Page 10 of Leo and His Love Bunny

I take a breath, because my mom is not unreasonable. She’s not going to get mad and scream at me, and not give me a chance to explain. I just...don’t want to admit that I’m so close to losing everything.

“I had the radio station there,” I say.

“I know. That made it worse. Everybody in town knows that my daughter is the one who has the R-rated cupcakes. And, honey, I love you, I really do, and I want to support you, but this is kind of hard.” My mom’s voice begs me to understand her position.

Trust me, I understand it. I feel the same way.

“Mom, I can fill you in with the details if you need me to, but it was either sell the cupcakes today, or my shop was going to go under. That’s where I was.”

Mom is quiet.

Then she says, “Do you need money for groceries?”

“Mom, I made more money today than I’ve made in my entire life. And yes, I know, it’s terrible that I made it on cupcakes that look like breasts, but I just sold what I had. I couldn’t throw it away, or I would lose all the money that I had spent to make that very last batch of cupcakes. I just couldn’t do it. People depend on me for their livelihood. Matt and Stephanie both have jobs because of me. I can’t just throw things away when they don’t turn out the way I want. I have to find a way to make things work.”

“Okay,” my mom says, although she doesn’t sound totally convinced.

“It’s like this, Mom. If I had deliberately gone out of my way to try to make them look like breasts, you’re right, that would have been a bad thing. I feel like, if I advertised them like that, it would have been a bad thing. If I continue to make them and sell them in my shop, I think it’ll be a bad thing. But I will never have another breast cupcake in my shop on purpose again. I have orders for them; people can order them. But I’m not going to put them in the display case, I’m not going to continue to offer them, and I’m not going to make any more other than what people have ordered because of the broadcast today. I just can’t let that business go. I invested everything I had in paying the radio station to come out. If I throw that all away, my business is gone.”

“You know you can always come home. Your dad and I would love to have you here.”

“I know.” My voice is subdued, because I wouldn’t mind moving back home. I never really was the independent kind of girl. I joke about it sometimes, because I own my own business, but I’m a homebody. I love to be home, and I’m not that ambitious. I just want to bake. But Mom and Dad deserved to have an empty nest. My parents are the kind of parents who love each other, even after forty years of marriage. In fact, maybe because of forty years of marriage. Regardless, I know they were both looking forward to an empty nest.

I stayed long after college, five years, actually, and while I get along with both of them, and they didn’t make me feel like I was an imposition, it was time.

“You and Dad deserve to have a little bit of time on your own.”

“We both love you. And both of us would not mind at all if you were to come home.”

“If I need to take care of you, I will. But I don’t want to come home because I failed.”

“I don’t care why you come. Just know you’re always welcome. Okay?”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“I’m sorry about the cupcakes.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“I suppose you’re gonna tell me that Leo Lipinski was an accident as well?”

Mom drops that on me, and I had not been expecting it. I spent the entire day trying to get my mind off Leo, and I finally had, when I was talking to my mom, trying to get her to understand my point of view. And then, when I am least expecting it, bam.

You can tell my mom raised four kids and taught junior high home ec. She’s a tough cookie. I love her though.

Right now, I don’t really appreciate her.

“That was an accident, too, although that was all my fault. It all was. I take responsibility for everything.”

My parents have always been big on personal responsibility, and I can’t help but say that, trying to earn a few brownie points.

“Leo Lipinski? Ahockeyplayer?” my mom asks, like hockey is a dirty word.

Did I mention that my mom is a teacher? And my dad is a nine-to-five office worker? Yeah. Hockey is not exactly on their radar. Ever.

Plus, we live in Virginia. Hockey isn’t exactly a big sell down here. Except, Leo’s team, the Icebreakers, are actually really good. Support for them has been growing.

“I’m sorry. I just... He comes in the shop sometimes, and his biceps are a little bit hard to miss.”

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