Be My Love Song

Chap 2. Cake and cake makers

"Yeah no problem kid. Come again though." Cinder waved to the kid who was riding away on his fixed bike. The company that Cinder worked with mostly worked on cars and sometimes helicopter parts but her boss allowed her to work on commissions in the garage she worked in. She was almost good to go home, simply needing to clean up her area.

After sprucing up the work space she nodded to herself, satisfied with her work. She grabbed her black and blue backpack from the hook near the door. She signed out on the clipboard also near the door. Settling into her car and pulling on her seat belt, she called Scarlet.

"Hey what's up?" Scarlet picked up
"Nothing just got done with work. Where are you?"
"The bakery. We got this huge order of cupcakes for a birthday party."
"That sounds tiring. Mind if I swing by? I need to set up Iko's cake."
"Sure but change first. Grand-mere loves you but she hates a mess."

Cinder chuckled.
"Anything for grand-mere. Do you need anything from the house?"
"Bring my laptop, for pinterest inspiration."
"Okay cool"
"Bye loser!"
Scarlet hung up.

~

"Hey, anyone here?" Cinder asked into the apartment. She sat her bag near the shoe rack and placed her keys on the kitchen counter.
"Me!" Winter yelled from her room. Cinder walked to the room and leaned on the doorway. Winter was surrounded by clothes in three piles and varying colors.
"I'm gonna do laundry!" Winter exclaimed. She smiled and stood up.
"What can I help you with dear?" The college student asked.
"I'm going to the bakery. Do you wanna come?"
"Of course! I wanna go see grand-mere!" Winter went to her closet to find something suitable to wear. Of course she's still in her pajamas at 2:00 in the afternoon.

She quickly changed into an ankle length blue dress with a brown belt. It seemed that no matter what she wore she was alluring.

"Hey get Scarlet's laptop."
"What's the magic word?"
"Wenis."
Winter laughed hysterically and went to get the laptop. Scarlet's laptop only had two stickers on it, a sticker saying "Benoit farms" (Cress, Iko and Winter helped design the sticker and the logo for the farm!) and the french flag.

"Where's Iko and Cress?" Cinder asked as Winter handed her the laptop.
"I think Iko is studying at the library and Cress has class today."

Cinder nodded, heading to her room to change her clothes and wipe any oil or grime from her face. As she was washing her face she got another call, this time from Cress.

"State your business peasant." Cinder mumbled into the phone.
""Come get me!" the blonde girl whined. "I'm done with class and I really don't feel like walking back home."
"Sure. we're about to swing that way. We gonna go to the bakery."
Cinder swooped her hair into a ponytail and dusted off her clean white T-shirt. She pulled on some jeans as she switched her phone from one shoulder to the other.
"Okay great! I'm in front of the park! Come get me!"

~

"Go find Cress. I'm not getting out of this car." Cinder said as she placed the car in park, shooing Winter away. She left the car and went to look for her short haired friend.

Winter's dress fluttered in the perfect spring breeze, looking ethereal as always. She looked around for her roommate, finally setting her eyes on the college student. She smiled and walked towards her.

"Come on, let's get this show on the road! I want some cupcakes!"
Cress deadpanned at her.
"Since when do you say let's get this show on the road?"
"Since now!"

The curly haired girl yanked Cress up from her crisscrossed position. She shrieked and fell into her friend who happily caught her. They walked to the car, talking about the coding test Cress had to take that day. Cress got into the backseat with a bit of a grumble while Winter got into the front.

~
"We in this bitch!" Cress shouted as they entered the bakery through the back door.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Scarlet yelled back. The girls walked to the sweet smelling room. The kitchen was a comfortable room with a few windows cracked open. A few employees walked around doing various bakery things. Scarlet was just putting a tray of 24 cupcakes into the oven.

"Hi guys! What's up?" Scarlet asked as she took off her red and black oven mitts.

"I think they're just here for cupcakes." Cinder said as she leaned down to look at the cupcakes in the oven.

"What kind girls?" Grand-mere said as she walked in. Michelle Benoit, Scarlet's grandmother and former military pilot. After she retired she opened a bakery along with selling fresh vegetables from her own garden. Scarlet helped out and so did the girls when they were able.

"I would die for a strawberry lemonade cupcake right now!" Cress said kindly while Winter seemed to ponder. She let her hand wander to her face where her scars were. She seemed to do that when she was tired, worried or thinking. Cinder wondered if it felt calming to feel the scars.

"Do you have apple cinnamon? I know since it's spring time but could you check?" Winter asked. Winter had an unhealthy obsession with apples. There was always an apple scented candle burning in the apartment.

"You're both in luck! The last of each is in the display window. I'll get them for you." Grand-mere replied, going towards the front of the shop.

Cinder followed her so she could sit in the shop and use the free wifi. She sat at a quaint little table for two people. Turning on the computer and secretly melting at the wallpaper. It had been the grand opening of the bakery. They all stood in front of the door that had a big red bow on it. Iko had been jumping up, her braids caught in a careful frame, Cress was smiling widely with a cupcake in her hand, Scarlet and her grandmother were holding the scissors as they were getting ready to cut the ribbon, winter was peace signing at the camera and Cinder was kneeling with a small smile next to winter. The words "Cherry on top" we're on the sign above them.

Cinder went to google and searched cake ideas.
Of course the results were very different. She thought about things Iko liked. Clothes, shoes, stereotypical girly things, school and music. A shoe cake would be cute but really cliche. Cinder then had an idea. For whatever reason, Iko really liked cheesecake, specifically key lime. A cheesecake birthday cake. Perfect for Iko.

"Hey I think I found a cute cake idea for Iko!" Cinder called for Scarlet. The redhead came out of the kitchen and leaned against her chair.

"A cheesecake?" Scarlet asked, looking at the picture Cinder had pulled up.

"Yeah. She really likes key lime. We could use whipped cream to write her name and stuff. Do you think you and grand-mere could do something like that?"

"Yeah no problem. Her birthday is on Thursday right? We can get it done by then."

"Yeah cool thanks." Cinder closed the laptop and slid it to Scarlet.

"Are you almost done? We have to eat real food tonight."

"Yeah, I'm actually about to leave. Let's go before Cress and Winter leach more cupcakes from grand-mere."

~

"Honey, I'm home!" Iko said as she took off her shoes at the front door.
"You will not believe what I had to do today! My professor has the audacity to assign a 10 page paper on issues unique to nurses! I don't have time to write 10 pages when I've got all this clinical shit to do!" She complained. Iko was studying to be a nurse and it was honestly kicking her butt, though she loved it very much.

"Sounds awful. Come have some spaghetti. Tell us all about it." Cress said caringly as Iko walked to the living room. The girls were watching some movie and eating spaghetti. Iko smiled at her friends.

"Let me shower first. I'm icky right now."

"Okay!" The girls mumbled in some way or another. They continued to eat, thankful for Scarlet's culinary skills. Cinder let her eyes close as the day settled into her bones. She exhaled and let herself drift into that almost sleep state.