How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue

Author:Meg Donohue [Donohue, Meg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Published: 2012-02-29T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Annie

Treat’s opening party was turning out to be the prom I never had. I was decked out in a new dress, the music was pulsing, and I couldn’t move a foot without bumping into a friend eager to shower me with a steady stream of praise. I deflected the first few compliments, but eventually I gave in and let the good vibes that were sent my way soak in. Sure, it was a decade late to aspire to being prom queen, but the people—my people—had spoken.

I’d invited practically everyone I knew to the party—Jake, Becca and Mike, Ernesto and Lorena and Carlos from Valencia Street Bakery, and numerous members of the interconnected circles of bakers and chefs and culinary world people with whom I’d worked and socialized over the years since college. It was the This Is Your Life of opening parties—everywhere I turned, there was someone from my past or present life supporting me. The only person missing, of course, was my mom. That month marked the ten-year anniversary of her death, but I tried not to dwell on that thought. Instead, I found myself imagining that she was somewhere in the room, trying each and every one of the cupcake flavors offered to her, her face radiant with pride. There was even a moment that I could have sworn I smelled her distinctive vanilla-and-citrus scent; turning around, I realized I was only catching a whiff of a nearby tray of Key lime cupcakes, but the feeling of believing, if only for an instant, that my mom was close flooded me with a warmth that I carried with me for hours.

“This must be the famous Becca,” Julia said, appearing beside Becca and me at the bar toward the end of the night. Julia’s little black dress was typically classy but her words, I noticed, were atypically slurred. “I’m Julia St. Clair,” she announced to Becca, sticking out her hand.

Becca shot me a look as she shook Julia’s hand. “Why, hello, Julia St. Clair,” she said, clipping her words with the hint of an English accent. “Verrrry pleased to meet you.” I kicked her shin under the bar.

“It’s so nice of you to make it tonight,” Julia said. “This has been such an enormous labor of love for Annie and me and it’s just wonderful so many people have come out to support us.”

Labor of love? People? Us? Julia’s words seemed strategically chosen to draw some line in the sand between Becca and the two of us. I would have thought Becca would have been too secure in our friendship to take the bait, but when I looked at her, I saw an angry glint in her eye.

“Oh, Becca knows I don’t consider any party without her a party worth hosting,” I said quickly. “Besides, with free booze and cupcakes, you couldn’t have kept her away if you tried.”

“It’s true,” Becca said. “If there’s one thing I like even more than Annie’s company, it’s freebies.”

“Well, you’ve hit the mother lode tonight,” Julia said, releasing one of her carefully arranged smiles.

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