But I’d been laid off a month before going on the show, and I didn’t know anyone looking to hire a washed-up reality TV star who once worked in marketing. Justin’s temporary job become permanent as soon as his bar exam results came in next week, but he wasn’t going to support me. Not that I would ask him to. I needed to make this bakery work so I could support myself long-term.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said. Even to my own ear, it sounded unconvincing. “We’ve got a unique hook, right? It’s not just a bakery, it’s Sweet Reality. People who eat here get baked goods to remind them of their favorite TV personalities. Delicious baked goods.”
“What if it’s not enough? They’ve got name recognition. We can’t compete with that.”
“Of course we can! They only make cakes and cupcakes. We make everything. Besides, you’ve got great recipes.”
She didn’t answer, absorbed by the scene outside. There wasn’t much we could do until Justin showed up with more information, so I went into the kitchen for a broom to sweep up the mess of crumbs I’d made. If possible, it smelled even better in here than in the main room. Following my nose, I quickly found the source: four giant cupcakes, much bigger than the samples sitting by the display case.
Strawberries peeked over the top of each white dome, and the bowl in the sink held the remnants of what turned out to be whipped cream, not vanilla icing. She’d made strawberry shortcake cupcakes! Judging from the little white cake bits on the counter beside the plate, the strawberries weren’t only on top: Sarah stuffed these babies. It was just like her to hide the best treats for last, to completely floor me after I finished raving about everything else she’d made.
My mouth watered. If I wasn’t careful, I’d gain three hundred pounds working here. Unless Sweet Reality turned enough profit to buy me a whole new wardrobe in the next few months, I should talk to Justin about signing up for a joint gym membership before Sarah and I opened. Or maybe I should plan to walk to and from work every day instead of taking the bus.
I promptly abandoned my plan to find a broom. We could clean up later. Instead, I ripped the wrapper off one of these amazing cakes, grabbed another with my free hand, and backed into the swinging door leading back to the main room.
“Look what I found.” I called.
Sarah stood at the front of the shop, peering out the window and nibbling her thumbnail. “You got a broom?”
“Better! Why didn’t you tell me you’d hidden strawberry shortcakes back there. They look amazing!”
Sarah whirled around, her face white. I bit into the first cake, holding the second out to her.
“Wait!” she said at the same moment.
Too late. My teeth sank through the whipped cream and vanilla cake, closing in on the sweet, sticky strawberry goodness. I savored the flavors in my mouth for a moment, eyes closed. Then my tooth hit something hard. A foreign object flew down my throat. I choked. The other cupcake tumbled to the ground, exploding at my feet.
“Oh, shit!” Sarah said. She ran toward me. “Are you okay?”
Unable to answer, I coughed and spit. Something hard lodged in my throat. Tears poured down my cheeks.
“Water,” I croaked. “I think I lost a filling.”
Spinning around, I tore back for the sink, one hand over my mouth to catch the crumbs spewing everywhere. Running my tongue around my mouth, I didn’t find any holes, so my dental work remained intact. What I choked on remained a mystery.
What the fuck was in these things? How did strawberries and cake get so hard? And why would anyone put them in food if they did?
When I reached the sink I leaned over, hacking until I feared a lung might come up. Something shot out of my mouth, clattering against the sink. I shut my eyes, sagging against the counter for support.
Sarah appeared at my side. “Jen! Can you breathe? Talk to me.”
“I don’t think those are going to be a bestseller,” I said when I finally got control of myself. “One of them cut me. My mouth tastes like metal.”
I was reaching for the faucet to get some water when Sarah’s hand closed over mine, staying it. Her green eyes were huge. “Listen to me. Did you swallow the ring?”
Did I what the huh?
I stared at her at her for what felt like a full minute. “The. . . ring?”
“My grandmother’s diamond ring. I hid it in your cupcake. Where did it go?”
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America's Next Reality Star Page 27
