Jessica's Fate

Chapter 22

I was busy decorating the cakes for tonight's dessert assignment when Luke walked in and tweaked my ponytail. "What?" I glanced at him, holding the pastry bag away from the cake, after finishing the rosette.

"Did your boy get his tux arranged for yet?"

"You know, I haven't asked him. I just figured he's gotten it all settled." I said with a slight shrug and went back to piping the decorations on the 3-layer cake.

Luke leaned against the counter and watched me. "Hmm. Did you want to ask him? I mean, it would suck if he forgot."

I shrugged again, setting the piping bag down and reaching for the chocolate curls. "He can wear whatever he wants. I just want to be there with him." I studied him. "You're staying out of it, right?"

"Wouldn't dream of getting involved." He said, holding his hands up and giving me an innocent look.

"Tell Gabriel that I will tell Sang on him if he gets involved."

Luke blinked for a moment as if stunned that I'd pinpointed which of my extra brothers wanted to be involved. "Sorry, Jessie. You can take the boy far away from high school but he still wants to dress everyone for prom since he missed out on one for us."

I sighed softly. "I know which is why he's totally in charge of me on prom day but I just don't want him to scare Zack off. He can be very over the top, you know." I lifted up the cake I'd been working on and took it over to the reach in fridge to put it in.

He eyed the cake. "I think that you need to make me a cake every week." He said conversationally.

"And why would I want to call down the wrath of North on my head?" I arched an eyebrow at him and pulled the next set of cakes towards me to start assembling cake number two for the day.

His eyes turned mischievous and he grinned at me. "To buy my silence regarding a certain blue eyed superhero looking boyfriend and the fact he left your house after your Wednesday date not at a decent time before midnight but at 4 am Thursday morning."

My eyes widened and I stared at him. "You wouldn't..."

"Tell Erica? No, why would I want to anger the mama bear?" He asked.

I relaxed slightly. "Then why would I...?"

"Tell Kota however would be a completely different story." He said with a smug look, crossing his arms across his chest.

My jaw dropped open. "You wouldn't dare. Sang won't make you chocolate chip pancakes if you do." I said.

"But I could come here and make my own." He countered.

"Not if I hid all the chocolate chips." I grumbled, pausing in cake assembly to cross my arms across my chest and glaring at him.

"You wouldn't." His own jaw dropped in a gasp of horror.

"Try me, monkey boy." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"That would be really unfair."

"So, would telling Kota on me." I pointed out. "When if you think about it, you all had Sang in your beds when you were ALL younger than me and I know for a fact that nothing more than sleeping and cuddling up together happened."

"Well there was some kissing..." Luke shrugged.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course, there was. Kissing of fingers." I arched an eyebrow at him.

"oooh, I wasn't aware that you'd had girl talk time."

I eyed him for a long moment. "The point is, nothing has happened between Zack and I that didn't happen between Sang and the 9 of you when most of you were 16."

He stared at me. "Wait, Kota was so exacting that you and Erica wouldn't know."

I shrugged. "I was 12, I wasn't blind or stupid. I knew about all of you at Christmas."

"You knew before Kota." He breathed.

"Really?" he nodded. "Hmm." I shrugged. "I kept the secret is what I'm going for. I was never that little sister. What benefit would there have been for me to tattle on you all that Sang was right there in bed with you all the time? All that would have done is meant that I certainly would never be trusted home alone with anyone."

"You're right. We were way worse than you've been."

"Thanks, I think." I rolled my eyes at him and kept working on the cakes.

"Okay, fine. You don't have to make me a cake every week." He finally said after watching me work for a while.

"Good. Glad we agree."

"But I wouldn't say no to my own dish of peanut butter buttercream." He hinted.

I laughed. "Fine, when I finish the last cake, I'll make a dish just for you." He hugged me and went into the office.

I finished up with the cakes and piped the rest of the frosting in my piping bag into one of the sundae cups and took it, and a spoon with me when I knocked on the office door and poked my head in. "Hey Jessie." Luke beamed at me.

"Hey yourself. As promised, frosting." I said, setting it all down in front of him.

"You are the best woman in my life, right now." He proclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really."

"Yes, right now. Sang is not here and neither is your mom so right now, you're the best." He explained as the first spoonful popped into his mouth and he sighed softly as he let the frosting melt in his mouth.

I laughed softly. "Okay fine. I can accept that reasoning." I leaned against the doorframe. "So, if one was to want to subtly pass on to her boyfriend the information you offered about his tux, what would I need to do?"

He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to me. "Just give him this."

"This is you butting out?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"This is my answer to what Gabe had all plotted out for you. This is me keeping him at bay because I don't think anyone should get introduced to the awesomeness that is Gabriel Coleman when he really gets going."

"Thank you." I said, going over to give him a hug. He hugged me tightly in return and let me go so that I could go out front until Zack showed up to pick up his to-go order.