Temptation Trails - Page 129

“Thank you,” she said, her voice completely expressionless.

“While we’re waiting for the cookies, let’s have you show me your cake decorating skills. I have a small cake in the fridge we can use.”

“I can do that.”

“Awesome.” I went to the fridge and brought out a small layer cake that already had a crumb coat and put it on a rotating cake stand on the island. “Feel free to imagine this as anything you want. The top tier of a wedding cake, a baby shower cake, birthday cake. The sky’s the limit.”

She tilted her head to the side and a little groove formed between her eyes as she inspected the cake. “Baby shower,” she declared definitively.

“Okay.” My phone buzzed in my back pocket, so I pulled it out to check. Sugar cookies, it was my mother. “Go ahead and get started. I need to take this. I’ll be right back.”

I left her to it and headed out the back door. A prospective new employee did not need to be subjected to a conversation with my mother. Especially because I had yet to tell her I was pregnant.

This was going to be interesting.

“Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

“Why do you insist on using that phrase?”

“What’s up? I don’t know. Habit, I guess.”

She let out a frustrated sigh and I rolled my eyes. Lovely. This was already going so well.

“I have news,” she said. “Your sister just accepted a promotion at work.”

“Wow, that’s great.”

“It’s more than great. It’s extraordinary.”

“Is she excited?”

“She’s proud. As she should be.”

“Awesome. Are you doing anything to celebrate?”

“I suppose I’ll need to treat her to dinner.”

“That would be nice.” I scrunched my nose, dread making my stomach knot. Now was probably not the best time to tell her about the baby. But there was never going to be a good time. I needed to just rip the bandage off and be done with it. “So, Mom, I have some news as well.”

“Oh?”

“I realize this is going to come as a surprise, but I want to first assure you that everything is fine. It’s good news, okay?”

“That’s quite the lead-in.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to hear what I’m going to say and immediately worry. Or judge me.”

She groaned. “What did you do? You didn’t burn down Doris’s bakery, did you?”

“No.” I took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

“I think I preferred a burned down bakery.”

Okay, here it comes.

“You’re pregnant? Harper, what on earth is wrong with you? How could you let this happen?”

“Well, it was a surprise, but we’re both really excited about it.”