Raspberry Crush Read Free Page A

the struggle." She suppressed a grin; she had a feeling "crowd" might be stretching it. But it was endearing the way Des took a special liking to her. Convinced they shared some kind of artistic connection, Des often referred to Billy and himself as "creative vessels." Of course, it embarrassed her a little, too, because she wasn't in the habit of elevating herself like that—especially not out loud.
    "When is this damn meeting gettin' going already," Georgette groused for the second time, and reached for a chocolate croissant.
    "Bureaucratic bullshit," Des remarked, again looking at Billy. "Sometimes I just want to hop in an old 'sixty-nine Chevy—just the shirt on my back—and head for the coast. Just ride the wind, you know?"
    "Oh, Des, give it up," Melissa called out as she returned from the back. She carried a fresh coffee in a pink cup with Bella Donna scrawled across it in black cursive, and the notebook that Donna always used to conduct the morning meetings. "Okay, this will be a quick one," Melissa said as she set her stuff down.
    "What do you mean?" Georgette interrupted. "Where's Donna?"
    "Actually, I'm running the morning meetings now," Melissa explained. "I've been promoted to assistant manager." She paused to sip from her cup, ignoring the luscious array of pastries right below her, which she always did. In fact, Billy rarely saw her ingest anything other than black coffee.
    There were varied reactions to the news of Melissa's promotion: Katie smiled and said, "Congrats"; Des nodded, his expression blank; and Georgette bugged out her eyes, flared her nostrils, and balled her fists until her knuckles turned white.
    While everyone went over last-minute details for the upcoming jubilee, Billy ate the rest of her muffin, not sure why she'd bothered to cut it in half in the first place. Then Melissa asked her how the sheet cakes were coming, and Billy exaggerated, saying that everything was right on schedule. In addition to the extensive dessert menu, Churchill's Jubilee Planning Committee, which had hired Bella Donna for the event, wanted three sixty-inch sheet cakes presented at the end of the night. Billy was decorating each with a waterfront theme, using some Churchill postcards as a guide. Unfortunately she was still behind on her work, because when it came to drawing, crippling perfectionism sometimes slowed her down.
    "And, everyone, remember to wash and iron your uniform for this weekend," Melissa added, referring to the catering outfit, which was just a twist on the old penguin suit: white shirt, black pants, and a dorky pink bow tie. "Okay, does that wrap up jubilee business?"
    Des raised his hand. "I just want to go on record that even though I'm working at this thing, I totally don't respect these elaborate spectacles of obscene self-indulgence. It's like nobody keeps it honest anymore, you know?" He slid his gaze to Billy, and did a fist pump to his chest on the word "honest."
    Agreeably, Billy nodded, while Melissa rolled her eyes. "Annnyway... I guess the only things left to go over are some changes to our daily menu." Georgette straightened in her chair, on alert—or maybe on attack—as Melissa explained, "Donna and I were thinking that we should make Bella Donna's menu a little hotter, a little trendier. You know, more like something you'd see in New York."
    Curling her powdered-sugared lips, Georgette bared her teeth and asked why.
    "Obviously it'll draw in a lot more business," Melissa explained with a shrug. "And we'll attract more of the lunchtime crowd if we add some interesting sandwiches." Georgette sighed and fidgeted loudly in her chair, until finally Melissa said, "Do you have a problem with that, Georgette?"
    "Yeah," she replied haughtily. "I don't see why we gotta keep changin' stuff. Things seem fine the way they are, if ya ask me."
    "Mmm-hmm, well, let's just try it my way, okay?" Melissa said, smiling almost saccharinely at her. Then she addressed everyone. "Starting today, I'm