We walk into the little café that looks like you’ve died and gone to heaven. The whole room is filled with cupcakes. There are little tables in baby blue and pink all over the room. It’s almost empty. We walk up to the display case, or at least one of them because there are three other display cases around the store.
“I want sprinkles,” Rachel says to her mother while I look over the different ones.
“I’ll take three lattes with a dozen cupcakes,” Parker says to the girl behind the counter. “Karrie, honey, what flavor do you like?”
“Red velvet with the cream cheese frosting and apple pie crumble cupcake also.” I hear a groan behind me and turn to Lauren.
“I hate you,” she tells me and I put my hand to my chest. “Skinny, young, you can eat what you want and not gain a pound. If I ate two cupcakes, I’d have to diet for about four months before the fat was gone.”
I laugh at her while she decides to get the peanut butter cupcake with banana frosting.
“I’ll just double my spin classes.”
Parker laughs at her and orders a chocolate cupcake with white chocolate frosting. Then she orders two sprinkle ones for Rachel and a big glass of milk.
We carry the cupcakes and the coffee to a table in the corner. I sit in the corner with Rachel sitting next to me on her knees while she claps her hands together in joy of having not one but two cupcakes.
I smile at her and turn back to Parker, who is smiling at me. We sit discussing last night and what a great turnout it was. I find out that Lauren and Austin work together, or did. She quit yesterday so they could date.
“So tell me, Karrie, how did you meet Matthew?” Lauren takes a sip of coffee and asks me.
“We actually met in a hotel gym.” I fold my arms on the table in front of me, leaning in a bit. “Then I found out I was hired to be his chaperone.” I think back at how it started.
“Really?” Lauren says.
“Yes, the day after I met him he moved in with me.” I take a sip of the coffee. “Then proceeded to give me his shopping list.” I laugh while Parker holds her forehead, hiding her eyes while she shakes her head and laughs to herself. “Then he basically bulldozed into every waking moment of my life.”
“Mommy, I got to potty,” Rachel says, getting up, Lauren following her.
“You love him,” Parker says, leaning on the table as well. “I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him.”
I open my mouth and then close it.
“Now don’t get me wrong. I see that he gets on your last nerve, and he can push you to the brink of the edge and you are a second from jumping off, but,” she tilts her head, “you always step back because deep inside you love him.”
“I,” I say, “I,” stutter again.
“He took his father leaving really hard. I could see him struggling with it. He would pretend everything was okay, but deep down I knew it was brewing, it was eating at him.” She wipes a tear from her cheek that slips out. “When Cooper came into the picture, he let go, and slowly, ever so slowly, the weight got lifted off his shoulders and he could be a kid again.”
She takes a big breath. “Then he moved out to LA and it was like he was a kid straight out of his cage.” She shakes her head. “I wanted to drive down there and ring his neck, but Cooper told me he had to fall on his own. So I listened to my husband, for once.” Another tear falls. “He went to rock bottom. Came home with his tail between his legs. I wanted to kill them both. I know he’s a grown man, but he’s still my baby.” She reaches across the table to hold my arm. “Seeing him with you, seeing you with him. Seeing the way you look at him, the way he looks at you. I know he’s good now.”
“I don’t know if I love him,” I whisper.
“Yes, you do. You wouldn’t let him get away with half the shit he does if you didn’t.”
“He found out I was going to Mexico on our five day break and he tied me to the bed,” I tell her. “He took my phone, keys, and purse so I wouldn’t leave him.”
She smiles at me. “You are a woman, a smart woman. If you want to get away from him, we both know that you would.” She shrugs. “Well, unless you were tied to the bed, but…” She looks away then back at me. “Don’t hurt him.” She blinks away the tears that are pooling in her eyes.