Inheritance Of Secrets

Cupcakes

School today sucked. It felt like the day just dragged on and on. It didn't help that Eva was being clingy since she was having intense boyfriend issues. The two of them fought every day and broke up like once a month. Their relationship was one of the reasons I had given up on getting another boyfriend. It just seemed too complicated and messy. Also, 90% of guys are dicks. 

When I finally got home for the day I had a text from Nash.

Nash- I need your help kid come to the kitchen

What? Grayson was at the foundation with Avery and Xan was doing a Rube Goldberg project. I don't think Jameson is currently getting into trouble otherwise I most likely would have gotten a message from him as well.

I was certainly curious so I went to the kitchen. As soon As I stepped through the doors I smelled the sweet smell of sugar and baked goods. It made my nose crinkle. The kitchen is covered in cupcakes and baking trays and batter.

"Was there a cupcake bomb in here?" I look to Nash who is watching Libby mix up a new batter.

"I need help from an expert communicator." He's got his saviour face on. Nash feels as though he needs to make up for all the bad things his grandfather has done to the world so he goes around getting people jobs and getting them out of tricky situations. It's a way that he can escape and do good. It's different from his brothers for example Grayson would just use the foundation and donate his millions of dollars to places that need it most. Nash doesn't really like the whole granddad's money thing. So he goes round to less privileged areas with his savour complex and southern charm.

"What do you want me to tell her to stop baking cupcakes?" I ask him knowing he wants me to dig deeper.

Libby looks up at me and Nash, "You." She points at Nash, "Stop talking like I'm not here and you," She proceeds to point at me, "Would you like a cupcake?"

I stare at her from a second before replying, "I would love one but I hate all cake stuff."

She looked completely baffled, "How? What do you have on your birthday? Who can hate cupcakes?"

"I just don't like it and I don't celebrate my birthday." Libby seemed to be confused an curious. It was a very good distraction from her state of panic. 

"Why don't you celebrate your birthday?" She asks quietly.

"Birthdays are just a time bomb to remind everyone of their impending doom." I say as I walk around the kitchen closer to her and Nash.

"Oh." she says as she goes back to mixing the batter.

The room is really quiet. I am technically lying. By the time I had people who really wanted to celebrate my birthday I was over it and didn't want to cause a fuss.

"Got it!" I say breaking the silence.

Nash gives me a daring smile, "Took you long enough kid."

Libby looked up again now staring right into Nash's eyes and asking, "What did she get."

"The true reason of why you are having a stressful cupcake baking session." I say to Libby giving her a small smile, "Anyway I got nothing better to do want some help."

Her face lit up. It was like and explosion of rainbows and all things wonderful. 

"Sure." She hands me the batter she was mixing, "Put this batter into the trays please."

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After About an hour of mixing, baking, icing and scrunching my nose to try and get rid of the sweet smell, I was covered in flour and cake batter. It was surprising that Libby stayed much cleaner than me. I have always tended to be extremely messy.

Avery walked through the doors of the kitchen with a guilty, angry and worrisome look on her face. I could tell she just did something that Alisa would definitely not approve of.

"Someone's in trouble," I say in a sing-song voice. Avery freezes for a second. She is utterly confused on how I already know what she has done. For the way she is moving and the slight quiver of her hand and she walks closer to Libby again, I guess out the front dealing with drake did not go well. Based on the fact there are many paparazzi out there she probably made a very untrue statement.

"Libby." Avery says it so quietly to avoid setting her off.

"Do you think I should go for red velvet or salted caramel next?" She asks. I watch how her eyes don't leave the cupcakes and more of her blue hair escapes the messy ponytail. Her defence mechanism is to avoid the eyes. To avoid seeing the pitiful, slightly annoyed look on her sister's face. She must have used to avoid the hit's as a child.

Nash turned to Avery, "She's been at it for hours, her phone's been going off for just as long." Then he smiled, "But I will say it's impressive how she even got Anna to join in the cupcake debacle."

Libby finally looked up from the cupcake she was icing to stare at Nash, "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Yes, ma'am." His gaze didn't leave her for a second as his smile grew. It was slow and soft. There was also an incredible amount of attraction. The cowboy is in love. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

 Avery told Libby, "I took care of it."

I could tell that was not the only thing she took care of. The guilt and nervousness about what would be coming next basically told me the whole story.

"I'm supposed to take care of you." Libby said while shoving her blue hair out of her face. "Stop looking at me like that, Avery. I'm not going to break."

Libby was brave and strong. Also very stubborn. There was no way she would break. She refused to.

"'Course not, darlin'," Nash drawled.

"You..." Libby looked at him, a spark of annoyance lit up her eyes. In a way she was grateful for his minor help but Nash had an unruly way of making people want to hit him. "You shut up."

I couldn't help but laugh at it. "Cowboy got rejected. Poor Nash."

"Okay quiet down kid," He said while flicking cake batter at me, "I'm shutting up now and For what it's worth, I vote for red velvet next." He gave Libby a sweet smile that reminded me of those southern cowboy movies.

She scrunched her face and turned over to Avery, "Salted caramel it is then."

"Well you all have fun with that. I have to finish my intensely neglected homework." I say as I try to wipe up some cake batter before I walk away. I feel more wholesome than usual. The smile I put on my face was almost real. It would be gone soon and everything would get loud once again.

By the time I get up to my room all the press footage of Avery outside the house must have been released. I watch a video of her hoping out of the car and telling the press that she knew why Tobias chose her. Really stupid move especially since she was lying. Avery had truly no idea. She probably never will fully understand why it was her who got it all. Even if this mystery does get solved Mr Hawthorne never tended to have one reason why he decided to do something. 

While staring down at my phone a message pops up from Jameson. 

Jameson- She was lying right.

Annabelle- In the vid of outside the house

Jameson- Yea

Annabelle- She has no idea why he left her the money

He didn't reply back. I suppose Jameson has gone to have a conversation with the Hawthorne heiress herself.

It was around two hours later when I got a message from him again.

Jameson- meet me at the bridge near Wayback cottage

What trouble are we getting into now?