Naturally, I get a stern glare before my mother continues talking about her favorite parts of her sermon. I’m so tempted to say, I know you wrote the whole damn thing!
Instead, I turn my attention to Coco, who’s creating a mountain out of her potatoes, complete with a moat in the middle for the gravy to run through.
“Looks like you’re finished!” I cheerfully hop up and take her plate, cutting my mother off mid-sentence. “Who’s ready for purple monster number three?”
“Me! Me! Meeeee!” Coco squeals holding her hand high and shaking it.
I laugh and go to the refrigerator to grab the square container. “I made one for each of us with two left over.”
Coco gets the first one, and she dives in smearing purple frosting all over her nose and chin.
“Mm!” she squeals. “Chocolate and purple. It’s hot!”
“That’s the dragon’s breath,” I say with ominous glee.
“None for me, thank you.” My mother’s affected tone is like some old antebellum woman. Again, eye-roll suppressed.
“Split one with me,” Tabby says. “I haven’t exercised enough this week for a whole one.”
“Having a little dry spell?” I tease. “Officer Tucker would be happy to help you out with that, I’m sure.”
“I like a man who’s faster than me,” she says, taking a pinch of purple. “Chad Tucker is too slow to catch me.”
“Sometimes slow can be nice.”
“Is that crude talk?” Momma snaps. “On the Lord’s day?”
“What? No!” I act innocent as I sit down. It only reminds me of Betty’s order after church today. “Speaking of slow, I’ve got to get more orders coming in. I don’t know what to do.”
Tabby leans forward on her elbows. “I told you. We’ve got to get your website up. Online orders are the hot new thing! And a delivery guy…”
“I’m not interested in spending all my time online.” My last venture into cyberspace landed me a baby. A baby I love, but still.
“Have you considered handing out fliers on the strand? I’m sure people out there are having birthdays, anniversaries… Maybe they just want cake by the ocean!”
Shaking my head, I watch her take a bite of spicy chocolate. “I did that a few times this summer. It didn’t seem to make a difference.”
“This is so delicious!” she cries. Just as fast, her eyes go wide. “I have an idea!” She’s out of her seat, taking my cupcake out of my hand and putting it in the box beside the remaining four.
“What are you doing?”
“Grab CC and the fliers. We have a cute baby and a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We need to hand out samples!”
“I’m not a baby!” Coco cries, and I laugh. Her angry face is covered in purple.
“It’s not a bad idea.” I go to the sink and pick up a washcloth.
“It’s a great idea!” Tabby has me by the arm, pulling me to the door. Coco’s behind us doing her kangaroo hop again. “Coco! Stop hopping. Walk with purpose!”
“You called me a baby,” my little girl fusses, and I know we’re pushing naptime.
“I expect a raise once the money starts rolling in!” Tabby leads us to her car, the box of cupcakes in her hand.
I scoop up my daughter and follow her. “I don’t pay you now.”
“Exactly.”
Five