Page 8 of Cakewalk
Jade
I really hadn’t talkedto Madison face-to-face ever since I left home for college. All her other friends had left for greener pastures a year before me. I was the last holdout since I had opted to take a gap year to sort out some things I was dealing with.
So when I had told Madison that I was accepted into GSU, she crumbled to the ground and openly cried. It didn’t matter that I reassured her I’d be back in between semesters, and especially once I got my degree.
Why she wouldn’t leave this town like all the other young adults, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like she had a family business to take over, or a sick family member who needed her care. She just straight up wouldn’t leave town, and refused to ever tell me why.
Well, whatever her reasons, she wouldn’t have much of an excuse to be mad at me anymore since I was officially here to stay in Calhoon.
That was forgetting the fact that I destroyed her cake, though. A whole new, and this time valid, reason to be mad at me.
I squeezed through the alley and headed back out to the sidewalk to find Killian, the young owner of the haberdashery, hosing off the pink mess in front of his store. He was looking as spiffy as ever, with his vest suit and twirled up mustache making him look like he just stepped off a 1920s steamboat.
Like me and my sister, he had inherited his father’s business and was keeping the memory going. The old folks around here loved that he could tailor their clothes and shoes to be both comfortable and stylish, giving them the individualized attention they couldn’t find elsewhere. This was probably one of the few towns where such an old-timey concept could actually be profitable, given all the retirees with disposable income.
He waved at me with his free hand as he swept the hose back and forth, sending my sister’s murdered cake into the gutter. “I see you’ve made a mess of my sidewalk.”
“Sorry. I was going to clean that up.”
“Not a worry. This little mishap is already the talk of the town, and I’ve had a few extra customers come in this morning just to hear about it.”
I rolled my eyes. This town was starved for any kind of excitement, wasn’t it? “Did you see it happen?”
Killian shook his head. “No, but nobody needs to know that.”
Good. No witnesses to tell my sister who exactly crashed into me. “Then what’s the story you’re telling them if you didn’t see it?”
“I’m telling everybody you were attacked by Patches. It’s believable enough.”
I laughed. “Patches strikes again.” Patches was the much-storied raccoon who was blamed for just about every knocked over flower pot, rummaged trash can, or missing holiday decoration in a ten-mile radius. Only three Calhoonians had allegedly witnessed the one-eyed rascal in the flesh, though.
“Yes, I’ve opted not to go for the more salacious story, as a friend.” Killian raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I saw Mr. Reed walking by with pink frosting all over his pants just a few minutes ago.”
Mr. Reed?Then I realized he was referring to Griffin, the “Mr. Reed” of Reed Enterprises. The multi-million dollar corporation my sister wanted to burn to the ground.
I had known Griffin’s last name all along.
And apparently nothing got past Killian.
“Wait, are you threatening that you might tell others?”
He looked appalled. “Of course not! I just want to know the fine details at your earliest convenience.”
Ugh, it shouldn’t have surprised me. This town’s most valuable currency was gossip. But I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to confess my feelings to someone. “There’s not much to tell. Except I got to see him without his shirt on. And he seems pretty nice. But don’t tell anyone I said that, or else it’ll get back to my sister.”
Killian locked his lips with an imaginary key and tossed it over his shoulder. I could see why all the old grannies and grandpas found him so charming.
With that, I hopped over the spray of water and hightailed it to Madison’s boutique.
Once I reached her storefront, I was greeted by a “Closed” sign. “What?” I said out loud, peering into the windows to see that all the lights were off. Madison was having her grand opening at noon. Where else could she be?
I looked back down the sidewalk, where Killian was finishing up with the hose. I rushed back toward him and asked, “Did Madison pass by earlier?”
“Yeah, actually. I think she went inside the cake shop just as you slipped out of the alleyway.”
