“Oh.” Frowning, either over Del or the air bubbles she spotted, Laurel pricked the tiny
bubbles with a straight pin.
“Any message—for him or your shoes?”
“Funny.” Working quickly, Laurel lifted the fondant with both hands and laid it over the
first tier. “You could tell him to stop being so asinine and give them back.”
“Okay.”
“No, don’t say anything.” She shrugged then smoothed the top and sides, pushing out more
air bubbles as she worked. “I don’t need the shoes. I’ve already forgotten them.”
“Sure.”
Laurel picked up a pizza cutter, shook it at Parker. “I know your games, Brown. You’re
trying to get me worked up so I’ll call him about it. It won’t work.”
“Okay.” Parker smiled easily while Laurel ran the cutter around the base of the cake to cut
away the excess fondant. “He’ll be here in a minute. I’ll come back with strawberries.”
“Different sizes, different shades,” Laurel called out.
“Got it.” She strolled back to the front of the house, pleased to know she’d done just what
she’d set out to do. Laurel would work the rest of the day with Del and the shoes on her mind.
She stepped outside, slipped on her sunglasses, and walked down the path just as Del pulled
up.