As she woke up the next morning, she bolted upright in bed when she realized it was June 5th. “It’s Matthew’s birthday.”
She jumped out of bed into a pair of jeans and aMy Weekend Is BookedT-shirt and grabbed her purse. The Fifth Street Bakery made the best cakes in town. She hoped they had a chocolate one they could doctor up quickly for her.
Luck was on her side when she got there and could park at the end of the block. She hurried inside to the counter. “Please tell me you have a chocolate cake,” she said out of breath.
“If a small one will do there are several in the case.” The woman in the bright pink apron showed her what they had.
“Perfect.” She stepped up to the glass case filled with desserts. “They all look so good.”
“Is this for a man or woman?”
“A man, and it’s just the two of us, so one of the small ones would be perfect.”
“Well, we have the six-inch, four-layer chocolate cake on the top shelf. It’s filled with chocolate mousse, chocolate cream cheese frosting on the top, and as you can see, the chocolate ganache dripping down the sides. Makes your mouth water just looking at it, doesn’t it? Or we could do a couple of cupcakes. I’ve got chocolate and red velvet.”
“The ganache. Could you maybe pipe something on it really quick?”
“Sure.”
“How about ‘Happy Birthday, Mural Guy.’”
The woman laughed. “Sounds like a story there. Give me a minute.” She pulled the cake from the case and put a box together for it, then carried it to the back to work her magic. It didn’t take long.
Whitney paid for the cake, then carried it back to her car and set it in the passenger seat.
She drove back across town and texted Matthew at the stoplight near his house.
WHITNEY: In the neighborhood. Can I stop by?
MATTHEW: Perfect timing.
Contentment flooded over her. Thank goodness she hadn’t forgotten completely.
Finding a parking spot on this block was no easy feat. She finally parked on the next block over and walked.
Matthew stood talking to someone in the lobby when she pushed through the spinning doors.
He threw his hand in the air. “There she is now. Talk to you later.” He walked toward her with a surprised look on his face.
“Hey, what are we celebrating?”
“Your birthday, of course.”
He cocked his head.
“It’s June 5th today.” He’d forgotten too. “Surprise.” She lifted the cake box into the air, balancing it on one hand like one of those waitresses at the five-star restaurants who can balance multiple plates with ease. Only she was no five-star wonder-waitress, and the cake threatened to topple.
He saw it too. “Oops.” He caught the box as it tumbled and before it hit the floor, but not before it completed the one-eighty.
“Oh. Sorry. Hope you like upside-down cake.”
He righted the box. “My favorite. Come on up.”
They got on the elevator, the smell of chocolate immediately filling the air. They stepped off the elevator, and he led the way to his kitchen.
“Happy Birthday.” She raised her arms for a hug.
He held her close. “This is the best surprise.”
