“Uh-huh.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “And I’m the Queen of England.”
The goddamn pavlova ended up collapsing. Go fucking figure. Gran declared it “rustic” but I just wanted to die. I couldn’t take this fucking mess over there, I’d embarrass myself.
“He’ll like it.” Gran put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
This woman knew me far too well.
“It’s ruined.” I sounded more distraught than I would’ve liked.
“He’ll ruin you if you’re lucky,” she quipped.
I snorted. “Gran! You’re impossible.”
“What? I’m sure he could.” She shrugged.
“Please.” I covered my face with my hands. “Just, please,stoptalking.”
By the time I’d finished decorating the thing with cream and fresh fruit, I’d run out of excuses not to deliver it.
Gran practically shoved the decorative platter into my hands. “Go on. Before you change your mind or drop dead from nerves.”
“I’mnotnervous.”
She pinched my cheeks with one hand and tucked my hair behind my ear with the other. “Then stop sweating like a sinner in church, dear.”
I glared at her, but she just waved me toward the door, looking far too pleased with herself.
Which is how I ended up standing on Kai’s porch, smash-lova in hand, trying to pretend this wasn’t the dumbest thing I’d done all year.
I knocked once, my hands sweating so much, I was afraid the platter would slip straight out of them. Not as if it could look any worse than it already did.
Maybe he wasn’t home.
A girl could hope, right?
Chapter 12
Tori
Thedoorswungopenalmost immediately, like he’d been hovering behind it. There he was, grinning like I’d just made his entire week.
“Tori!” he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up and then flitting down to the abomination I was holding in front of me like a shield. “And a … um, dessert? Is this for me?”
“Happy birthday and don’t read into this,” I grumbled.
He took a step back, still smiling, and opened the door wider, gesturing for me to come inside. “Too late.”
“It’s supposed to be a pavlova, but I messed up.” Taking a deep breath, I swallowed down my nerves and stepped over the threshold.
“A pavlova? Far out! They’re wicked tricky to get right. Thank you so much!”
I chanced a quick glance at his face, and he genuinely looked delighted.
“Kai! Who was at the — oh!” Kai’s uncle rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of me.
“It’s the neighbor girl!” he called out cheerfully. His gaze dropped to the pavlova, which I was still miraculously holding, and he brightened up even more. “And she brought a … what is it?”
“Her name is Tori, and it’s a pavlova.” Kai piped up from behind me, and I almost jumped at how close he was. “Forme.”
