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Hollyn’s hands fly up to cover her mouth, her eyes go as wide as cake pans. Tears roll down her cheeks this time.
“You guys were in on this?” Everyone steps out from behind the counter and all the girls surround Hollyn in a group hug.
“I’m surprised you didn’t catch on after we hounded you all week, trying to keep you occupied,” Olivia says with a laugh.
“It never even crossed my mind. I must have been thinking about so many other things I didn’t make the connection.” Hollyn wipes away the wetness under her eyes. Then she turns to me. “I still can’t believe you did all this.”
“Well, let me finish giving you the tour. There will be display cases over here.” I point to an empty spot to the left of the counter. “Parisa gave me a bunch of framed photos of Harbor Highlands to hang on the walls. Above us hangs a chalkboard to post pastries and prices.”
She glances up. The Sweet Spot logo is drawn in chalk at the top of the board. She then reads what I’ve already written below. “Sea Smoke and Caramel Cupcake. The Edmond FIZZgerald Cupcake, North S’more Cupcake, Wafers of Lake Superior, and Ganasheen Cupcake.” She turns to me. “Did you come up with these?”
“I did. And let me tell you, it’s a lot harder than it looks.”
Trey leans forward and interrupts. “I tried to help, but they shot down every single one of my ideas.”
“No one would want to eat something named Split Cock Lighthouse. Plus, children would see these, and it sounds like the name of a porn,” I deadpan.
“That’s why there would be a super-secret adult menu. Like those menus at fast food restaurants that you only find out exist because of the internet.” Everyone stares at Trey with blank expressions on their faces. “Fine, that’s the last time I offer any suggestions.” He throws his hands in the air and sulks off to the other side of the room.
“Anyway. The Sea Smoke and Caramel is a smoked sea salt and caramel frosting on a chocolate cake. My favorite, The Edmond FIZZgerald is a vanilla cake with a vanilla frosting sprinkled with pop rocks. The North S’more, that one is self-explanatory, Wafers of Lake Superior is a lemon and blueberry cake with blue frosting and a wafer on top, and then the Ganasheen has a layer chocolate ganache with a peanut butter frosting on a chocolate cake.”
Tears well in Hollyn’s eyes. “You remembered my wafer cupcake idea.” Her gaze darts from the board and then to me. “I’m at a loss for words. I’m so impressed that you went through all this work. And the cupcake names…they are absolutely amazing, and the tourists will love them.”
“We can always change The Sweet Spot name too, if you want.”
“No. I would love to keep it for your mom. Maybe we can hang her neon sign in the window?” She clasps her hands together.
“Of course, she would love that. But wait, there’s more.” I jog into the kitchen and return with a tray overflowing with cupcakes. “It took me a couple of tries, but I believe these turned out pretty good. Edible at least.”
Hollyn plucks an Edmond FIZZgerald cupcake off the tray. She lifts it up to eye level to inspect it closer. Her fingers squeeze the cake to check its density. “It’s nice and springy.”
Next, she takes a big whiff of the frosting. All eyes are on Hollyn in anticipation. She peels down the paper liner and takes a giant bite. Her eyes close and her head falls back as she chews. I shift my weight from foot to foot, waiting for her response. She didn’t immediately spit it out, so that must be a good sign. Once she’s done chewing and swallows, her eyes flutter open and meet mine.
A wide grin takes over her face. “That was one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. The popping candy adds a fun surprise when you bite into it.”
I mentally give myself a fist pump.
“You made these all by yourself?” She picks at the left-over crumbs in the wrapper and pops them in her mouth.
I nod vigorously.
“Van, I’m so proud of you. These are so amazing. I don’t think I could have done any better.” Hollyn grabs the tray of cupcakes and passes them out to everyone.
Trey waves his hand, passing on a cupcake. “I ate two earlier.”
The room fills with “mmm” and “this is so good” as everyone dives into their cupcakes.
Hollyn moves to stand next to me, wraps an arm around my waist, and rests her head on my chest. “I don’t know what to say. All of this is so incredible.”
“This isn’t everything. I have one more surprise for you.” I grab her hand and lead her through the kitchen, where I give her a brief tour before I stop at the backdoor. “Close your eyes.”
Her eyes meet mine before her lashes flutter to her cheeks. I step behind her and open the door with one hand and guide her through the doorway until we’re standing in a small parking lot next to the alleyway.
Once I get her positioned exactly how I want her, I bend down and whisper in her ear. “Open your eyes.”
A small gasp escapes her mouth. One of her hands fly to her parted lips. She takes a second to take in everything in front of her before turning toward me, her eyes bright with excitement. “Is this what I think it is?”
With a wide grin, I nod my head. “The Sweet Spot is hitting the road.”
