile, Zoey worries about what to wear to dinner. She and Charlotte take Charlotte’s scooter to the restaurant, although Charlotte isn’t a fan of her mode of transportation. When they arrive, they read an article about the restaurant, which mentions Roscoe Avanger as a patron and the local ghosts. Their dinner has several courses, all featuring cornbread or marshmallows. Zoey remarks on how much effort Mac put in for Charlotte.

When Charlotte arrives home, she finds her door unlocked. After ensuring no one is inside, she panics, worried that someone from her past has followed her. Finally, she goes to Mac and tells him what happened. He invites her in and introduces her to Fig, swearing her to secrecy. He invites her to stay the night on his sofa, and tells her about his life with Camille. When Mac goes to sleep in his room, Charlotte feels stupid for thinking Mac is attracted to her. Mac, meanwhile, is frustrated that he can’t sleep near Charlotte without covering her in cornmeal.

Camille reminisces about her life with Mac, who was often teased as a child for being messy and ungainly. Unlike the other children, Mac was interested in the stories she had to tell. He stayed with her more and more, until Camille went to talk to his mother and learned that she had abandoned him. Mac moved out of Camille’s condominium when he was a teenager, but moved back to take care of Camille in her old age. She is grateful for his love, but wants him to move on so he can be happy.

The novel now flashes back 10 years. Charlotte’s best friend at the cult camp has just died. The cult leader, Minister McCauley, is upset that the death might bring the authorities. However, Charlotte knows the girl died because the camp didn’t take care of her. She knows that McCauley is planning to run away and leave everyone, so Charlotte runs away first, after stealing his money so McCauley cannot escape.

In the present, Charlotte wakes up in Mac’s apartment; he’s vacuuming the cornmeal from the previous night. They have breakfast together and talk about Camille’s storytelling approach to food. Charlotte thinks she overreacted about her unlocked door, which leads her to confess her past in the cult. She and Pepper made plans to run away together, but Pepper died of pneumonia. After Charlotte left, McCauley was arrested for selling weapons and the other cultists dispersed. Charlotte spent the next several years afraid that someone would come after the stolen money. She’s particularly concerned about someone named Sam. Charlotte and Mac tell Frasier about the break-in and encourage him to increase security. They meet Zoey, who’s been searching for a copy of Dancing with the Dellawisps for her birthday next week.

Mac returns home and researches the Church of McCauley. He learns that the cult was unhealthy, preyed on vulnerable people, and had several malnourished children. He makes chocolate chip cookies and leaves them for Charlotte as a gift.

Oliver is growing increasingly stressed about the job opportunity he hopes Garland’s father will offer him. He receives a text from Zoey, who asks him where to find Dancing with the Dellawisps. As Garland plays with her new lover in the pool, her father suddenly arrives and berates Garland for partying with her friends instead of finding a job. He throws everyone out. Before leaving, Oliver asks about the job and is told it was already filled long ago. Garland’s friends invite Oliver to come with them, but Oliver decides to go home.