Aftershock: A Charity McAdams Novella (4 page)

“Let’s go!” I say, giggling.

The whole family gathers around the kitchen island and dig into the cake. When everyone is finishing up, Brandon declares that he has an announcement. Everyone’s eyes swivel in my direction, expectantly. It takes me a second to realize that they probably all think Brandon is about to say I’m pregnant or something crazy.

Did they not see my two glasses of wine at dinner?

“Charity has agreed to move to California with me, when I go back to shoot my next movie!”

I watch his moms face light up and it really does melt my heart to see her so happy. Especially considering all she has been through in the past few months.

Rick gives a loud clap. “Well, it’s about time!”

Half an hour later, Brandon and I say goodbye to his family and head back to my house.

“So, are you gonna tell me what you and my mom talked about?” Brandon asks with a smile.

“Are you dying of curiosity?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he says sarcastically with a laugh.

“Oh you know, just girl stuff.”

“Cherry, come on,” he says, poking me gently in the ribs.

I laugh and smack his hand away. “Well, she mainly wanted to know how I was dealing, with everything. I think she was worried that I was upset at them because they didn’t really talk to me after you left.”

He nods and focuses his gaze back on the road as we turn the corner and pull into the driveway in front of my townhouse. “What did you tell her?”

“The truth, I told her that it’s been hard but that I’m happy, that we’re happy. And that I don’t hold anything against them for how things went down.”

“So it wasn’t a disaster, like you were predicting?” He asks.

“Brandon, I never said I thought it was going to be a disaster. And I already apologized for freaking out about it in the first place,”

“I know, I just meant that it was good,” he explains, as he parks and turns off the engine.

“Yeah, it was. I had a really good time,” I say. “You know what else she told me?”

“Hmm?”

“She said that it does her heart good to see us so happy together, like we used to.”

He turns and gives me a smile. I lean across the center console and brush my lips against his slowly. “Think you’re all recovered from your wrestling injury?” I ask, glancing down at his lap, one eyebrow raised.

“Only one way to find out,” he says with a laugh before kissing me again.

Chapter Seven

The next day at work I get an “emergency” text from my mom, asking if I can meet her and Valerie to talk about the baby shower. I figure it’s something stupid and text her that it will have to wait until after work. The last pseudo-emergency, pow-wow was held because the tablecloths weren’t the exact same tint of pink as the ribbon for the backs of the chairs.

Ugh.

Personally, I think Valerie has way too much time on her hands and my mom is only feeding her obsession because she’s addicted to party planning and finds her life’s joy in fussing over Every. Single. Detail.

Maybe that’s a little too harsh. I know she’s just excited about the baby and being a grandma. Valerie on the other hand, has always been a little bit of a princess. Her husband, Tom, has only made things worse because he gives her everything she wants without question. He’s some hoity-toity businessman that works way too much and gives Valerie the highly coveted, limitless Amex card to keep her quiet about his workaholic tendencies.

Sure, it’s textbook dysfunction, but it seems to work for them. Although, sometimes I think he only proposed because she got knocked up. However, I keep thoughts like that to myself….for the most part.

After work, I call Brandon and let him know I’m headed to the party planning, front lines.

An hour later, I arrive at Valerie and Tom’s mansion just outside the Seattle city limits. On the drive over, I debated with me about whether or not I should tell them about Brandon and me getting back together and that I am moving to California. I mentally weigh the pros and cons all the way there but still can’t make up my mind.

I park in the driveway and take a deep breath before cutting the engine and going up the walk to the front doors.

“Baby sister!” Valerie exclaims as she opens the door.

I have no idea why she calls me that, it’s always grated on my nerves.

I plaster on a smile. “Hello Val.” I pat her round tummy. “How’s my niece today?”

“She’s amazing. Come in and I’ll show you the latest sonogram pictures.”

I follow her into the monstrous house and go to her gourmet kitchen, where everything is stainless steel and granite. Valerie retrieves a large envelope out of a drawer and pulls out the black and white pictures and hands them to me.

The pictures take my breath away. It’s so amazing to think that there is this little person just waiting to come into the world. Valerie and I may have our differences but I am going to have to set all that aside when she has her baby. I want to be the best auntie ever!

I take one last look and then carefully slide the pictures back into the envelope and hand it back to Valerie. “Where’s mom?”

“She’s up in the nursery. Come on,” she says, heading toward the staircase.

We go upstairs and down a hallway that seems to go on forever, before arriving at the nursery. I gasp when I walk in. I’m not sure there is a theme, per se, unless color counts as a theme. Everything is pink.

Pink stuffed animals, pink walls, pink clothes, pink bedding, and pink curtains.

“What do you think?” My mom asks, beaming. She is sitting in a (pink) chair in the corner.

“Love, right?” Valerie says, expectantly. “The designers just finished last week.”

She is beaming and I can’t bring myself to burst her bubble.

Her big, obnoxious, pink bubble.

“It’s great, Val, I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

Which is completely true.

“Tom thinks it’s a little over the top. I think he is secretly hoping the doctors are wrong and that it’s a boy. But it’s a girl, I can just tell,” she says, wrapping her arms across her stomach.

Oh, how I hope so. Otherwise…poor kid.

“So what’s the big emergency?” I ask, wanting to get down to business and get out of this room before the color pink is forever ruined for me.

“Well, I was calling the bakery today to change the flavor of the top tier of the cake and it seems they “misplaced” the order for the other pastries and desserts we were going to have,” Valerie explains, using air quotes. “They offered to put in the order now, and they said it could still all be done, but I just can’t trust anything they say now, so I cancelled the whole order.”

“
You cancelled the whole thing?”
I say, unbelievingly.

“Yes, Charity, I can’t work with people like that.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, Val, clearly they purposely lost an order that was worth thousands of dollars of business. That makes total sense.”

I’m so glad I drove an hour each way for this…

“Now, now Charity, this isn’t the time to argue. We just need to find a solution,” my mom chimes in from the corner.

“I’ve called my second and third choice but neither of them can take this large of an order on such short notice.”

“Since when is two months too short of notice?” I demand.

“I don’t know Charity, that’s just what they told me,” Valerie sighs.

I can guarantee those other bakeries
could
do the order but after listening to Valerie rip this other company a new one, decided it probably wasn’t worth the hassle.

“Anyways, what we wanted to know is if the café you work at could do the desserts and the cake instead,” Valerie continues, turning to me.

I’m speechless. She gets turned down by three of the top bakeries in Seattle but expects a little small town café in the middle of nowhere to pull everything out of thin air, and to be able match up to her impossible standards, to boot.

“Valerie, I think we need to back up here, think about what you’re asking,” I start.

Both of them snap to look at me and I start to feel like I’m talking a jumper off the edge.

“What do you mean?” Valerie shouts.

“I’m just saying, we’re a small café, we don’t even have a proper commercial kitchen. Heidi makes everything at home and brings it in. What you are asking is impossible.”

“Can’t you just get some extra helpers and make a production line or something?” My mom asks, hopefully.

Wow.

I hold my hands up in surrender. “Just give me the order, I’ll figure it out somehow.”

“Perfect!” Valerie exclaims, throwing her arms around me. “I knew you’d save the day!”

Oh my word. Talk about a pregnancy hormone roller coaster ride.

Poor Tom
, I think, having a sudden surge of sympathy for my brother-in-law.

Since they both seem so happy with me (for now) I make a split second decision to tell them about Brandon.

“There is one other thing I need to bring up,” I say.

“What’s that Dear?” My mom asks from her perch.

“I’m probably going to have to do some of the final planning from California.”

They both look confused. “What are you talking about? Are you going on vacation?”

“Well, not exactly. Brandon and I are back together and he’s asked me to move to California with him when he goes back to shoot his next movie. We don’t leave for another six weeks or so, but that would be right before the shower. But don’t worry, I can do everything long distance, and then of course, fly up for the actual event. Or that whole weekend, if you think that would be easiest,” I explain, rapidly.

“WHAT!?” They both scream at the same time.

Chapter Eight

“You are not going to believe this!” I shout as I burst through the front door. I step out of my shoes and kick them across the room.

Brandon pokes his head around the corner.

I start to shrug out of my coat but my elbow gets caught in the sleeve. In frustration, I start to violently thrash my arms around to try and get out but that only makes it worse. I let out a string of colorful profanity as I struggle to escape.

Brandon crosses the room and calmly pulls the jacket off. “What the hell happened over there?”

I shake my head, not sure where to start.

I stare at my discarded shoes for a moment before going to pick them up and set them by the front door, side by side.

I take a deep breath before launching into the whole story.

“Everything was fine until I told them about us, and moving to California. I don’t even know what possessed me to bring it up. I should have known they’d be unsupportive. I guess I just thought that everything with your family had gone so well, that it would with mine too.”

“What exactly did they say?” Brandon asks, with his eyebrows knit together in concern.

“Well my mom asked me, at least six times, if I’m sure it’s a good idea. Which is pretty much her way of asking if I’ve lost my mind and Valerie flat out said that I’m being an idiot,” I answer, giving him the highlights.

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. That’s my family, a delightful bunch,” I mutter sarcastically.

“I’m sorry, Cherry,” he says, kissing my forehead and pulling me into his arms. “Do you think it’d help if I went to talk to them? Let ‘em grill me and get it over with?”

I smile at his offer. “No, I don’t think so. I doubt it would help.”

“Alright, so what do you want to do about it?”

“Nothing, there’s nothing we can do. Before I left I told them if they aren’t going to be supportive that they can just stay away from me and keep out of my business. So I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be pissed off for a while and keep their distance.” 

Brandon nods his head. I feel like he wants to say something further but he doesn’t.

“Is that dinner?” I say, suddenly noticing the smells coming from the kitchen, almost smoky…

“Oh, shit!” Brandon lets go of me and bolts back to the kitchen. “It’s ok! Just a little…well done.”

I laugh and go into the kitchen. He has three things on the stove. One of the pots is bubbling over and the frying pan has smoke escaping as Brandon fans his hands around, trying to dissipate the smell. He lifts the lid and I catch a glimpse of what appears to be some kind of flat bread, but it’s pretty much charcoal at this point.

“Ya know, the recipe made this all seem a lot easier,” he says, disgruntled as he takes his creation and dumps it into the trash.

“What was it you were trying to make?” I ask, trying not to giggle. He looks beyond ridiculous in my hot pink apron with oven mitts on both of his hands, mumbling under his breath as he shuffles around trying to get things under control.

He starts to answer but the smoke alarm starts blaring.

“Son of a bitch!” He yells.

I completely lose it and start cracking up. I laugh until it hurts and I have tears in my eyes. Brandon manages to get the fire alarm to stop screeching and shoots me a dirty look. “Well I’m glad you’re entertained.”

“I’m sorry, babe, but you have no idea how crazy you look right now!”

He looks down at himself and rolls his eyes. “Alright, fine, the pink apron might be a bit much,” he says with a laugh. “Although, let the record show, that I am secure enough in my masculinity to wear pink!”

“Oh, babe, you totally rock the pink!” I say, winking at him.

When we stop laughing, he suggests we order pizza and I hastily agree.

Brandon goes into the other room to call in the order and I start working on the kitchen. I fill the sink with hot water and start to tackle the pots and pans after dumping the rest of the wrecked food into the garbage. It looks like he was attempting some homemade Indian curry recipe. Maybe not the best dish for a beginner cook but I smile at the effort.

I’m busy scrubbing away when his arms wrap around me and he presses into me, holding me tightly. “So, I got an interesting phone call today,” he starts.

“What about?” I ask, continuing to wash the dishes.