Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

17
SURPRISES
MADDOX
“Mads, no! It says one teaspoon, you put one tablespoon!” Valentina
squeaked, perched on a stool as we both did our best to make this cake at
least edible.
“Shit, are you sure?” She nodded her cute little head, her pigtails swaying
back and forth.
She was just so cute, I hoped she’d never grow up. Pulling up the recipe
book she ran to get as soon as I told her we would be baking a cake together
today, she showed me the open page.
“Look, right here.” She put a finger on the recipe, her pink nails— nails I
had painted pink the night before because she had asked me to, mocking me.
“Una cucharadita, it means one teaspoon!” This book belonged to their
mom, or as Valentina had said, to their mama. And it was all written in
Spanish for some reason.
Valentina insisted we use it to make Sofia’s birthday cake. The latter was
still soundly asleep— in her own bed, although she did spend a great part of
the night in mine in an early celebration of her twentieth birthday.
“How would I know? You’re the one translating this for me!” I flung my
arms out in the air while the little shit glared at me like it was my fault. “I
took French in high school, okay? Je ne connais pas l’espagnol!”
“I think it’s time you learn Spanish, gran bobo!” She pulled her tongue at
me, shaking her head like I was stupid. Which, by the way she said it, I was
pretty sure was what she just called me.