minute? I’ll start putting the candles on the cake.”
“Oh my god!” Elise looked up at Deanna with an expression that resembled a deer in headlights. “The cake,” she said as she closed her eyes, gripping her forehead in defeat. “I forgot the cake. How could I forget the cake? He’s only been talking about it for weeks!”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Deanna said. “It’s pretty easy when you’re running a mile a minute.”
“Well you wouldn’t happen to have any mix, would you? I know he’s been dead set on a Superman one, but he’ll have to settle...”
“Elise,” Deanna said. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to bake a cake in time for the party.”
“And there’s no way I can go to the store and make it back before the kids arrive!” Elise said, silently kicking herself for making such a stupid mistake. What kind of mother was she?
Deanna nodded in the direction of the living room, where Jesse was knee-deep into a conversation with Isaiah about what kind of presents he was hoping to get. “You could ask Jesse to go…”
“No way,” Elise immediately refused. Aside from the fact that she wasn’t in any hurry to let Jesse know that she’d been stupid enough to forget the most important aspect of Isaiah’s birthday party, she only had about ten dollars left in her checking account. She wasn’t about to face an overdraft fee in order get a cake large enough to feed all the kids, and she definitely wasn’t about to take his money.
“Oh come on, why not?” Deanna questioned. “I thought you’d be happy with the idea of getting rid of Jesse for a little while.”
“No,” Elise hissed. “I’m not asking Jesse. Just drop it would you?”
Jesse made his way into the kitchen when he heard his name. “Not asking me what?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow and glancing back and fourth between each woman.
Elise was so irritated by his presence that she didn’t even bother to look in his direction.
“The bakery messed up Isaiah’s cake,” Deanna spoke up before Elise could, attempting to preserve her dignity. “So now we need a cake, or we’re going to have some very unhappy first graders on our hands.”
“You need me to pick one up?” Jesse offered right away.
“Would you?”
Jesse looked over at Elise, but she still refused to meet his gaze. “Sure,” he said, directing his next question her way. “Where’s the bakery?”
“Oh, the bakery is…closed now,” Deanna spoke up for her, grasping at straws. “Just a simple cake from the grocery store would be fine.”
“Alright,” Jesse said, grabbing up his keys. “How do I get there?”
“There’s a Von’s about a block up the road to the left. You can’t miss it.”
Jesse nodded and made his way to the door.
“Where are you going?” Isaiah questioned, immediately circumventing his path. “You can’t leave yet! My party hasn’t started!”
“I know buddy,” Jesse assured him. “I’m just running to the store. I’ll be right back.”
“Can I go with you?”
“No!” Elise yelled, speaking up for the first time since Jesse entered the kitchen. She realized how loud her voice was when Jesse and Deanna both looked startled. “Isaiah, don’t you want to be here when your guests start coming?” she added in a softer tone. “They’ll be here any minute now.”
Isaiah thought it over for a moment before nodding and bouncing into the backyard with a wide grin stretched across his face.
Elise glanced over at Jesse, rolling her eyes as she reached for her purse. “Just a minute,” she told him. “I’ll get my debit card.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Jesse said, holding up a hand. “Really. You can pay me back later.”
There wasn’t any time for Elise to protest before a swarm of children began to flood into Deanna’s yard, requiring her full
“Oh my god!” Elise looked up at Deanna with an expression that resembled a deer in headlights. “The cake,” she said as she closed her eyes, gripping her forehead in defeat. “I forgot the cake. How could I forget the cake? He’s only been talking about it for weeks!”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Deanna said. “It’s pretty easy when you’re running a mile a minute.”
“Well you wouldn’t happen to have any mix, would you? I know he’s been dead set on a Superman one, but he’ll have to settle...”
“Elise,” Deanna said. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to bake a cake in time for the party.”
“And there’s no way I can go to the store and make it back before the kids arrive!” Elise said, silently kicking herself for making such a stupid mistake. What kind of mother was she?
Deanna nodded in the direction of the living room, where Jesse was knee-deep into a conversation with Isaiah about what kind of presents he was hoping to get. “You could ask Jesse to go…”
“No way,” Elise immediately refused. Aside from the fact that she wasn’t in any hurry to let Jesse know that she’d been stupid enough to forget the most important aspect of Isaiah’s birthday party, she only had about ten dollars left in her checking account. She wasn’t about to face an overdraft fee in order get a cake large enough to feed all the kids, and she definitely wasn’t about to take his money.
“Oh come on, why not?” Deanna questioned. “I thought you’d be happy with the idea of getting rid of Jesse for a little while.”
“No,” Elise hissed. “I’m not asking Jesse. Just drop it would you?”
Jesse made his way into the kitchen when he heard his name. “Not asking me what?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow and glancing back and fourth between each woman.
Elise was so irritated by his presence that she didn’t even bother to look in his direction.
“The bakery messed up Isaiah’s cake,” Deanna spoke up before Elise could, attempting to preserve her dignity. “So now we need a cake, or we’re going to have some very unhappy first graders on our hands.”
“You need me to pick one up?” Jesse offered right away.
“Would you?”
Jesse looked over at Elise, but she still refused to meet his gaze. “Sure,” he said, directing his next question her way. “Where’s the bakery?”
“Oh, the bakery is…closed now,” Deanna spoke up for her, grasping at straws. “Just a simple cake from the grocery store would be fine.”
“Alright,” Jesse said, grabbing up his keys. “How do I get there?”
“There’s a Von’s about a block up the road to the left. You can’t miss it.”
Jesse nodded and made his way to the door.
“Where are you going?” Isaiah questioned, immediately circumventing his path. “You can’t leave yet! My party hasn’t started!”
“I know buddy,” Jesse assured him. “I’m just running to the store. I’ll be right back.”
“Can I go with you?”
“No!” Elise yelled, speaking up for the first time since Jesse entered the kitchen. She realized how loud her voice was when Jesse and Deanna both looked startled. “Isaiah, don’t you want to be here when your guests start coming?” she added in a softer tone. “They’ll be here any minute now.”
Isaiah thought it over for a moment before nodding and bouncing into the backyard with a wide grin stretched across his face.
Elise glanced over at Jesse, rolling her eyes as she reached for her purse. “Just a minute,” she told him. “I’ll get my debit card.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Jesse said, holding up a hand. “Really. You can pay me back later.”
There wasn’t any time for Elise to protest before a swarm of children began to flood into Deanna’s yard, requiring her full
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