Wait for me…
Jesus, my butterflies have butterflies remembering the way he said those words.
“If you can take a break from daydreaming, come help me lift this fondant over the queen’s skirt.”
I hop off the stool and walk over to lift the opposite side of the soft, white pastry covering. I hold up my side as she quickly wraps it around the upside down triangle that formed the skirt.
Stepping back, I watch as she smooths and cuts it, careful not to ruin the perfect diamond design she made all over it. “I’ll just go back and paint the diamonds red and black.”
“This really is an amazing cake. Let me take pictures of it for the website.”
“Of course!” She looks over her shoulder at me, then her eyes go wide. “Oh, hell, look what time it is! Would you mind picking up Coco from preschool for me?”
I glanc
e up at the clock to see it’s almost three. “Sure. Want me to bring her back here?”
“No, she’s staying with Mamma a few more weeks. It still gets too hot at night for her to be comfortable here with me.”
“I don’t know how you stand it.” Emberly’s loft apartment over our heads gets hot as blazes by the end of the day with no air conditioning. “You know you can come and crash with me if you need to.”
“I know.” She takes a step back and looks around, over her head. “But I turn the ceiling fans on high and leave the French doors open. The heat breaks eventually, and I like being here, even when it’s the dog days. Makes me feel one step closer to having it all.”
“You’ll get there.”
She gives me a warm smile as she takes down the small glass bowl she uses to mix colors. “Better hurry. Mamma wants to go to prayer meeting tonight.”
“I swear, that woman has Coco in church every time the door is open, poor thing.”
“She doesn’t want her to turn out like us.”
“What’s wrong with us?”
“Oh! Hang on.” Emberly puts the black mixture down and hops over to the refrigerator. “While you’re out, run this down to the Blue Crab. They ordered a cheesecake for desserts.” She takes out an oversized box.
“Hey, that’s awesome! Only… I was thinking I’d just take the bike.”
I was secretly hoping a little exercise would ease the pain of missing Chad.
“So take the bike! I do it all the time.” She picks up the bowl of black food coloring and a paintbrush and returns to the queen.
“It’s like two miles! Come get me if I’m passed out on the side of the road.”
She laughs, and I pull the door shut, balancing the cake box. Just as I turn, here comes Daisy Sales walking up the hill towards me.
When our eyes meet, her face goes white.
I put a hand on my hip. “Hello, Daisy.”
She only hesitates a moment before she starts walking again. “Hi, Tabby. Is Emberly still inside?”
“Of course.” I wait at the door until Daisy’s reaches it, wondering if she’ll try to say something for herself.
She only stands there, blinking down to her shoes. “You know…” She’s speaking carefully, as if she’s choosing her words. “Jimmy Rhodes has been my delivery boy for the last year.”
“I know.” I shift my position. “And Wyatt’s and Betty’s. What’s the point?”
“He used to always talk about how you were his girl.” She gives me a weak little smile. “He’d say, ‘That Deputy Tucker keeps trying to steal my girl!’” She imitates his voice and exhales a little laugh when she finishes.