Drugs & Dior

Chapter 17

Angela

"What?" I ask Claire when she gets off the phone.

She offers me a guilty smile.

I raise a brow.

"I have to go," she says. Once the words are long out of her mouth she forms her lips into a line. "I have to model for a clothing company."

"Oh, don't worry," I smile. "Go show everyone your pretty face."

"I'll call you when I'm done. Maybe we can get coffee or something."

"Okay," I nod. "I'll be here."

Claire waves as she leaves. When the door clicks signaling it's shut, I flip onto the couch and sigh. I was planning on hanging out with Claire all day.

I lay on the couch for multiple minutes, pouting and wallowing in self pity. When I finally sit up, my eyes land on a piece of paper on my kitchen counter. I get up and make my way over to it. Did Claire leave this?

I pick it up and read it.

   I talked to your brother. He told me you like baking. I left all kinds of baking ingredients in the fridge and cabinets above the counters.

-Vanessa

Vanessa talked to Cooper? I turn to the fridge and open it. Not surprisingly I see every wet ingredient I could only ever dream of before. I close the fridge door and open it again just to make sure I'm not seeing things. I'm not.

I check the cabinets next. Flour, backing soda, baking powder, white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar. Things I didn't even know existed before. It's all in my kitchen now.

I close the cabinet and hear something fall against the closed door. Confused, I slowly open the cabinet, trying to catch the object against the door but it falls right on my face despite my efforts.

I hold my hurt nose in my hand and close my eyes tightly to distract myself from the throbbing pain. I bend down and pick up the cause of the pain and look at it.

It's a box and it looks old. I place it on the counter and inspect it from every angle. It looks like an old box. I pick it up to look at the bottom and gasp when multiple small pieces of paper fall out and scatter around my kitchen counter and floor.

I get down to pick up a paper and look at it before I clean up the others too.

Strawberry shortcake. Below the title is a list of ingredients.

I look at the box in my other hand then back at the recipe. This is a recipe box.

As I put away the recipes, I notice a paper that doesn't look as old as the others so I pull it out of the stack.

I brought you my grandmothers recipe box. Take good care of it.
-Vanessa

Vanessa left me her grandmothers recipe box. I can't keep this. She's given me too many gifts, this gift is too much.

I shove the box into a cabinet.

But the recipes are right here... maybe while I wait for her to stop by to return it I can make a few things...