Chapter 28
Lisa
"How is this wrong? What does one wear to a … cake tasting?" I mocked in my snootiest voice while I stared down at what I was wearing.
Jennie cocked her head to the side, staring at me like I was clueless. "Lisa, you're adorable, but you're dressed like you're going to work out at the gym."
"I know, I'm a genius." I grabbed the elastic waistband of my black Nike pants and stretched them out. "Elastic pants, cake tasting. Get it?"
She threw her hands up in the air as she walked her cute little ass down the hall to finish getting ready.
"What's a cake tasting?" Ruby called over from the living room where she and Jane were playing Mario Kart on the Wii.
"I have no idea, Ruby." I sighed and walked over to the living room, sitting on the couch next to Jane. "Apparently we're gonna try a bunch of different kinds of cake and pick one for Rosé's wedding since she can't do it herself."
"Because she's in Italy?" Ruby asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Exactly," I responded, watching their faces as they continued playing. Their eyes were wide, completely enthralled with their game, Ruby's little tongue darted in and out every time she pressed a button, and Jane leaned her whole body left and right with each turn. "Can I jump in with you guys?" I asked, sitting in the big chair.
"Sure!" Ruby jumped up and ran over to the TV to reset the game, while Jane shoved a remote in my lap. They both came and squeezed in on either side of me.
"Your mouth is hanging open." Jennie laughed.
I hadn't even heard her walk up behind me, I was too busy getting my ass kicked in the go-kart game by two pint-sized juice box addicts.
"I was concentrating, these two are really good." Standing up, I dropped the remote on the table and held my hand out to high-five each girl. "Rematch later?"
They slapped my hands and peeked around me, still playing their game.
"You ready?" I smiled at Jennie, my eyes raking up and down her outfit. She had on a pale pink button down shirt and a black, fitted, knee-length skirt. "Wow, I am underdressed, huh!"
She raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Just a little."
"That's okay, I'm going for comfort. You might regret that tight skirt by the end of the afternoon." I made sure the girls' eyes were still glued to the TV before I reached over and pulled Jennie in for a quick, tight hug behind their backs. I growled in her ear. "I won't mind watching you walk around in it though."
She giggled and called down the hall, "Mom, we're gonna go, okay?"
Sophia walked into the kitchen with Fred. "Have fun … pick something yummy." She walked up and kissed Jennie's cheek, giving my arm a squeeze as she went by.
Fred came over and shook my hand, then scooped the girls up off the couch and carried them into the kitchen, plopping them on the island.
Jennie walked over and wrapped her arms around both of the girls' shoulders, pulling them in for one big hug. "Love you two, so so much. See you later, okay?"
She turned and smiled at me and I stepped in behind her on the way out of the kitchen.
"Wait, Lisa!" Ruby called when we were almost to the doorway. I turned to face her and she opened her arms wide; Jane copied her.
I glanced at Jennie, whose wide eyes made me nervous to push her boundaries, but I also couldn't tell those two no. Walking over, I enveloped their tiny bodies in my arms and squeezed hard, making them giggle and squeal that they couldn't breathe.
"See you later, twinkies." I waved on our way out the door.
After a quick car ride to the next town over, we pulled up to a tiny, yellow house with a white picket fence. 'The Great Cakery' was stenciled on the large picture window in front.
"This is it?" I asked, surprised.
"Yep, this is the place to go for wedding cakes." She smiled at me as she hopped out of the truck before I could get around to open the door for her.
A bell rang above our heads as we walked through the large, stained-glass blue door as a woman in her mid-fifties came over to greet us. She was a short, chubby woman who radiated as much pleasant energy as anyone I'd ever met. I didn't even know her name yet, and I already liked her. Frosting smudges of every color were smeared across her white apron.
"Hi there. You must be Jennie?" she said as she reached out and took Jennie's hand in both of hers. "I'm Pearl, so nice to meet you."
"Hi Pearl, nice to meet you too. This is Lisa. I brought her to help me make a decision."
Her eyes met mine as she directed her cheerful grin my way. "Hi Lisa … wait. Lisa Manoban? Number 30 for the Minnesota Wild? Best goalie in the league? Two-time NHL MVP?"
I smiled politely. "Yes, ma'am. It's nice to meet you."
"Oh my God." She giggled nervously. "I'm a huge fan. My husband and I are season ticket holders, have been for years."
"Well, I thank you for that. Once the season starts, you'll have to get in contact with me. I'd love to give you and your husband a special tour around the stadium."
She snorted with excitement. "Oh my, I'd love that. Wow. Thank you." Her eyes darted back and forth between me and Jennie while she wrung her hands, all flustered. "This is such a pleasant surprise. Rosé called last week and explained her situation to me, that you'd be coming in her place, but I had no idea Lisa Manoban would be coming with you."
Jennie looked away, smirking at Pearl's excitement.
"I don't think she knew. We're excited though, I even wore my elastic pants." I grinned at Pearl, and her face flushed.
Jennie's head snapped back to me, her eyes bulging out of her head as her hands flew over her mouth, barely able to contain her laughter.
"Well, come on back and we'll get you all set up." She motioned for us to follow her.
Jennie poked me hard in the side, still chucking. "I can't believe you just said that. Elastic pants, really?"
"It's true," I defended myself. "And I am excited—this might be the best day ever."
Pearl led us to a large room through the back door, right next to the kitchen. A table with four chairs sat in the middle, and built-in shelves full of framed pictures of wedding cakes lined the wall to our right.
Jennie and I sat down at the table while Pearl strolled over and took an oversized binder off the bottom shelf. She set it down in front of us and said, "Here, take a look at this while I get the first plate ready. Rosé already picked the outside, but it just gives you an idea of what we have. I'll be right back." She stopped by the doorway and turned back to us quickly. "What can I get you to drink? Some people like milk, while others prefer water."
"I'll have milk, please." Jennie smiled courteously.
"Two, please."
Jennie cracked open the binder as Pearl disappeared around the corner. I watched her eyes flutter excitedly around the pages filled with pictures of big white cakes that had fake flowers trailing down the sides.
"Are those diamonds?" I asked, gawking at a picture that caught my eye.
"Not real ones, they're edible. Amazing, huh?"
I turned up my nose and leaned in close to her, not wanting Pearl to overhear me. "These are all too white. Where's the color? The excitement?"
"These are wedding cakes—they're supposed to be elegant, not exciting."
I walked over to the shelf and grabbed a different binder. "This one looks better." It was full of birthday cakes, retirement cakes, engagement cakes … every type of cake you could think of.
"And … here we are with your first batch." Pearl set a tray on the table with milk in two fancy-looking glasses that looked way too breakable for me to hold, and a plate with about ten squares of cake on it. "There are two of each kind: our basic chocolate, German chocolate, dark chocolate with a raspberry layer in the middle, Crème de Menthe and Oreo."
My head snapped up at Pearl. "You make Oreo wedding cake?" I asked incredulously.
"Yep, and we can put a layer of fruit filling or custard in between too, if you want. Basically, you can completely design your own." She shrugged her shoulders excitedly and grinned at us. "Okay, take your time, sample them, talk about them and I'll be back in just a bit with your white cake options."
Grabbing a fork off the plate, I dove right into the Oreo cake.
I rolled my eyes back in my head and dropped the fork. "Oh. My. God."
"That good, huh?" Jennie asked, trying it for herself.
"Yes!" I groaned. "I think I'm hard."
"Shhh! Not so loud!" She giggled.
"Seriously, this is the best thing I've ever eaten in my whole life … almost." I winked at her.
She gasped and turned a shade of red so dark, I was worried her head would explode right there in front of me.
"Do you agree?"
"Yes, I think it's delicious," she said once she regained her composure. "And really moist."
"Oh no, stop right there." I held my hand up. "It's a little late, but it's my turn to implement a condition on our relationship."
Jennie blinked rapidly, frowning at me. "What?"
"The word moist, you can't ever say it again."
She threw her head back and laughed at me, covering her mouth so that cake didn't spill out.
"No, no. Stop laughing, I'm serious." I said, but that only made her laugh harder.
She inhaled deeply and coughed, choking on her cake.
"See, that's what you get for making fun of me," I teased in a self-righteous tone. After she was done hacking, she took a big gulp of milk and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"So why don't you like the word moist?"
"Ah ah ah. What did I just say?" I warned, waving my finger.
"Why don't you like that word?" she asked, still chuckling.
"It just sounds gross. Doesn't it?"
"I don't know, I've never really thought about it. It's just a word."
"No, spoon is a word. That other M-thing is vile. It's like a porn-word or something. It needs to be removed from the English language." I shuddered.
"Porn word? Are you innocent all of a sudden? Do I need to remind you about last weekend?"
I didn't speak, I just glared at her.
"Okay, if you feel so strongly about it, I'll be careful not to use it…" She smirked. "Unless I'm trying to piss you off."
"How's it going in here?" Pearl interrupted.
"Slow, sorry," I responded. "She doesn't know how to use a fork, so she keeps choking," I joked, pointing to Jennie whose eyes bulged out of her head.
"Oh dear, do you need a spoon?" Pearl asked, completely serious.
Jennie was laughing so hard, no sound came out—all she could do was shake her head.
"Okay then, no rush. I'll bring the white selections back in a minute, that way you can compare if you want to."
Half an hour and eighteen cake squares later, I was beyond stuffed and extremely thankful for my elastic pants.
We'd tried every piece and had finally decided on the dark chocolate with raspberry filling, even though I pushed really hard for the Oreo. I had to … for Tommy. I was killing time flipping through the birthday binder again while we waited for Pearl. One of the cakes showcased in the binder was nothing short of incredible. It was a two-foot tall exact replica of the castle at Disney World with who I assumed were all the princesses scattered around it. Cinderella, the only one I recognized for sure, was standing on a balcony with Prince Charming.
"Holy shit, Jennie. Look at this!" I turned the book so she could see it.
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes lit up.
"Wow. I mean … wow."
"When is the girls' birthday? They need this cake."
"In a couple months, August 31st. I can't get this cake though, Lisa. Did you see the price?"
I spun the book back around and looked at the sticker next to the picture, which I'd totally overlooked.
"Two seventy-five? For cake?"
She nodded slowly. "I told you this place was the best. Rosé is spending a grand on this wedding cake. This place is way out of my budget."
We'll see about that.