The Vanilla Cake Club

"Are you going somewhere?" He looked concerned.

"No, I am definitely staying. I can't believe how I ingratiated myself here. I feel like I tricked Meg into keeping me." He laughed. I made him shut the monitors and we stayed holding each other in the dark. I needed time to reflect and think.

***

Almost all of the cakes were gone. I was helping everyone clean up the kitchen when Rosalie came in to pick out her cake.

She walked up and took my hand. "What's this?"

"Noah gave it to me this morning."

"It's beautiful." I loved her, she was my best friend. She would never tell me I ruined everything.

"After he gave it to me I met his girlfriend." I looked at her quickly I wanted to see her reaction.

"What? Are you sure?" I just shrugged. "Give me your phone." I got it out of my clutch and gave it to her. She had an intense look on her face. "Noah? This is Rosalie. Do you have a girlfriend?" She looked at me. "Besides Donna, oof."

She put the phone on her breasts and shook her head.

"He says you are the only one." She handed the phone back to me. I wasn't ready to talk to him.

"Hi," I said feeling a little sheepish, I went into the corner and told him what happened with the girl on his block. She had been his neighbor since they were young. We talked, I didn't tell him what I had been up to at the club, I would tell him in the future. I needed to put this part of my life behind me, I was ready to move on. We hung up, he was coming over.

***

The three of us were talking at the table. A man came to get the rest of the cake for the soup kitchen. Meg, Rosalie, and I were waiting for Noah, I would have him help me with my things, and then hopefully we can relax the rest of the night. It would be a mild one I was sore in a couple of places.

And then he called. "Donna, the police are at your house. I'll be at the Hahn House in a couple of minutes.

When he got here the three of us hopped into his car.

There were two police cars and the detective in front of the house, the neighbors next door were watching. I was thinking Kirsten must have done something nasty. I didn't care I was with my friends I was prepared for it. One of the policemen showed me a warrant and he opened Kirsten's shed that she had someone build at the end of my driveway. It was too big and I was always blocking the door with my car. Kirsten was usually furious, and I never knew why. I never used it and I have never seen it open.

They cut the lock off of the shed. When they opened the door it was filled with porcelain. Toilet, sinks, water heaters. Seems Kirsten had a collection.

"We have a Buddy and Kirsten Rannet, in custody." The detective told us. "We are going to have to confiscate everything." He then looked towards the house next door. "The neighbors tipped us off."

I was confused but not really surprised. I looked up at him "Can you take the shed too?"

I checked my phone and I had a missed call from Buddys' fake wife. She wanted money to bail out Buddy and Kirsten. I showed Rosalie and Meg and we laughed. I was going to have to get a new number, I couldn't have my fake wife's, husband's fake wife calling me. I have never felt better. I took them inside my house and the three of us girls sat at the bar while Noah went to pick up Ronnie. I made drinks all night. I used the appropriate glass for each one. First, we had margaritas, then dark and stomy's, then some craft beer. We ended with a little glass of freezing Lemoncello. I felt a little misty as I poured the drink.

"My mother and sisters brought these back for me from Italy, and I can't believe Kirsten has never broken them. I just turned twenty-one and my mother asked if I wanted to go." I shrugged. "I told them I wanted to stay home and bake."

"And did you?"

"Some of the time."

They laughed and everyone stayed over, which meant breakfast for six people in the morning when Meg's husband arrived. Everyone was going to love breakfast and love me even more for making it for them.

***

Rosalie and I were standing on the outside patio looking toward the gardens at the Hahn House. The sun was out and everyone was in the backyard enjoying the weather. Noah was learning a little more of the history of the club from Meg and some of the girls, it's funny but he wasn't that surprised.

"I hope you share that recipe for the pineapple upside-down cake, Ronnie absolutely loved it when you made it for us last weekend."

"I'm sure I'll get to it, I can come over whenever you want and make whatever you want, you and Ronnie are my favorite people." I hugged her.

I loved every Sunday here, we all got together, we relaxed, and I got to see all the people I cared about.

"You know," Rosalie gave me a sly grin, "last Sunday one of the girls asked Noah why he was the only man here. He pointed to you and said, 'That's... my girlfriend', haha."

"I just love him."

I then walked closer to the garden to call everyone in. It was time to get things started. All of us were in the kitchen, there were exactly thirteen 'girls,' plus Meg and Noah. We had nice support for a summer Sunday.

"Hi everybody, today we will be making pie, peach pie."

It will be the first Sunday we didn't make a cake. We always made cakes at 'The Vanilla Cake Club.'

***

{Hello self, I won't be writing in this diary anymore. It was a good idea that just sort of fizzled out. maybe one day I will read it again. I would print out the last couple of entries but I can't now, I don't have enough red ink. Oh well.}

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The End

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* Thanks to Adrienne Kane. I stole her questions for the note... Muah.