Page 51 of The Cupcake Standard

“I’m throwing Derek a surprise birthday party.”

Her eyebrows pulled together, head tilting, obviously wondering if I were in my right mind.

“I know it’s not his birthday. But if you remember, I didn’t really get a chance to do anything big for him.” Silence met my statement, and I sighed. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. One of the reasons Derek started looking for a girlfriend was because you kept throwing your friends at him. It’s one of the first conversations we had.” The very first actually.

“I don’t know why you’re doing that, if it’s a desperate attempt to keep him close to you or some twisted way to control him.” I shrugged. “If you care about him at all, I’d say your chances at having a good relationship aren’t great. And your odds aren’t getting any better based on the behavior I’ve seen from you, or your fiancé.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Like you know anything.”

I clenched my jaw, frustration coursing through me. I knew a whole hell of a lot more than she gave me credit for, and I was happy to demonstrate. “You talked over him like he was nothing at dinner the other night. I watched him fold himself up, tucking away any hint of the real Derek as soon as you did. Like it was just par for the course.” I watched her for any hint of reaction, happy to see her flinch. “You don’t know a single thing about him, Rhonda. And you don’t try. The only person you care about is yourself.”

I stared at the bar across the street, looking through the hazy window at the crowds inside. “I don’t know why I’m even bothering.” As I stood up to go, I almost missed her quiet words.

“I know he’s really good at guessing surprises.”

I paused, needing more of an olive branch than that.

She cleared her throat. “What’s your cover story? For the party?”

My lips curved into a small smile as I shrugged, turning to face her once more. “Well, I’m having it on my birthday, but we’re going to celebrate him instead. Pretty sure he won’t suspect anything.”

Rhonda blinked rapidly—disbelief etched in every feature. “Wait. You’re having a party for him on your birthday?”

“Yep.” I smiled broadly. “Isn’t that perfect?”

She stayed silent for another moment. “Why would you give up your birthday?”

“It just worked out.” I sat down once more. What wouldn’t I give up for Derek, who’s helped me so much? He was fast becoming one of my favorite people. “The dates lined up. It’s on November seventeenth, and we’re having a twenty-one-themed party. Twenty-one of his favorite foods. Twenty-one whiskeys. A bunch of his friends are coming. I’ve been able to get some good suggestions on food and decorations from all of them. Greg scored a great event room at a hotel, and I made sure to get us a room for the night so if Derek actually tastes all the whiskeys, I can put him to bed without driving across town.” I beamed at her only to be met with a concerned stare. “What?”

“This is great and all, but why are you telling me?” The snotty tone made her attitude shine through, but her words were underlined with a hint of something that sounded a lot like hope.

I twisted my hands in my lap and took a deep breath. “I want you to come. If you have any chance of being in Derek’s life, you’re running out of options.” I paused, laying down my conditions. “But you have to do this on his terms. Don’t bring your friends. Kevin can come, but he needs to be on his best behavior.” I glanced up at her, surprised to find her still listening. “You’re his twin, Rhonda. You may not get along perfectly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not important to him.”

It was her turn to study her lap. “He wouldn’t want me there. He never invites me to do anything. He’s a hard guy to hold on to.”

I frowned, her phrasing sounding all off to me until realization dawned. “Well, maybe that’s the problem. You’re trying to hold on to him.” The confusion in her gaze had me scrambling for an analogy. “Okay, think about water running from a faucet. If you close your fist over the stream, how much water do you keep in your hand?”

She frowned. “None.”

“Right. But if you cup your hand under it?”

A light dawned in her eyes.

“Maybe stop trying so hard. Let him come to you. Ask him some questions about him next time you see each other. Send him a text when something reminds you of him.” And I had to make sure she understood one thing. “I know you guys share a birthday, but I want to make this clear. This one’s for him, okay?”

She nodded.

I hesitated, deciding I had to ask. “I saw the pictures of him with you and your friends at your joint party. That really didn’t seem like his scene, at all. Did you even try to find something he wanted to do?”

At least she had the decency to look chagrined. “No. But, he’s never had a preference before. Eventually, I stopped asking.”

“Or,” I said gently, “maybe he’s had a preference all along, and you just stopped listening. I think he’s the one doing all the work in this relationship.”

Rhonda sat in silence for long enough that I worried I’d overstepped. Again. Then her head snapped up. “I’ll be there.”

We smiled at each other before I blurted out, “Can I ask you something?” My words were tentative. I wasn’t sure she was the best person to talk to, but Liam hadn’t been much help and Derek, well, I’d seen how he reacted. Bin had given me some info, but I was hungry for more. “Who is Princess?”

Rhonda’s eyes widened, flicking to mine, then her gaze settled somewhere past me. “She’s someone Derek used to date.”

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