HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY

Beth nodded in agreement, “The dating pool is such a mess right now,” she said.

“Emily laughed, “Well at least someone went on a date recently… With the other Kendrick brother,” she looked at Elena, “And hasn’t said anything about it.”

Elena shut her eyes, and in that moment she hoped the floor would open up and swallow her up, but her wish wasn’t granted. Instead, she opened her eyes to find four pairs of eyes staring back at her, waiting for her reply.

“You went out with Chandler Kendrick?” Charlotte asked with a raised brow, “Didn’t know you liked him… Didn’t know he was dating either because he said he wasn’t,”

“I don’t…like him” Elena cut in. No one looked like they believed her, so she added, “But it doesn’t matter, okay? It didn’t work out and I won’t be going out with him again,”

“What happened?” asked Emily.

Elena frowned, “I don’t want to talk about it,”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that you don’t want to talk about anything lately. If you are upset with me just say it,”

“I’m not upset with you Emily”

“Then why are you being so secretive lately? What happened when you went out with Chandler?”

“He kissed someone else, okay?” Lexi blurted out. Beth hissed and covered her face with her palms, Charlotte looked surprised and a little bit entertained, while Elena and Emily just stared at each other, “I’m sorry, Elena. Elijah told me about it and I just wanted the both of you to stop arguing about it,” Lexi added.

But at the moment Elena was too numb to be upset, “Well, now you know, Emily,” she told her sister as she rose, “I hope you can sleep well tonight. I need to leave,”

Beth tried to stop her, “Elena, come on, you don’t have to,”

Emily stood up too, “Elena, I’m sorry. I didn’t… I’m sorry,”

But Elena was already heading out. “You wanted to know so badly and now you do. Congratulations,” she said as she shut the door behind her.

————

When Sarah called Elena and placed an order for a birthday cake for her husband, Elena was very happy. Sarah’s husband was a CEO at his company and they were throwing a party for him. Elena had eagerly taken the order. Lately her business had been going fine, and at least, something good had come from her date with Chandler. He’d kept his distance and so had she, but she still thought about him more frequently than she cared to admit.

The bakery hummed with the sweet scent of vanilla and freshly baked delights as Elena meticulously worked on the birthday cake. Each stroke of her frosting spatula was deliberate, striving for perfection in every swirl and flourish. She understood the significance of this order, seeing it as a gateway to potential future success for her business.

Midway through her creative process, the familiar jingle of the shop’s door signaled the arrival of visitors. Looking up, Elena’s heart skipped a beat as Emily and Lexi entered the bakery. Though she maintained focus on the cake, a subtle tension lingered in the air.

“Hey, Elena,” Emily greeted, her voice filled with a hint of remorse, acknowledging the evident unease between them.

Elena nodded curtly, acknowledging their presence without breaking her concentration on the intricate cake design.

“Look, Elena, I know I messed up. I’m really sorry about the other day,” Emily began, her tone earnest and apologetic. “Are you really not going to speak to me anymore? I miss you,” She stepped closer, a plea in her eyes, hoping to bridge the gap that had formed between them.

Elena remained silent.

Lexi interjected, her voice gentle yet encouraging, “Elena, Emily feels terrible about what happened. She’s truly sorry. Please, consider forgiving her… And remember that it was my fault too. I shouldn’t have blurted out what Elijah told me in front of everyone like that. It was really uncalled for and I’m sorry too. Just… Just don’t take it all out on Emily. She’s still your sister and I share some of the blame too,”

Elena paused, her gaze flickering from the cake to her sister. With a conflicted expression, she sighed softly. “It’s not that easy, Emily.” Her voice was tinged with lingering hurt, a testament to the weight of their recent disagreement. “If you want to know something, why can’t you just wait until I’m ready to talk to you about it? I just expected better from you because I would have told you eventually but I was… Ashamed I guess because you warned me not to go out with Chandler and I did anyways,”

Emily’s eyes glistened with regret as she continued, “I understand if it’ll take time, but I miss our bond. I miss us, Elena, and I promise I won’t push you that way again.”

Elena’s heart softened at her sister’s sincerity, her resolve wavering in the face of Emily’s heartfelt plea. Taking a moment to compose herself, she set down her tools, turning to face her sister and Lexi. “I missed you too,” she murmured, her tone softened, but a glimmer of hope flickered in her eyes. “And you were right about Chandler. I shouldn’t have gone out with him,”

“Oh baby,” said Emily, “I want to hug you right now but you’re working and you have ‘cake stuff’ all over you…Look, believe me, this is one of those times when I hate being right, and I swear I’m going to kill Chandler.”

Elena laughed, “There’s no need for that, okay? Nothing really serious happened between us and I actually got to meet a lot of nice people. This cake actually belongs to a woman I met at that party so I consider it a silver lining. As long as he stays the hell away from me from now on, I think I’ll be good .”

As the air lightened between Elena and Emily, Lexi, observing the moment, took a step forward, a warm smile gracing her face. “Now that this issue has been resolved. Elena, I have something to ask too.”

Elena glanced up from her work, curiosity evident in her eyes. “Sure, Lexi. What’s up?”

Lexi’s smile widened as she clasped her hands together, her eyes shimmering with excitement. “I know we just had sort of a serious moment, but I wanted to share some joy too. I’d love for you to make my wedding cake!”

Elena’s heart swelled with happiness, and a wide grin spread across her face. She blinked, momentarily speechless before finding her voice, filled with gratitude and joy. “Seriously?”