The Icing on the Cake (Otter Bluff)

by Linda Seed

  Cassie winced in sympathy. “Really? God.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Lacy went on. “I love my life. I want this. I want all of it. Still, I wouldn’t mind a little more nuance, if you know what I mean.”

  Cassie sat with that thought for a bit while Lacy changed the TV channel for Caleb and went into the kitchen to pour his cereal.

  “You know,” Cassie said when Lacy returned her attention to the conversation, “I could babysit sometime if you and Daniel want some alone time.”

  Lacy laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “They’d destroy you in ten minutes. No offense, Cass, I know you love the kids, but on your own? You’d be ready to throw yourself in front of a bus before Daniel and I were out of the driveway.”

  Cassie pouted a little. “That’s not fair.”

  “And yet it’s true.”

  It probably was, she could admit to herself.

  “But I need practice,” Cassie said. It popped out before she knew she was going to say it.

  Lacy was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Really.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “You didn’t mean that you’re already thinking about having Brian’s babies? Okay. Let’s go with that.”

  Damn it, she had been thinking that. Was she insane? Had she entirely taken leave of her senses? It seemed that she had.

  Some good nuance could do that to you.

  Brian was so pleased with the direction his life had taken that he almost forgot to be pissed at his mother.

  Fortunately, the morning after his date with Cassie, Lisa reminded him.

  “If you came home last night for the sake of appearances, you needn’t have.” She smirked at him as she loaded up the blender with hemp milk, kale, and God knew what else. “I’m thrilled that you’re getting serviced. Maybe it’ll relax you.”

  Her characterization of what had happened between himself and Cassie as him being serviced—as though Cassie were a mechanic who’d tinkered around under his hood—took some of the glow off his good mood, and that reminded him that his mother was tampering with his personal life.

  “First of all, what makes you think anything happened between me and Cassie?”

  “Oh, please. You’re happy, relaxed. I think I actually heard you humming.”

  Had he been doing that? Okay, fine. He wouldn’t argue the point.

  “Second,” he went on, “I didn’t get serviced. I’m not a broken washing machine. We had an evening of …” What could he call it? Lovemaking? Mutual intimacy? Either of those would make him sound like a wuss. “Well. Just don’t call it that.”

  “Whatever you say, dear. My point is, I’m glad you had a good night, and you didn’t need to cut it short for my sake.”

  “None of this is any of your business.” He walked over to the kitchen island, where she was assembling her smoothie, and waited as the blender whirred. When it was done and she was pouring a green mixture into a glass, he went on. “Speaking of which, why did you offer to finance Cassie’s bakery?”

  Lisa leaned her kimono-clad butt against the edge of the countertop, sipped some of her smoothie, and assessed her son with a look Brian thought was damned smug.

  “She told you.”

  “Of course she told me. What are you doing? What are you up to?”

  Lisa cocked her head slightly, appraising him. “I think she’s talented, and I believe her bakery will be a good investment.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “You don’t think she’s talented?”

  “Of course I do. But that’s not why you’re doing it. There’s an ulterior motive, I just don’t know what it is yet.”

  Lorenzo, wearing only a pair of sweatpants that hung perilously low on his hips, came into the kitchen, kissed Lisa extravagantly, then poured himself a smoothie from the contents of the blender. Then he smacked Lisa on the ass and went back into their room.

  “Is he leaving sometime soon?” Brian wanted to know.

  “Why must you be such a prude?”

  “Why must you parade your sex life in front of me?” They glared at each other for a moment, then Brian realized they’d gotten off track. “But, forget that. Forget him. What’s going on with you and Cassie?”

  “There’s nothing ‘going on.’ I made her a business offer, and she’s considering it. Did she tell you whether she’s going to accept?”

  “No. She didn’t say.”

  “Well … she will. Of course she will. And then, assuming all goes well with your relationship, the three of us will be a happy little family, won’t we?” She blew him a kiss, then went into the bedroom with Lorenzo.

  Brian had assumed that Lisa was scheming to get Cassie out of his life. But her “happy little family” comment suggested otherwise. Okay, so if Lisa didn’t want to end the relationship, she must want to use it in some way.

  If Cassie was financially dependent on Lisa, it stood to reason that Lisa could use that as leverage to manipulate Brian in any number of ways. If she wanted something from him and he failed to deliver it, she could simply remind him that Cassie’s future was in her hands.

  What could he do? He’d be at his mother’s mercy.

  The whole thing nagged at him all day as he went to San Luis Obispo to check on his house; stopped in Morro Bay to pick up a prescription for his mother; worked on marketing for his YouTube show; and brainstormed ideas for new videos.

  He texted Cassie a few times—flirty messages about how much he’d enjoyed the previous night and how he couldn’t wait to see her again—but he avoided the topic of what she was going to do about his mother’s offer.

  “I don’t know what to say to her, man,” he told Ike over the Bluetooth in his car as he drove on Highway 1. “I can’t tell Cassie not to take the money. That bakery is her dream. Am I supposed to tell her to give up her dream?”

  “You can’t do that,” Ike agreed. “But maybe there’s some other way for Cassie to get what she wants.”

  Was there? That was the question.

  “The video we did together is doing well,” Brian said. “Maybe that’s something. If we do some more, and they pick up a viewership, maybe that would help her get startup money.”

  “Sure,” Ike agreed. “But that’ll take a while. This thing with your mom is right now.”

  “God. Literally everything about this is waving more red flags than …” He trailed off.

  “Than what? I’m waiting.”

  Brian scrambled for a comparison. “… Than the Albanian Olympic team.”

  “Dude. You must be upset. Your joke delivery is way off.”

  “I know,” Brian said miserably.

  “There’s one obvious option,” Ike said.

  “Which is?”

  “You could stop seeing Cassie. Then she gets her bakery, and your mother has no hold over you.”

  “That’s not an option.” Brian said it immediately, definitively.

  “So you really like her, then.”

  “Yeah. I really do.”

  “Well, then you’ll just have to hope that whatever the two of you have together is strong enough to withstand your mother’s meddling.”

  It was strong enough on his end. But what about Cassie’s?

  Chapter 22

  Cassie and Brian avoided talking about the Lisa issue, as it seemed fraught with so many potential problems. They fell into a happy pattern of spending time together at his place or hers, then sneaking into her trailer for sex that was sometimes energetic, sometimes slow and leisurely. Brian sneaked out in the morning before sunrise to avoid being spotted by the Jordans.

  The YouTube video had led to more cake orders, so Cassie worked in the kitchen at Otter Bluff as though it were a perfectly normal thing to do. She made polite conversation with Lisa and Lorenzo but would not commit when Lisa approached her about the offer to finance her bakery.

  Cassie didn’t want to let the opportunity pass her by, but she didn’t want to upset B
rian, either. She put off making a decision, telling Lisa that she was thinking about it.

  In truth, she wasn’t thinking about much else.

  She wasn’t going to be able to delay forever. New renters had reserved Otter Bluff for the month of May, and once they moved in, Cassie wasn’t going to have anywhere to bake—unless she took Lisa up on her offer.

  Cassie was still waffling about it toward the end of April, when Otter Bluff erupted in activity after Lisa got word from her agent that she’d been offered a solo show at Art Basel, an annual art fair in Switzerland—a huge opportunity that virtually guaranteed Lisa’s art would be acquired, at astonishing prices, by some of the top collectors in the world.

  “I have to get back.” Lisa was bustling around Otter Bluff, shoving things into various pieces of luggage as Lorenzo stood by taking notes on things Lisa wanted him to do for her. “I have work I can show, of course, but it won’t be satisfactory. I need new pieces—something that will create buzz. Lorenzo, I’ll need an order of supplies as soon as possible. You know what to do. Oh, God. I’ve wasted nearly a month here, when I should have been working. It’s intolerable.”

  Cassie was in the kitchen working on a cake, and Brian stood nearby with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking unsettled.

  “The show’s not until the fall, though, right?” Brian offered. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

  “Yes, but if I’m going to create enough new work for the show, I’m still going to be pressed for time. I’ll be practically living in the studio for the next few months.”

  Cassie listened while trying not to be obvious about it. What did this mean for Lisa’s offer? On the one hand, if she was going to be that busy, surely she’d be too preoccupied to worry about Cassie’s bakery. On the other hand, it sounded like this show was going to bring Lisa a lot of sales—and a lot of money. Which might make her more likely to send some of that money Cassie’s way.

  In any event, Cassie figured the time to dither about her decision was over.

  When Lisa and Lorenzo had packed their things, Cassie and Brian helped them carry their luggage to the car.

  “Congratulations, Mom.” Brian hugged her awkwardly, giving her shoulder a little pat to punctuate the conclusion of the hug.

  “Yes, congratulations, Lisa. This is wonderful news,” Cassie said. “Brian? Uh … why don’t you check the house one last time to make sure they didn’t forget anything?”

  “Sure.” He went back inside, looking relieved to be doing something other than standing there.

  When he was gone, Cassie turned to Lisa, thinking, It’s now or never.

  “Lisa? I know you have so much more to think about now, and I know this isn’t your first priority, but … does your offer still stand?”

  Lisa’s eyebrows shot up, and she raised her oversized sunglasses and placed them on top of her head so she could see Cassie better. “Why, of course it does. Have you decided to accept?”

  “I’d like to have the meeting. The one you suggested, with … with the lawyers.” It all seemed so odd to Cassie to be talking about meetings and lawyers. “If you have time.”

  Lisa made a tutting sound with her tongue. “I won’t need time, dear, that’s what I hire people for. I’ll have my lawyer call you. You should find representation in the meantime.” Lisa appraised Cassie with a hint of a smile. “I’m glad you’ve decided to see sense, Cassie.”

  Brian came out, announced that they hadn’t forgotten anything, and opened the passenger side door for his mother. Thor stood by, wagging his tail and looking hopeful that someone might pet him.

  “This is exciting, no?” Lorenzo asked.

  “Ah … yes.” Brian gave him a perfunctory wave, and moments later, Lisa’s Mercedes was heading down the road toward Highway 1.

  As Cassie and Brian watched the car turn and move out of sight, Cassie felt a wave of guilt over the fact that she hadn’t told Brian about her plans to accept Lisa’s offer.

  But why did she have to tell him now? There was a chance the meeting wouldn’t come to anything. Maybe she would hear the terms and discover that the whole thing wasn’t viable. Maybe her own lawyer—once she found one—would tell her to run like hell. If that happened, telling Brian would cause undue turmoil for no purpose, wouldn’t it?

  That’s what she told herself, anyway.

  Brian’s house wasn’t ready yet—it seemed like it would never be ready—and living in Cassie’s trailer with Thor clearly wasn’t an option. So he and the dog moved out of Otter Bluff at the end of the month and booked a different two-week rental house with Central Coast Escapes.

  His contractor had assured him that two more weeks would be enough, and Brian hoped he was right. He couldn’t throw his money around willy-nilly, even though things were looking up with his YouTube ad revenue since the video with Cassie.

  The video had been a hit that exceeded Brian’s expectations. It continued to perform well weeks later, and the comments about her were very positive—from people who wanted her cakes to people who simply wanted to see more of her, including guys who thought she was hot.

  That last part bothered him a little, though he certainly couldn’t argue with their opinions.

  One morning, from his new temporary home on Happy Hill—a neighborhood overlooking Moonstone Beach that was home to Cambria’s prostitutes back in the town’s mining days—Brian called Cassie and told her his idea.

  “We could make it a regular thing. The cake fails, I mean. Each video, you could try to teach me a new technique. The cool thing about it is the product placements. Do you have any idea how many cake decorating products there are on the market? Well, of course you do. That’s a lot of potential revenue.”

  He explained to her how that worked—they would use a particular product in a video in exchange for payment from the manufacturer. He and Ike had done it all the time with products ranging from Flamethrower Crunchie Snacks to breakfast cereals to Slip ’N Slides.

  “I had no idea,” Cassie said. “I thought you just made your money through ads.”

  “Most of it, yeah. But there’s more than one kind of ad. Some of them are more covert than others. And you need multiple revenue streams.” He said some things about marketing that would have bored him to tears if he’d been listening to someone else say it. Which meant he was probably boring Cassie to tears.

  “So, it would just be more like the last one?” she asked.

  “Well, we’d mix it up here and there. You don’t want them to be too similar. But the same concept, yeah.”

  “And I could make money doing that?”

  “As a matter of fact …” He told her about what he’d made from the first video, and how, after subtracting Shayla’s cut, he was planning to split the rest of the revenue between the two of them.

  “You’re going to pay me?” Cassie sounded shocked.

  “Well, yes. Of course I am. Did you think I was just going to keep the revenue for myself?”

  “I don’t know what I thought. I guess I thought it was just fun,” Cassie said.

  “It is fun. Getting paid makes it even more fun.”

  “So … how much?” She sounded as though she were a little afraid to ask.

  He told her the figure.

  She didn’t say anything at first, and he wondered if that was good or bad.

  “Holy shit,” she said after a while. “Are you kidding? Oh, God. I have to sit down.”

  Okay, so it was good, then.

  Brian had thought of the revenue from the cake video as solid but not spectacular. But viewing it through Cassie’s eyes, he could see that the number might be surprising. After all, she got paid minimum wage for her work at Central Coast Escapes, and when you broke it down by the number of hours worked, her cake income wasn’t much better.

  Why shouldn’t she bake and get more highly paid for it?

  “So, are you in?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Are you kidding? Of course I’m in.”
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  When Brian had called, Cassie had been scrubbing the bathroom floor at Seaside Cottage, one of the rental houses in her care. Now that they’d hung up, she slid her phone into her back pocket, grabbed the mop, and got back to work.

  At first, she felt giddy at the idea of being paid—and paid well—for doing the video, which she’d thought of as pure play. If she could have more of that, why not? There was no downside.

  The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized that being in the public eye could be its own downside.

  What if the viewers didn’t like her and were cruel? What if they did like her and were creepy? Either one seemed like a distinct possibility. Never, in the entire time that Cassie had been pondering what she might do with her life, had she considered a career in entertainment. Now that she was considering it, the concept was freaking her out.

  “He wants me to be on YouTube. Regularly,” she told Lacy on the phone as she was driving back to the office from Seaside Cottage.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I’d do it. But now …”

  “Is there any money in it?” Lacy asked.

  Cassie told her what Brian had said about her share of the video they’d already done.

  “Holy shit,” Lacy said.

  “That was exactly my response,” Cassie told her.

  “Who needs to open a bakery if you can get this kind of money for making videos?”

  “I do. I need to open a bakery. I can’t get distracted, Lacy. I’ve got to stay focused on my goal.”

  Lacy was quiet for a moment, considering it. Then she said, “Well, okay. But maybe doing this for a while could help you reach that goal.”

  Chapter 23

  That night, Cassie celebrated her YouTube windfall by taking Brian out to dinner at Neptune—a restaurant she usually couldn’t afford. He’d objected at first, arguing that he couldn’t let her pay, but she’d been so happy and excited that he’d ultimately let her do it.