“Okay, great. I think I have everything I need. Will you help me? It’ll be like old times.”
With her irresistible blue eyes, she begs me to agree. Honestly, I can’t refuse her anything when she looks at me like that. And anyhow, it’ll be a great way to keep ourselves distracted. I give in with a nod, and Kate gives Mr. Fluffybutt a quick kiss before standing up as if mounted on springs.
I follow her to her kitchen, amused by how excited she is. “Oh God, I hope I remember how to do this,” she says, heading to the sink to wash her hands.
“What do you mean? You’re like, the queen of baking.”
Back in high school, Kate always baked for her cheerleading squad to support charities, raise awareness, or do fundraisings… I was always there to help, even though I mostly ended up licking the bowls or trying whatever she needed me to taste.
Kate grimaces and avoids my gaze, taking out some of the necessary ingredients. “I haven’t baked in at least six months,” she confesses.
“Oh, wow. Has work been that intense?”
“Actually, it is because of—No, you’ll get mad at me.”
“I promise I won’t. Tell me, K.”
“It was… Stefano. I gained a few pounds earlier this year because I was stress-baking. And he noticed, so he told me I was getting fat and should be careful.”
I think she’s joking at first, but then I notice the shame in her eyes. “Wait, are you for real right now?” I ask, incredulous.
“You promised you wouldn’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at him! What the actual fuck? You gained two pounds, so he told you you were getting fat? When you have the body of a fucking model?!”
“It was over six pounds, actually.”
“Babe, no! Don’t try to justify his assholeness. Oh my God. I’m two seconds away from calling Oli off to hire a hitman instead. That fucking prick, I can’t believe it. Please, at least tell me he was good in bed.”
“He was acceptable. I mean, most times, it was good. But yeah, I had to finish myself off in the shower now and then,” she confesses.
“Okay, you know what? That’s it. You’re grounded from dating. The next guy you want to date must go through me first. I’ll set up a thorough interview and a quiz to make sure he deserves you before you’re allowed to doanythingwith him.”
The idea has her giggling, even though I’m dead serious, and she shakes her head. “Something tells me not a single one will pass the test.”
“Yeah, probably not. Anyhow, let’s get on with these cupcakes. Actually, you know what? I think Oli deserves more than cupcakes. We’re making your peanut butter cookies, the red velvet cupcakes, and the Snickers brownies. And we’re making batches of those for my parents, you, me, and Lex—or else he’ll eatmystuff.”
“Deedee, that’s a lot.”
“You bet your sweet ass it is. We’ll be baking the entire day.” She’s too clever not to understand why I’m doing this, so she gives me a teary smile full of appreciation and affection.
“I love you so much, you incredible bitch,” she tells me, coming my way to give me an intense hug.
“And I love you right back, you magnificent skank,” I reply, wrapping my arms around her slender frame.
“I’m almost out of baking powder, though, so I’m not sure we can cook all that.”
“I’ll text Rafa. He can’t resist your baking, so he’ll get some if it means he can get his own share of cookies.”
For over three hours, we’re thrown back a decade into the past, having fun baking like we used to do in high school. For the occasion, we even put on a playlist from back then, missing those years when everything was so much simpler. Kate is still impressive at all this, and I’m still excellent at assisting her and tasting things. It’s honestly the best distraction we could ever have come up with since we’re too busy to even give Stefano a thought. From time to time, though, I check my phone to see if I have any news from Oli.
A little after 2 p.m., it finally comes. We stop what we’re doing, and after wiping my flour-covered hands on my apron, I read the message out loud for Kate. “Hey, Hulkette. It’s done. Everything went smoothly. I removed the copy on his cloud, computer, and a hard drive that was luckily plugged in. I also let him know that a few of us would be watching him, so he better not do anything like this in the future. Tell me if he bothers Kate again, and I’ll see what else can be done. Oh, I also turned his computer into an overpriced brick.”
“Hulkette?” Kate asks, amused.
“It’s because of the T-shirt I wore on my first day.”
“Still can’t believe you thought that was a good idea… It’s a cute nickname, though. I like it.”
