17. EMMA
We’re back at Zoe’s for our weekly girls’ night. It’s crazy how fast the days fly by. And it’s amazing how much I look forward to this now that it’s back on schedule. It’s like a breath of fresh air every week. We get out all the things we’re thinking about but don’t say to other people.
The pizza is already on the kitchen island. We rotate different toppings each week, trying to be adventurous. Last week, Zoe insisted on plain cheese and Mia and I gave in, but not tonight.
One of the things I love about small towns, especially ours, is the food. We have some of the best local eateries. Personally, I think some of our restaurants even rival spots in the city.
Our local pizza joint is called ”Top This! Pizzeria.”Its slogan is “Where Creativity and Deliciousness Know No Bounds.” And they are not kidding. It’s looks like a little hole in the wall place, but no pizza shop has ever compared, no matter where I go.
They just introduced a special Reuben pizza. It’s topped with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing. I’m kind of unsure about this one. If I wanted a sandwich, I would just get one, but Mia thought it sounded delicious.
I pushed for the ”Tater Tot Surprise” pizza but was outvoted. I mean you can’t mess up tater tots, am I right?
Zoe pours our drinks and I start handing out slices. Just in case I don’t like Mia”s selection, I made sure to order the S’mores dessert pizza. So either way, I’m gonna be just fine.
As we start digging in, the girls are quick to ask about the fundraisers, but I don’t want this night to always be about me first, so I guide the conversation to them.
“So, Mia, Zoe let slip something about you trying out for a reality TV cooking show or something?” Mia shoots Zoe a look.
“Yes, well, Zoe wasn’t supposed to say anything about that. I really wasn’t going to tell anybody I’d applied, but she happened to be there when I got a phone call.”
“So, you got it?” I lean in, legs bouncing in excitement.
She sighs. “No, it was a denial. I knew it was coming. I made a few selection cuts to get to the final ten, but apparently my ‘signature item’ wasn’t quite what they were looking for, which wasn”t a surprise.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Which one did you choose?”
“It was nothing on my menu. You had to create something new. I actually went to LA to a studio. You’re in a huge kitchen with a bunch of other bakers. I’m sure you’ve seen something like it on TV before.”
“Yes, I love those shows!” I tell her.
She smiles. “So, you know the drill. They stock the kitchen with a bunch of ingredients and then we had a certain amount of time to come up with something. They wanted to see how we worked under pressure.”
Zoe and I turn to each other, then to Mia, with puzzled looks.
“I can’t believe neither of us knew you did this. We’re your best friends,” I say.
“It was a long shot. I wanted to surprise you both if I got it. I knew it wouldn’t be on TV because they weren’t going live until it was down to five, so there was no reason to say anything.”
“Mia Louise Donovan,” I scold her. “We don’t keep secrets from each other, ever. We tell each other everything, always and you know that. I have half a mind not to give you a slice of that S’mores pizza,” I jest.
“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted it to be a surprise. I’ll never keep anything from you two again.” The three of us link pinkies in a tradition as old as time, the famous “pinky swear.”
“Ok, so I have to know,” Zoe chimes in, “what was your creation?”
Mia hangs her head. “I’d rather not say…”
“What, why?” Zoe prods. “Everything you make is amazing.”
“Well, it ended up being a mix of that I made, along with what I chose to call it.”
We both lean forward, “Go on.”
She takes a deep breath. “I wanted to do something different, something out of my comfort zone to really impress the judges. I went with a specialty croissant. My thought was to take the flaky exterior and conceal a fiery surprise inside.”
“Oh, nice,” I comment.
“I decided to make a blend of spicy ingredients, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and a siracha-infused sauce so you got a burst of heat with every bite.”
I raise my hand. “I love it. I’d like to trade in my Reuben pizza for it right now!”
That gets a giggle from Mia. She looks like she needed one.
She continues. “Going with the hot croissant theme, I shaped the dough into the body of a dragon. Then I used a knife to create scales. I even cut strips for the wings and tail and added smaller details like claw and spikes.”
This sounds amazing. I can’t imagine what the problem was.
“The finishing touch was supposed to be a glaze made from chili-infused honey that made it look like the dragon was breathing fire. But the time was about to run out, and I couldn’t find the honey, so I used soy sauce.”
Not a perfect substitution but still sounds okay.
“I mixed the soy and chilies together quickly and poured it in the mouth as they called ‘time.’ I was so flustered I forgot I was supposed to come up with a title for my creation. Seconds later, they called my name. I was the first to present.”
Mia shakes her head, then rubs her face with both hands.
“When they asked me what I was calling it, I blurted out ”Dragon’s Breath Croissants”.”
Ew. Well, that’s probably not top of my list for names, but I guess it’s not horrible.
“As I got ready to present my dish, I noticed the soy sauce was not a good choice. Instead of the mixture being red and thick like it would have been if I had used the chili and honey to represent fire, it was a nasty shade of brown and very runny.”
”The name Dragon’s Breath Croissants sounded even less appealing when the dragon looked like it just threw up some sort of swamp sludge.”
Zoe and I burst out laughing.
“You guys, stop laughing at me!” Mia says. But she can’t resist the laughter bubbling up inside her and she joins us.
Before I know it, tears are streaming down our faces from laughing so hard. It takes us quite a while to settle down again.
“All right, enough about me. Come on, Emma tell us what’s happening with Sterling and the shelter.”
They are not going to stop until I tell them what’s happening, so here goes.
“Things are good. We are definitely moving in the right direction. We took Buddy and handed out flyers in town a few days ago. We’ve gotten a lot of support already.” I give them a quick smile.
“That’s it?” Zoe asks, clearly not buying it.
“Yep. Not much else has happened since our last meet up.”
“You’re being weird.”
“What? No, I just don’t have much else to say.”
Mia grabs my hands. “Girl, don’t make me use your full name, especially since you don’t like it. You just said we don’t keep things from each other. Spill it.”
I find a stray strand of hair and twirl it over and over. Why is it hard for me to tell them? They like Sterling.
“Ok, so there might have been a kiss.”
They both suck in a breath at the exact same time, eyes sparkling.
“No,” Mia says emphatically.
“Yes.”
“Details. Pronto. Every. Last. One.”
I chuckle. “Ok, I give in. We decided to watch a movie after our day on the town. It was a cheesy romantic comedy with a scene where the girl jingles her keys at the guy and it’s her way of telling him she wants him to kiss her. I don’t actually know why that was a signal. But, whatever.”
“We had been kind of flirty throughout the day, having fun together. Then, Sterling ended up telling me he had a crush on me in high school but Peter made it known I was off-limits.”
Zoe pops out of her seat and turns to Mia. “I knew it! Hand it over.”
I look at the both of them, puzzled.
Mia fills me in. “We made a bet after the festival about how long it would take him to confess his feelings for you. Zoe took the under.”
“Ha, ha. And I was right. Gimme that twenty bucks.” Mia grabs her purse from the chair and fishes out the money. Zoe wiggles her fingers until Mia puts the twenty in her hand.
“You guys! That’s terrible, betting on my love life. And I’m not sure that telling me that he had a crush on me in high school counts as confessing his feelings, anyway.” Mia grabs the money right back from Zoe as she scoffs.
“Anyway, we cleaned up and I was about to head out for the night when I got a sudden surge of courage. I jingled my keys in front of Sterling—”
“You didn’t,” Zoe cuts in.
“I did. I know. Completely out of character for me. Then he made the move. He kissed me, it was… amazing. I might have also pinned him up against the wall with my body.” I bite my lip.
Zoe and Mia both pretend to melt off their chairs, but then quickly pop back up.
“That’s so awesome, Emma. You two really are made for each other. So, was that the end? What happened after the wall?” Mia asks.
“Um, not too much. I think we were both taken a little aback at what just happened. We decided to call it a night. He walked me to the door and as I was backing down the stairs, I ran into Peter.”
“Oh, no,” Mia groans.
“Exactly,” I agree.
“Peter ended up walking me back to my hotel and told me about Sterling having an ex-fiancée who broke his heart. Long story short, he pretty much said that getting involved with Sterling wasn’t a good idea. He said that Sterling might not be ready for a relationship. And he didn’t want me getting hurt.”
They both grab my hands in support. “Sterling sent me a text that night, but I never answered. We haven’t talked since. I just don’t know what to do. I’m so confused. If Sterling didn’t tell me about that important relationship, what else don’t I know?”
Zoe puts her arm around me. “Emma, you need to give him a chance to explain. I know it was hard to hear that story, but you guys haven’t had any time to really talk about those kinds of things yet. When exactly would he have had the opportunity to tell you?”
I take a big breath and slowly blow it out, trying to relax. She’s so right. I’m an idiot. We haven’t talked in years and are just getting to know each other now, so why did I expect him to say, “Hey Emma, long time no see. By the way, just in case we happen to kiss at some point during your visit, or explore being more than friends, I have an ex-fiancée you should know about.”
I need to fix this. Sterling and I should talk. I just need to find the courage to make that happen.