What's Life Without the Sprinkles - By Misty Simon Page 0,1
work, I guess.”
“You’re killing me, Claudia. Mom said she’s taking Justin for the night, so I know you have a whole night to yourself and you have no other plans? What kind of life is that?”
A safe one, Claudia thought, but said, “I do have plans. I’m going out with Edward.” Then she cringed—on her end of the phone, where Zoe couldn’t possibly see her.
“God save me from dear old Eddie.” Zoe’s sarcasm came across the line loud and clear. “Oh, pardon me, it’s not Eddie or Ed, but Edward. Didn’t he say it sounded more dignified? Sounds to me like he has a stick up his...”
Claudia broke in before this spiraled into a conversation where Zoe used all the swear words her first boyfriend had ever taught her. “Please don’t start. It’s a date. I’m doing something other than staying home and drinking margaritas alone. You should be happy.”
“I would be,” Zoe said, exasperation evident in her tone, “if it was anyone but that pony. Remember our little talk about stabling the pony and harnessing a stallion? What happened to the resolve to drop this dork and find someone worthy of your time?”
“He’s not a dork. He’s a very nice man our mother introduced me to.” That was her story and she was sticking to it.
“He’s a pony.”
“He is not a pony. We have a very good time together.”
“I can tell, since you always get so formal whenever you talk about him.” Zoe’s breath came out in a huff over the line. “Look, if the pony/stallion scenario isn’t working for you, then maybe this one will…”
Claudia held her breath, not sure what her sister would come up with next.
“Let’s say Edward is a dessert.”
Claudia groaned.
“Bear with me. So if I had to pick Edward out of a dessert case, I would say he was the three-day-old cookies on the clearance rack at the grocery store.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Regardless, he is stale cookies, and what you need is cake. Preferably cake with butter cream icing in the swirly patterns I love to watch you do, Claudia. Lots of cake, with sugar and excitement. When are you going to ignore Mom and her ridiculous matchmaking and go out and grab some delicious cake? Find someone worthy of your time?”
A pause hummed along the line. Claudia squeezed her eyes shut and hoped Zoe wouldn’t say it. So, of course, she did.
“Someone like Nate, maybe.”
Argh!
“Don’t start. I’m happy with Edward.” It was only a tiny white lie. While he might not be cake, she wasn’t willing to call him three-day-old stale cookies from the grocery store, either. That wasn’t fair to him or the relationship she had been trying hard to cultivate over the last three months. She tuned back to the conversation before she could look too hard at the fact that the relationship with him was already work and they hadn’t even slept together yet.
“The day I see you truly be happy with Eddie is the day I turn my hair green,” Zoe said, then added, “on purpose. That botched bleach job doesn’t count. And I still think you should go jump on Nate.”
The bell above the door tinkled, Gratefully, Claudia looked up to see one of the women from the earlier bridal crowd walk back into the shop. “I have to go,” she whispered. “Customer.” Without a moment’s hesitation, she hung up on Zoe’s continued slamming of Edward’s character and possible toupee. Her comments about cake weren’t helping, either. Claudia had been on a steady diet of no sweets for over ten years. There was no need to introduce them now, especially not with Nate, her best friend.
****
After dropping off the check at their bank and grabbing some lunch, Claudia took a drive around town. She had nothing else going on today in the shop, and May had everything under control. If she needed Claudia, May would call and Claudia could be back in moments, such was the joy of a small town.
With the windows rolled down, she enjoyed the light breeze of mid-April in Central Pennsylvania. It was one of her favorite times of year. Plants and trees were in bloom, animals were coming back to life after sleeping away the winter, and summer was just around the corner.
In fact, today felt more like summer than spring. Claudia enjoyed the way the sun beat into the car and the warmth on her elbow where she had it cocked out the window. Tunes played on the radio, no one was bugging