When We Touch

“She said you were bringing me too many cupcakes today.” Her little head pops up. “Did you bring me too many cupcakes?”

“I brought six purple monster three cupcakes, and you can eat them all if you want.” Cutting my eyes back toward the church, I see my mother in a chaste conversation with the minister.

“Just save one for me.” Tabby pats her little back and drifts away to where Chad stands talking to one of the parishioners.

Betty Pepper has me by the arm again. “Can you take an order for it now?”

Blinking back at her, I’m momentarily confused. “For what?”

Her eyebrows rise, and she makes her eyes big. “For the humpht cake.”

When she says humpht she wobbles her head and jabs her index finger straight up—I imagine like a springing erection.

I grab it in my fist quickly. “How soon do you need it?”

“Friday. You know, the same night you’re going out with Bucky.”

“Right.” As if I could ever forget that good deed gone wrong.

“Are you making a cake, Mommy?” Coco’s head is up, and she’s lifting my hair around my shoulders. Her sadness over last night is ancient history now that too many cupcakes are waiting for her.

“I need to be making more,” I say, looking over the crowd.

Tabby gives Chad a little wave and starts back, but just before he slides those aviator sunglasses up his straight nose, I see his eyes linger on my best friend’s ass. The muscle in his square jaw moves, and it’s pure lust.

It’s also pure busted when he sees me. I give him a little wink, and he turns quickly. I just laugh. Poor Chad. He’s been in love with Tabs since the town hired him, and she won’t give him the time of day. She says he’s too “law-abiding.” I call bullshit. I think she knows what I know… Chad Tucker would have a ring on her hand faster than she could say I’m not that kind of girl.

“What’s that smug expression about?” she asks once she reaches our little huddle.

“I see Officer Tucker punched your church card.”

“My what?” Her black brow arches. “Oh. Right. Yeah.”

“You’ll also be happy to know Betty here just placed another order for a humpht cake. Chocolate this time.”

Tabby’s eyes widen even more. “Who the hell—”

“Coco bean!” I cut her off loudly. “Run tell Granny you’re walking home with Aunt Tabby and me.”

My daughter does a little hop on my hip, and she’s out of my arms, running top speed in the direction of the church.

BP leans closer. “I put the word out you made the cake. You should have a few more orders across the week.”

“Thanks, but remember to tell them I do legitimate baking as well. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes, anniversary cakes you can serve your pastor…”

“What’s the fun in that?” The old woman clutches her purse against her lavender suit and starts down the lane leading to where her son sits in the car waiting, leering at me.

I can’t help a shiver. I’m waiting for Tabby’s snarky response, but she doesn’t even notice. My best friend is so distracted, I honestly can’t take it anymore.

“What is on your mind, Tabitha?”

“Don’t call me that,” she says absently. “Chad calls me that.”

“Well, it’s your name.”

Cocoa charges back to us, blowing air through her lips like a loud little motor, and grabs both our hands. We set off at a leisurely pace in the direction of my mother’s house.

“Speaking of Chad, he’s rocking that suit today.” I cock an eyebrow in her direction. “Has he been working out?”