Where Would I Be Without You - By CJ Hawk Page 0,44

me that other cupcake or die, woman!"

I couldn't help but to start to laugh so hard as I handed her the cupcake out of my hand, I put my hands in the air like I was under arrest, and then I joked. "Please tell me you will not be one of the crazy pregnant women who steals food out of other people's hands or plates. You are above that Marion Stohls."

"I am." She replied. "But right now, I made a little room for this cupcake. It's a good thing we don't live so close to this bakery. I don't know how you manage."

"I guess I have self-control." Then I raised my eyebrows in question and said the next thing with some serious laughter before taking the other cupcake out of the bag and eating it in one fair swoop. "Well, sometimes I have self-control."

The room fell silent as we smiled at each other and devoured our cupcakes in one sitting. Picking any crumbs that might have fallen onto our laps up and putting them in our mouths. We were not wasteful when it came to bakery cupcakes.

When we were both done, we headed to the kitchen for a tall glass of skim milk. Not that drinking the skim milk would lower the calorie intake we just digested on the cupcakes, it's just that is the only type of milk I buy. This was not the first boyfriend caper cupcake cure in our lives and for me, it might not be the last. Marion found her prince. I thought I found mine. In the silence of gulping milk to wash down the sugar, I mulled that over.

Marion finished first and let me in on a bit of information that filled the gap between how Carl and Mason knew each other. "So, Carl's company has done business with Montahue Properties in the past, and they have a big project coming up at the airport. Carl and Mason met because in six months, Mason will be project manager, and he will have to interact with Carl. Pretty cool stuff huh? Carl says that Mason mentioned to him what his father was making him do. It is some type of punishment for some stupid woman fiasco, oops sorry. Carl didn't want me to mention that. Just forget it has to do with a crazy ex. Maybe now is not a good time to mention that Carl heard Mason has a rep for dating some serious whacked-out women. Maybe that's why is dad is so overprotective about who he dates."

I raised my eyebrows in question as I set my empty milk glass in the sink. "Nope. Quite all right. We all know how senseless I can be. Why make me out to be something I am not? I suppose Mark Anthony, that's Mason's dad, is just trying to keep his son from doing something really stupid again, like falling for someone me."

Marion walked over and put her hand on my shoulder. "Don't be Daft Darling." She said it in an English accent. I knew she had been caught up in her English soap opera Downton Abby. I didn't blame her. I was a season behind and just waiting for her to lend me her iPad again, loaded with the next season, for a long day of nothing but English proper drama.

She grabbed my hand, led me over to my couch and told me to sit. When she finally sat next to me, she let out a huge sigh and smiled brightly as if to cheer me up. "Here's the deal. So Carl and Mason went out for a few drinks after the meeting. Carl sensed the poor chap needed it. Which he did. When Carl found out that Mason had to do maintenance on a building for six months, he knew you lived in a building owned by Montahue Properties. So, Carl showed him a picture of you and me that he took on his phone. Remember that brunch we all attended, and you looked smashing. That one. Well, Mason wanted to know all about you. Carl made you out to be one hell of a woman. I'm not sure if it was coincidence that put your two apartments across from each other, it could be Mason did a little check ahead if you get my drift. Carl mentioned you might be single. I guess, just by what I said about Steve and your dates, Carl already figured the guy had a wife or girlfriend.