Page 29 of The Cupcake Standard

“Gina, meet Greg. He has amazing whiskey.” I glanced at him, hoping he’d take a hint.

He tipped his hat and gave me a wink. “Don’t worry, Miss, I came prepared.”

Clapping my hands, I waited for him to open the door then clambered in and went straight for the hidden compartment with the brand new fifth of whiskey. “Thank you, Greg!” I called when he was in the driver’s seat. “We definitely have some catching up to do. So if you can take us here, we’ll leave you to it.” I rattled off the address, poured us each a glass of whiskey then told Gina how Derek was absolutely perfect. And how terrifying that was for me. I even filled her in on the whole Princess mystery and the way he shut down. The limo pulled to a stop in front of my storage unit just as I drained my glass.

“And you have no idea who this Princess is?” Gina spat out the word.

“Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.” How am I supposed to compete with a ghost?

Gina stayed silent for a second, then smirked. “What about the kiss this morning?”

I waved her off with a pssh. “He’s just teasing, a game he started, to make us look more real for when Liam’s there. Liam doesn’t know we’re fake.”

She looked at me like I was insane. “Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that.” Then she tipped up her glass, licking up the last few drops. “All right, let’s do this.”

Greg was waiting, and I tapped on the window signaling we were ready.

I pulled my key out from under my shirt, fiddling with it as I approached the door. “C’mon, Greg. You'll want to see this.”

He hesitated. “Miss?”

“Sure, why not? But call me Avery, okay?” I waited until they flanked me before I turned the key, opened the door, and flicked on the lights. It didn’t look like much outside, a long skinny building like any other storage unit, but I owned half of it. And it was filled to the brim.

Gina clapped her hands. “What’s our ballpark?”

Good question. “Um, I don’t usually throw parties like this. I want to impress his family and friends, so ten? Fifteen? How many copies do you think I should start with?” I was glad to have Gina with me.

“Girl, you know those sell by the box-load. A couple boxes would make a decent dent in that figure.” She tugged on Greg’s sleeve. “C’mon, Jeeves, let’s put those muscles to use.”

They went off in search of the right shelves while I went down another aisle.

She called over her shoulder, “Avery, don’t you start without me!”

“I’m just looking!” But I smiled. I pulled back a few tarps and stepped into the main room, the one that got Gina all hot and bothered.

Greg whistled as he came through the door. “Holy shit. Oh uh, pardon me, Miss.”

I waved him off. “Enough with the ‘Miss’. Call me Avery.”

It was a pirate’s hoard of goodies of the rich and famous, the residence of the gifts Mother sent me. When that first parcel had arrived, my anger at her was still so raw and new, but when I’d opened the box, a treasure trove of designer trinkets and clothes nestled inside. My rage had softened at the edges, warmed by the idea of her thoughtfulness.

As I’d gone through the goodies though, it became clear that she hadn’t thought of me. Nothing was in my size or taste. These were her leftovers, and the hot fury turned to cold embers as I’d resigned myself to the realization that this woman was no longer Mom.

That’s when Mabel Milbourne became Mother.

I had one rule—to never use these things for anything but charity or frivolity. Mother’s money paid for my college education, but that was as far as I’d let her into my life. These trinkets would only be used to make a difference or for fun, not the day-to-day necessities I supplied myself with from my coffee shop job.

Gina appeared, and her eyes grew wide with delight as she walked down the aisles. She nearly cried when she saw a whole box stamped with the Hermes logo. Her head swiveled to me, asking for permission.

I nodded. “That’s perfect. And yes, you can pick something from it.” I knew I ran the risk of something going out of fashion or being out of season, but if I waited long enough, it’d be vintage right?

“What is all this?” Greg asked.

Gina explained while I kept looking for more things to fund this party. I found a box of Calvin Klein scents, then some Jimmy Choo shoes that might fit my big toe. Several pairs of Oakleys came next. There was a Gucci clutch I knew Gina would kill to have, so I set it aside to give to her later. Treasure hunting was tiring and, after a couple hours of sorting, I decided I’d had enough. “Text Aunt Tasha. I’m famished.”

Aunt Tasha ran a pawn store and had connections all over town. She was also a shrewd businesswoman. For a commission, she made sure we got top dollar for our loot. She wasn’t related to Gina by blood, but they’d become close after Gina turned sixteen. From what I’d gathered, Aunt Tasha would have happily adopted Gina, her husband David onboard with the idea as well. But Gina wouldn’t hear of it. She settled for calling them her aunt and uncle.

Before we climbed back into the limo, I held a copy of my mother’s book out for Greg, but he shook his head. “No, thank you. Derek’s a lucky man. I think I have all the inspiration I need right in front of me.”

---