Page 85 of The Cupcake Standard

He chuckled. “Perfect.”

“Maybe I’ll go take a nap instead of watching football. If you can’t find our box of pizza later, you’ll know where it ended up.” A bit of my humor sparked, bringing back the warmth inside me like a balm to my soul. Derek was my friend, first and foremost. I knew he cared about me on some level, and that counted for a lot. Our boundaries had gotten skewed, but we could fix that. For now, I’d enjoy the game wrapped up in my cozy new blanket and have fun with our friends.

Bingeing on pizza and junk food won’t hurt either.

* * * *

The week passed slowly. Derek was busy with his father’s client, so we only had time for texts once in a while. I tried to keep them lighthearted, making him laugh as often as I could, not wanting to add to the pressure he was under. Gina and Josh were busy figuring things out, so she didn’t have a lot of time for me. And Liam basically worked around the clock, his little free time spent exercising.

Which left me with a lot of time on my hands. I picked up a couple of extra shifts at the coffee shop, but they only lasted a couple of hours. My romance novels weren’t as fun without someone to tease me about them. And my schoolwork was all caught up. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I felt like Derek had been gone for a month.

Lunch with my dad was especially depressing. He didn’t even want to eat with me.

When I walked in the door that evening, I stood for a second, hating the greeting of the dark, empty apartment. What I wouldn’t give for a pair of brilliant blue eyes, a megawatt smile and a low, rumbly voice calling me Cupcake. I sighed, trying to figure out what to do with my desolate evening. Maybe I’d binge a show.

My phone chimed, and I reached for it, thrilled to have someone contacting me. Mother’s name flashed across the screen along with a text, killing my happiness instantly. She was calling in one of her dinners, for tomorrow night. Oh, shit. I knew Derek was pushing it already, just by leaving in time for the party on Friday. There was no way he’d be able to leave another day early. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, my brain scrambling to come up with something other than giving into the panic pressing in.

Rhonda. She’s an Elgin. Surely she’ll be as good as her brother in my mother’s eyes. I found her number, calling her.

“Hello?”

How to explain this one? “Hey, Rhonda, it’s me, Avery. So I have a really weird favor to ask you. I have this arrangement with my mother…” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, and decided to just go for it. “Look, my mother and I don’t get along, but her cook makes the best ravioli ever. I had a bargain with my mother to steal her cook for the party on Friday. Part of the deal was that Derek and I would show up for three dinners between now and Christmas, on the night of her choosing. And in her typical, thoughtful style, she chose tomorrow as one of the nights.”

“But Derek’s still in Canada, right?”

Surprise flashed through me. I was impressed she knew that. “Yeah, he is, and he’ll barely be able to make it home Friday. With such short notice, there’s no way I’d be able to find someone else to make decent food for the party if I don’t hold up my end of the deal. So I was hoping that maybe you weren’t busy…”

“Wait, you want me to come to a dinner party with you tomorrow?”

Great, she’s going to shoot me down before I even get off the ground. “I know it’s really soon but—”

“Sure! When, where and what’s the dress code?”

I held the phone away from my ear to stare at it. Is it really going to be that easy? “Um, I’ll find out and let you know.”

“Okay, I look forward to hearing from you. Bye, Ave! And thanks for thinking of me.”

Stunned at her exuberant reaction, I stood with the phone clutched in my hand for several long seconds before I realized what I was doing. Then I shot my mother a text explaining the situation. As I knew she would be, she was thrilled with what she called the ‘upgrade’. Annoyance shot through me at her choice of words.

After I’d received the details, I forwarded them to Rhonda. On a whim, I asked what she was doing tonight.

Her response was almost immediate.

Nothing.

I’m still not sure what to wear Friday. And then there’s the gala the day after Thanksgiving. Derek asked me to go, but we haven’t had time to shop.

Girl.

Then nothing else. I waited, my stomach rumbling that it was dinner time. My phone rang just as I stuck my head in the fridge to see what had magically appeared since yesterday. Absolutely nothing.

Rhonda didn’t bother to greet me, just started barking orders. “All right, Avery, meet me downtown ASAP. We’re going to fix you up. Is Greg around? I already let Kevin have our driver, so I have to hire one to get out there.”

“Um, I’ll check.” I shot a text to Greg, unwrapping a cheese stick. “Have you eaten yet? ’Cause I’m starving.”

“We don’t have time for food! You have two major events coming in less than two weeks. One of which is in two days. We’re in crisis mode here!”

Excuse me! “Greg’s available. He’ll be here in a few. I guess I’ll find some food on the way?”

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