Don't Go Baking My Heart

Reba

The first thingthat drew Reba’s eye as they entered the Savannah was the big colourful Ferris wheel. The wheel spokes were lit up in interchanging colours and looked so pretty against the night sky she couldn’t help but snap a couple of photos for her Instagram. There were already a few people riding it, a mix of excited squeals and some fearful shouts echoing around the area. She was definitely going on it before they left.

Chatter, cheer, and chaos. She was totally in her element.

She also wasn’t leaving until she’d won one of those giant stuffed animals. She was terrible at those games, her coordination off. Didn’t mean she couldn’t convince someone else to win for her. A tall, scowly someone who had rocked her whole world last night.

She glanced at Devon, who was looking around as if he would rather be anywhere else. His mother, sister, and niece were busy chatting about what they wanted to try first. The crowd could definitely overwhelm someone who didn’t enjoy these sort of things.

Devon might not be into this entire scene, but Reba was no amateur. He’d be having fun by the end of the night.

“You see him?” she asked.

“Not yet.” He checked his phone. “He said he’s by the bumper cars. I suppose I should go over there and see. It’s a bit crowded, so I can’t really tell.”

Devon had spoken to Jeremy while his cake was in the oven. After he had managed the marble effect without any other potential disasters, he had left the kitchen to have that conversation. Reba would have liked to be a nosy fly on the wall, but she understood that Devon wouldn’t feel comfortable having this talk with her around.

Whatever had been broken between the two friends wasn’t her problem to meddle with. She’d merely offered some simple advice: be truthful about messing up.

He hadn’t elaborated when he’d returned, but obviously, it had gone in his favour with Jeremy agreeing to meet to chat.

“It’s so noisy. This might have been a bad idea after all,” he lamented, frowning up at the wheel.

“It’s great!” Reba pointed at the carousel. “Definitely going on that. And the wheel. Oh, look at that one.”

They all looked up at the contraption that was rising high up in the air. The people who were strapped in looked sort of dazed and a bit terrified. Reba could see why as the ride started swinging from side to side and the screaming began. The riders were literally clutching onto the safety bars for dear life. Oh yeah, she was trying that one for sure.

“Feel like having your entire soul leave your body?” she asked, eyes fixed on the swinging ride.

“Not a chance in hell,” Devon muttered. “I see him. I’ll be back.”

Reba shrugged and followed the other Kings to the carousel. As they went round and round, she clutched onto the horse she had chosen, trying to capture a video to post without getting dizzy. She caught glimpses of Devon talking with a guy who was about his height but with a broader build as the spinning ride slowed down. She couldn’t tell how it was going from here, but at least some sort of progress was being made.

She couldn’t survive without her friends. She’d met Cherisse and Remi later on, having known Trina and Ayo from secondary school days, but their friendship was no less important. They all kept her sane most of the time. She didn’t know how Devon was going about this no-friends life. But then again, she wasn’t hyper-focused on following through on some rigid goals timeline. She was happy where she was for the moment. One day at a time was fine for her.

They got off the carousel, and Maxi’s adorable daughter pointed at the children’s rollercoaster.

“Sure, sweetie,” Maxi said, beaming down at Leah.

“Can the pretty lady with the pink hair come too?” Leah asked, pointing at Reba.

Well, this child had her heart forever. “I don’t think adults can fit on there, hon.” The rollercoaster was a mini version of the real thing, and Reba was definitely not going to be allowed in those seats. “But we can play one of those games to win a stuffed animal after? And you can call me Auntie Reba if you want.”

“Okay, Auntie Reba,” Leah said as her grandmother took her hand to lead her over to the rollercoaster.

“You’re raising the sweetest child.” It had to be said. Children tended to be honest, and Reba would take any compliment she got from a tiny human.

“Thanks.” Maxi smiled as she looked over to where Leah and Ms. King were waiting in the line to go on the ride. “She used to call Cherisse the pretty cake lady before she and Keiran were a thing. Now it’s Auntie Cherry.”

“Too cute.”

It was also funny that both Leah and Reba were unexpectedly dressed alike, sort of. Leah wore a long denim jumper over a pink t-shirt. Reba had chosen a short pink jumper that showed a lot of thigh but covered her ass—it was a family outing, after all—thrown over a white crop top. Her jumper had tiny rainbows on the back pockets. She’d finished off the whole look with her rainbow Converse sneakers.

Devon hadn’t said a word about what she was wearing, which meant he had thoughts about it. She knew enough about him now to know when he was saying a lot by not saying anything. That quiet, searching gaze of his spoke volumes. She’d changed out her usual simple nose ring for a tiny heart-shaped stud.

She looked cute. That was never in question. The real mystery was whether he would acknowledge it at all. Probably not with his family around.

“I wonder how that’s going?” Maxi interrupted, pointing to a spot a little way off from the bumper cars.