The Icing on the Cake (Otter Bluff)

by Linda Seed

  Brian couldn’t believe it either—that was the problem.

  His mother was up to something, and when they both found out what it was, Cassie’s dream was going to be crushed—and their relationship along with it, most likely.

  Cassie stayed over that night, and Brian called Ike the next day to get his perspective on the situation.

  “Lisa’s gonna drop the hammer any time, man, I just know it. And then what? You think Cassie’s going to want to be with me after she sees what a shit show my mother is?”

  “Or,” Ike said.

  Brian waited, wondering what positive spin his friend could possibly put on all of this.

  “Your mom could be trying to do something nice to make amends for all she’s put you through over the years,” Ike said.

  Brian supposed it was conceivable. He wanted to believe it.

  “You think so?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just saying it’s possible.”

  “Okay. But it’s also possible that she’s trying to get me to do something, or not do something, and this is her way of forcing the issue instead of just … you know. Asking nicely, like most people would do.”

  “Yeah. Knowing Lisa, that’s probably more likely than the first thing I said,” Ike admitted.

  “I warned her,” Brian said. “I warned Cassie, and she got offended, so I can’t warn her again.”

  “Well … you could help her find a way to do it without Lisa. Or …”

  “Or?”

  “Or, you could just sit around with your butt clenched, waiting for the bomb to go off.”

  The idea of going around with his butt clenched didn’t appeal to Brian, so he called his mother later that morning. At first, Lorenzo hadn’t wanted to let the call through, but Brian threatened to drive down there, grab the nearest easel, and use it as a club to beat Lorenzo senseless. Brian privately doubted whether he could do it—Lorenzo worked out, and he didn’t—but the threat worked. The asshole put the call through.

  “Mom. Cassie found a place for her bakery.”

  “I’m aware. She sent me a voluminous e-mail. I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, as I’m up to my neck in work.”

  “Well … look at it. And don’t screw with her. If you’re doing all of this to mess with me in some way …”

  “Brian, I’ve told you. I’m simply trying to help her while at the same time making a good investment.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles. “But it’s not a good investment. Most new businesses fail in the first year. You know that. I know that. And Cassie knows it, too. It’s not a good investment—it’s a risky one. So you have some other reason for doing it, and I’m telling you, you’d better not hurt her.”

  “Why, Brian. It seems you really care for this girl.” He could hear the smug smile in his mother’s voice.

  “Yeah. I do. And that’s why I didn’t want you anywhere near her. But since that’s not going to work out, you’d better not screw with her. If you do …” He trailed off, uncertain what kind of threat he wanted to make.

  “Yes?”

  “I know you don’t really care whether I’m in your life. You never have. But if you care at all, you won’t do whatever you’re plotting to do. Because I’ll be gone.”

  Brian’s heart was pounding. He’d finally said what he’d been thinking since childhood but had never before voiced—that his mother didn’t care about him. He’d wanted to say it so many times, but he’d feared that it was true and that putting it out there would confirm his worst suspicions. It had taken Cassie to make him bold enough to say it out loud.

  “That’s not fair.” Her voice was quieter now, and she’d lost her usual swagger. “It’s not.”

  But she didn’t say she loved him.

  He hung up on her before that omission could become even more glaring.

  Chapter 25

  Cassie and Brian made another cake fail video, this one with a product placement—they shot it to prominently display a cake storage container that Cassie had to admit was pretty innovative and useful.

  She made and delivered another wedding cake, using the kitchen at Brian’s rental. The kitchen wasn’t nearly as good as the one at Otter Bluff, but it was better than the one in the Airstream, so she made do.

  The whole time she was working on the video, then planning, decorating, and transporting the wedding cake, she waited for a response from Lisa about the property on Main Street.

  That answer came via e-mail on a Saturday while Cassie was behind the reception desk at Central Coast Escapes.

  Lisa thinks you can do better. She’s asked me to research properties in Los Angeles. Much better—you can get more high-end clientele, get into the food magazines, etc. When can you come down to view some options????

  —Lorenzo

  Cassie stared at the message, her jaw slack. Los Angeles? Nobody had ever said anything about Los Angeles when she and Lisa were discussing the contract. Cassie didn’t want to move to Los Angeles. She lived here.

  For some reason, the sight of the four question marks pissed her off. Lorenzo was supposed to be this sophisticated urbanite—he’d clearly looked down on her, had considered her so much lesser than he was. Well, she might be a small-town girl, but at least she knew that a sentence only needed one goddamned question mark.

  She took a deep breath, coached herself to stay calm, rational, and professional, and composed her response.

  Please thank Lisa for her comments. However, it was always my intention to locate the bakery in Cambria. I’m sorry if I failed to communicate that in our negotiations.

  —Cassie

  The response came fifteen minutes later:

  Lisa says it’ll be more profitable in LA. I must agree. Please send me a list of dates when you can come down to view properties, and I’ll set up meetings accordingly. —L.

  Cassie stewed about it for the rest of her shift.

  When Brian came to pick her up after work so they could grab dinner together, and he asked about it immediately.

  “So, did you hear from my mom yet?”

  Cassie’s shoulders fell. “Yes. Or, from Lorenzo, anyway.”

  “So, what did she say?”

  They were walking on the sidewalk on Main Street, and Cassie stopped and turned to him. “She said no. She said I could do better. She said … she said she wants me to open the bakery in Los Angeles, not Cambria.” She’d told herself to keep her tone calm and steady, but her voice wobbled, and a tear slipped out of one eye.

  “LA?” Brian sounded mystified. “Is that something you two had talked about?”

  “No! No, it isn’t! And that’s why I’m so … so stumped! Why is she throwing this at me out of nowhere?”

  Brian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well … she’s always thought LA was the center of the universe. I mean, that’s one of the reasons she left me and my dad—because she just had to be in the city where she thought everything was happening.”

  “But if that’s so important to her, why didn’t she mention it? Why is she just springing it on me like this?”

  “I don’t know, Cass.”

  But he did know. He knew as soon as she’d said it. There was nothing in it for him to tell her, though—the last time he’d spoken up about his mother’s motivations, Cassie had gotten mad at him, and he didn’t want that to happen again.

  He should have seen this coming, and he was surprised he hadn’t.

  His mother didn’t want to force a breakup between him and Cassie. She wanted to push Cassie into moving to LA so Brian would follow her. She wanted Brian nearby so she could stick her fingers into his life on a daily basis instead of just now and then.

  How many times had she suggested to him that he needed to move to Southern California? She’d started pushing the issue when Ike moved down there, pretending that she was only thinking of Brian and his longtime friendship.

  The ironic thing was that she’d never care
d where Brian lived when he was a kid—as long as he didn’t live with her. She’d never cared what he was doing when he was in college, or when he’d been establishing his YouTube career.

  Hell, she’d barely found the time to take his calls.

  It had only been over the last couple of years that she’d become interested in him and his life, but as far as he was concerned, it was too late. She’d had her chance. Why should he uproot his life for someone who was so self-centered, who’d been so quick to throw him away like he was an item of clothing she’d bought and then grown tired of?

  “Brian?” He’d been quiet, and now Cassie was looking at him with concern. “What are you thinking?”

  “Just … I’m thinking it sucks that she didn’t okay the property you found. That’s all.”

  “Do you think I can change her mind?”

  He smiled slightly, not because he felt even vaguely optimistic, but because he was forcing himself not to be too negative in front of her.

  “I don’t know. You could try.”

  Because Cassie wanted to show that she was flexible and open to new ideas, she agreed to make the trip to LA to look at the properties Lorenzo had told her about.

  Her hope was that if she at least looked, if she at least considered Lisa’s idea, then maybe that show of good faith would help her convince Lisa to approve the Moonstone Mocha property in Cambria.

  Plus, it would give Cassie a chance to talk to Lisa about it in person instead of going through Lorenzo.

  “Will you come with me?” she asked Brian over the phone a couple of days before her trip.

  “Oh. Well. My time’s almost up in the rental, and the house in SLO isn’t ready yet, and—”

  “Please?”

  He hesitated, and she could almost see the look on his face, that expression he got when he wanted to say no to her but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “You can see Ike,” she said. “It’ll be fun.”

  He agreed, but she could tell by his voice that he didn’t think it would be fun at all.

  Brian sped up his work schedule to get a new video out before the trip. Cassie told Elliot she’d be out of town on her days off—Monday and Tuesday—and he therefore couldn’t call her in for emergency maintenance or cleaning tasks. He seemed put out about it, but then again, Elliot was always put out about something.

  Brian had checked out of his rental on Sunday afternoon and he and Thor had spent the night at Cassie’s trailer. That made it convenient for them to leave early on Monday morning, before Cassie’s parents realized he was there.

  Brian had a regular petsitter he used for Thor, and they dropped him off on their way through San Luis Obispo. Then they stopped at a donut shop, bought a sack of donuts and two cups of coffee, and headed south on Highway 101 toward Los Angeles.

  The spring day was cool and clear, and the sky was a crisp blue as they drove south through Pismo Beach with the ocean at their right. Because it was such a glorious day, and because spending time with Cassie was always a good thing, he tried not to focus on the reason for the trip—his mother’s meddling—and attempted instead to think about the positives. He was on a road trip with his girl, and he had some truly excellent donuts.

  There was a lot to appreciate about that.

  As Brian drove, they talked about their all-time favorite road trips; their experiences in Los Angeles; places they wanted to visit while they were down there; and their favorite music for driving. Both of them were keeping it light, figuring the big issue of whether Cassie might or might not decide to move could be dealt with later.

  The driver’s side window was open, and Brian felt the ocean wind on his face as he drove. He glanced over at Cassie, whose lips were sprinkled with powdered sugar from her donut. It made him want to kiss her.

  Of course, just about everything made him want to kiss her.

  They stopped at an In-N-Out Burger in Sherman Oaks for lunch, and by the time they were throwing away their trash and heading out the door toward Brian’s car, Cassie was starting to feel nervous.

  “I’m not going to move down here,” she said, more to herself than to him. “I’m just doing this to show her that I’m flexible. To show her that I’m considering her suggestions. That I’m not rejecting everything she has to say out of hand.”

  “No, I get it,” Brian said.

  “I’ll look, but that’s it. I’m staying in Cambria. Everything I want is there.”

  He could only hope that one of the things she wanted was him.

  The first place Cassie looked at was on Sunset Avenue in Venice. It was a huge space with what looked like acres of glass display cases. The seating areas—both indoors and outdoors—could accommodate one hundred.

  “I think Lisa might have misunderstood the … the scope of what I have in mind,” Cassie told Lorenzo as they walked through the cavernous front room, their shoes echoing in the open spaces.

  “Oh?” He raised his eyebrows, and Cassie wondered for a moment whether he had them waxed.

  “It’s just … I was thinking me and maybe two employees. This place would need a staff. Dozens of people. Breakfast and lunch menus. And the location … I mean, it’s got to be expensive.”

  He told her how much, and Cassie nearly swooned.

  “I can’t believe she’s even considering paying that,” Cassie said.

  “She is,” Lorenzo assured her.

  Brian stayed silent during the visit to the place in Venice. The property was so outsized, so ostentatious, that it had to be Lisa’s way of making a statement.

  What that statement was, he couldn’t say.

  Probably, there were a couple of things going on here. One was that, if he was right about Lisa’s motives, she was trying to woo Cassie down here with a bakery site beyond her wildest dreams. The other was that Lisa probably saw Cambria as unbearably provincial and believed that any business she had a part in should be more upscale. More chic.

  If Cassie had asked him his opinion of the place, it would have been the same as hers—it was completely out of proportion for the business Cassie had in mind for herself.

  But since she didn’t ask, he simply smiled, kept his mouth shut, and waited to see how things would develop.

  Lorenzo had two more property viewings lined up for that day—one in Santa Monica and another in Beverly Hills—and at each one, Cassie could feel her dreams dying.

  These gleaming, upscale spaces weren’t her. The neighborhoods, the people—none of it had anything to do with the business Cassie had built for herself in her imagination.

  “Please tell me the places we’re seeing tomorrow aren’t like this,” Cassie said to Lorenzo as they toured the final property of the day.

  He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, making his man bun bob slightly. “Well, no.”

  “Good.”

  “Tomorrow’s properties are a little bigger, a little more grand.” He flicked a hand as though to dismiss that as a concern. “But Lisa wouldn’t have me show them to you if she weren’t willing to pay that kind of rent. So, just enjoy.”

  Clearly, the man wasn’t reading the room.

  “I need to talk to Lisa,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m afraid she’s not available. She’s painting twenty-four seven to get ready for Art Basel. That’s why she asked me to take care of it.”

  “But—”

  “I’m sure she can spare a minute,” Brian put in. “For her son.”

  Lorenzo’s expression might have indicated that he’d smelled something unpleasant. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Chapter 26

  They checked into their hotel near Lisa’s place in Silver Lake just before dinnertime. Cassie let her bag drop to the floor then collapsed onto the bed, her arms and legs outstretched as though she were preparing to make snow angels.

  “This isn’t going to work.” She blew a lock of hair out of her face. “It’s just … it’s not going to work. I don’t know how I managed to miscommunicate with
her this badly. I don’t know what either one of us was thinking.”

  The way she was lying on the bed, she hadn’t left much room for him. He squeezed into the space between her outstretched body and the headboard anyway.

  “I don’t think you miscommunicated,” he said. “I think she’s got her own agenda.”

  “Which is?”

  The last time they’d talked about it, Cassie had ended up yelling at him, and he didn’t want to have that happen again. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to her.”

  “If Lorenzo will let you in. What’s up with that guy? He guards access to her like he’s trying to protect state secrets.”

  Brian wanted to know what was going on there, too. It was true that Lisa often had hangers-on doing her bidding. But this thing where Brian wasn’t allowed to see her or talk to her was new. Was that happening at Lisa’s direction, or was Lorenzo trying to control her for his own purposes?

  It made him concerned not just for Cassie’s sake, but for his mother’s.

  “I’ll find out more tomorrow,” he told her. “For now, let’s just go meet Ike and Benny, have a nice dinner, and forget about it. It’ll be fun. We’ll have beer and dessert.”

  “Not both at the same time, I hope.”

  “Not both at the same time.”

  He reached over and ran his hand gently over her forehead and into her hair. She rolled onto her side, scooted into his arms, and kissed him.

  “Could we maybe have dessert first?” She grinned at him, looking mischievous, and tugged his shirt out from where it was tucked into his jeans.

  If she meant what he thought she meant, he was all for it.