Breathe Again Read Free Page A

“Are you
the one who made the cake?”
    “I am,” I said, returning her smile. “You’ll have to let me
know how you like it.”
    She looked at me closely. “Are you the same one who makes
those amazing cream puffs and éclairs, then?”
    I nodded slowly. I’d never seen her in the café, so I didn’t
know how she’d tried my pastries before. “Yes, I make all the pastries at the
café.”
    Her eyes widened and the smile returned to her face. “Oh my
goodness, they are absolutely decadent! I’ve been having my assistant go in
almost every day for the past three weeks to buy you out of them! They’re the
only things that can satisfy my sugar cravings right now!” She rubbed her
belly, and I noticed a small bulge under the bohemian top she was wearing.
    “Oh,” I said, “I’m glad you like them. They’re my
grandmother’s recipes.”
    “I have to introduce you to everyone! I’ve been bringing the
rest home for my husband, and it’s his birthday today. That’s what the cake is
for. Do you think we could bring it outside?”
    “Um, sure,” I said, turning back to the cake so I could
remove it from the box. I looked it over quickly, one last time, just to make
sure everything looked perfect, then picked it up gently and followed her
through the sliding glass doors into the backyard.
    The backyard was massive, just like the rest of the house. A large,
rectangular pool sat in the middle of the yard, surrounded by greenery and
trees. On the right of the pool was a rectangular patio where about a dozen
people sat around on chaise longues and couches. A barbecue was going at the
edge of the patio, by the grass, where Meredith’s husband, director Blake
Hannigan, was grilling steaks for the group.
    “Everyone,” Meredith called out, “this is the woman
responsible for those fabulous cream puffs that Genevieve has been bringing on
set.”
    Everyone started talking at once, and a few of them even
started applauding.
    “I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t get your name,” she said, leaning
in to me.
    “Mellie,” I said quickly, embarrassed at the attention I was
getting. I recognized quite a few of the faces in the crowd, including actress
Sophia Lewis. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
    “Well, Mellie,” Meredith said, louder this time, “thank you
so much for coming and dropping off my husband’s birthday cake. I am so looking
forward to tasting more of your amazing treats. I should have had you bring me
some of those cream puffs! They really are the best.”
    “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll make sure I have a few more than
usual for next time Genevieve stops by,” I said, my arms starting to ache from
the weight of the cake. I eyed an empty table near the opposite edge of the
patio.
    Meredith was already too busy to notice, chatting with one of
her guests.
    Not only was the cake heavy, but it started to feel
uncomfortable in my small hands. I needed to put it down immediately, before I
dropped it. I turned to put it on the table in the corner, but out of nowhere,
a solid, very large body was blocking my path. I tried to maneuver around him,
but he was trying to move out of my way at the exact same moment that I was
trying to move out of his. Instead, I found my arms collapsing inward, and the
entire cake came crashing onto my chest.
    Everything went silent at once. People weren’t talking anymore,
just staring at me, frosting and filling and cake covering me from my neck down
to my shoes. I felt my lip quiver, but I refused to look down at myself. I just
stood there, wide-eyed, unsure of what I was supposed to do next.
    “Oh my god,” I heard someone say, pulling me from my stupor.
I immediately turned back toward the kitchen, so I could compose myself in
private before trying to fix the situation, and hoped desperately that nobody
was following me. My ears were ringing so badly that I wasn’t sure I would even
notice if someone were.
    I was dangerously close to hyperventilating in