Confectionately Yours #4: Something New by Lisa Papademetriou Read Free Book Online Page A

You can’t!”
    “I won’t, I won’t,” I promise. Although I wish I could , I think.
    Kyle pops the lollipop into his mouth. “This is going to be interesting,” he says.
    That’s the understatement of the year , I think.
    Even though Kyle is blind, I get the feeling he sees things pretty clearly.

A lot of people don’t pick up their dog’s poop. Not to be gross, but when you have a dog, they’ll go and sniff anything that smells interesting. And, apparently, the most interesting smell in the world is poop. Having a dog means never just walking by someone’s mess.
There are a lot of dogs in this world. The only thing dogs like to sniff more than poop is other dogs. When you actually have a dog, you meet them all.
People like to talk to dogs. When I walk down the street by myself, nobody says a word. When I’m with Tessie, everyone’s like, “Hello, doggie!” and “Hi, dog!” and “Who’s a good girl?” I don’t bother pointing out that shedoesn’t speak English, as it seems to make people so happy just to say hello.
Apparently, I drop a lot of food on the floor. Seriously, this dog is getting, like, eight meals a day.
You can tell a lot about people by the way they treat dogs. Like Meghan, for example, is a very enthusiastic petter. She gets Tessie riled up and excited. Kyle, on the other hand, approached Tessie slowly and patted her gently. She calmed down when she was with him. And that’s how those guys are with everything. Meghan is all crazy energy, and Kyle is more tranquil. They’re both fun … just in different ways.

“T his cake is deformed,” I say to nobody in particular.
    From across the counter, Chloe cocks her head. “It looks like Mount Tom.”
    “After an avalanche,” Rupert adds in his quiet voice.
    “Rupert!” Chloe protests, but I just laugh. He’s right, after all. I’m standing behind the counter in the café, working on a wedding cake, but I’ve done something wrong. The top level is sinking into the bottom level, and it’s a gigantic mess.
    “I respect that you are still trying to frost that cake.” Rupert’s dark eyes are serious.
    “Not for long.” The frosting is only making everything worse. Besides, the cake is huge, and I can’t reach the back of it.
    Meghan looks up from the poster board and art supplies laid out across her table. “You need a lazy Susan to frost a wedding cake. And you have to put little sticks in the bottom layer so that it holds up the top layer.”
    “I did that!”
    “Did you leave the top layer on a circular piece of cardboard?” Meghan asks.
    “No.”
    “That’s why it’s sinking. The sticks are just poking holes in the bottom of the top layer. You need something solid to stop them.” She goes back to coloring in her campaign poster.
    “Grr! Why do you know these things?” I demand.
    “Meh. My mom gets all of these cooking magazines,” she explains. “I pick things up.”
    “I wish you wouldn’t trouble yourself, dear,” Gran says to me as she fills a fat white china teapot with hot water. “Why don’t you just make a few cupcakes?” Her forehead is creased with worry as she eyes my wedding cake.
    “Don’t worry, Gran, I’ll get it all worked out in time for your wedding,” I tell her. “That’s why I’m practicing.”
    “Well, it just seems like a lot of fuss, that’s all. I don’t think —”
    “Well, now, my dear future Mrs. Malik!” Mr. Malik bustles into the café holding a sheaf of deep pink roses. “You’re looking lovely.”
    “Oh, Umer.” Gran’s eyes brighten and she blushes as pink as the flowers. “Honestly! You’ll go out of business bringing me flowers every day.” But she doesn’t refuse them. Instead, she takes the blooms and inhales deeply. “How lovely.”
    “If I go out of business, it will be thanks to that so-called restaurant next door to my flower shop!” Mr. Malik huffs as he perches on a stool by the counter. “They’ve vented the place improperly — it’s