Tonya was in a huff.
The nerve of that guy! Who the hell did he think he was?
Sure, she’d been lying. But that didn’t give him the right to call her out on it like that. Not right there in front of her friends. Not ever. He wasn’t her Daddy. It wasn’t as if they had a relationship or something. They didn’t even know each other.
If she were being honest, though, she’d have to admit she had mixed emotions about it all.
On one hand, it had been humiliating. She’d wanted to cry. But she was more angry than sad.
On the other hand, well… it had felt good to be held accountable for her lies. But why? Shouldn’t she be livid?
She was angry. But livid was different. Right? She should have been so mad she couldn’t see straight! Yet something kept drawing her back toward him…
It took her a few minutes to recover, but eventually she wandered into the house where most of the Littles were decorating sugar cookies. Squeezable packs of red, green, and white frosting were scattered on the large kitchen island for the taking. People stood around the granite with cookies on plates, making their best festive designs.
Tonya wasn’t sure how the two women she’d been with would react when she approached, so she picked a spot a ways down from them, instead standing beside Iris and her friends.
And closer tohim.
Damn, he was hot.
But he’s kind of a jerk. Think about what he did to you out there.
Iris was reaching for a bag of green icing when Tonya acted on impulse, grabbing it first and then flashing the other woman a smug smirk.
“Okay. I guess you wanted it,” Iris grumbled.
Tonya looked to see if she’d caught the attention of Kendrick.
Nope. He was still looking down at the cookie he was decorating.
Hmm. Tonya would just have to try harder.
A few moments passed. Iris had used the red and white icing, along with some sprinkles, to decorate her giant cookie.
“Hey, that looks great!” Cami told her.
Tonya sighed loudly. Some of the Littles looked at her.
“Sorry,” she said exaggeratedly. “I guess it’s fine. For an amateur.” She shrugged. “I just interned at The Gilded Crumb. I know a thing or two about decorating.”
This did the trick. Kendrick finally looked up from his decorating and said, “The Gilded Crumb?”
“Yep.”
“That high-end bakery that all the rich people and celebrities use for their wedding cakes and stuff?”
“Of course. Do you know another Gilded Crumb?” she asked haughtily.
“Nope. But I know the one and only well. Did you train under Carey or Bridgett?”
Oh crap! How did this guy know so much? She’d give him Musso and Frank’s and Dan Tana’s. They were easy catches. Asimple Google search confirming their hours would have kept her out of trouble earlier. That was squarely on her.
But how did he freaking know people at The Gilded Crumb? What the heck?
Which way should she answer here? One was probably just as good as another. Maybe she should even take a big swing and act like she knew just as much or more than he did.
Then another thought hit her.
