Free Wedding Girl by Stacey Ballis Page B

urgently.”
    I laugh, always loving his very formal turns of phrase. “Exactly what I was thinking.”
    â€œWell, my girl, perhaps we should put them on the agenda, since it is just using the basic dough, see how the people like them?”
    I blush. I wasn’t trying to get my invention into the case, justwanted to see if it would work, but Herman’s praise feels wonderful.
    â€œThat would be great, Herman, thank you. And I have some other good news.”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œWe got a wedding cake.”
    He beams and touches the tip of my nose with the tip of his finger. “You’re my good luck charm, Sophie.”
    I almost believe him.

No Man of Her Own
    (1932)
    You’d be lovely to have around, just to sprinkle the flowers with your personality.
    â€¢ CAROLE LOMBARD AS CONNIE RANDALL •

    â€œCan I get you girls anything else?” Bubbles asks.
    â€œNo, thank you; this is perfect,” says Ruth, wrapping her long, elegant hands around her cup of tea.
    â€œYou can get me the recipe for these muffins,” Jean says around a mouthful of Bubbles’s famous lemon-blueberry streusel muffin.
    Bubbles beams and places a hand on my shoulder. “Sophie can give you that anytime you like. Now, I’m going to leave you and take the dog out for a bit, but it was lovely to see you all, and I hope you’ll be back soon.”
    She leans down and kisses all three of us on the tops of our heads and then leaves the dining room, where we have all been visiting.
    We hear her in the front room. “Snatch! Stop scratching! Oh yes, I know, my little itchy Snatch; just try and leave that alone, please. Let’s go walkies.”
    The three of us chuckle into our tea and then hear the front door latch.
    â€œShe cracks me up,” Ruth says.
    â€œI just love her,” Jean says, beginning to reach for another muffin, but Ruth gives her a withering stare, and she pulls her hand back.
    Jean, like me, is a curvy woman, and while she is comfortable in her body, she has recently begun to make noises about wanting to get healthier and lose some weight. We assume this is because her crush du jour is a lithe little actress/yoga instructor who is in the show Jean is currently costuming. Ruth, having never had an issue with her weight a day in her size-six life, is a big proponent of making choices and owning them. She couldn’t care less if Jean or I am a size two or a size twenty-two, as long as we aren’t waffling. She is always quoting a Robin Williams line from that movie
Dead Again
: “Someone is either a smoker or a nonsmoker. There’s no in-between. The trick is to find out which one you are, and be that.” She takes it personally when Jean says in one breath that she wants to lose weight and then in the other asks her to pass the fries.
    â€œHow is it, really, living here? I mean, I know she’s the best, and you adore her, but it’s still a really big change.”
    I take a sip of my hot, sweet tea and pop the last piece of my muffin into my mouth. “It’s mostly wonderful. I think it is a change for both of us; obviously, neither of us has lived with someone in a long time. And it’s a new adventure to live with someone her age.” As much as I love Bubbles, she certainly has her moments. The rigid scheduling of meals, the fact that she is just hard enough of hearing not to know how loud she is in the house at odd hours. “It’s difficult to watch when she gets a little bit forgetful or doesn’t have the energy she used to, because I do have to face that she is slowing down, which is sad and scary.”
    â€œThen so much the better that you have this time with her now, this quality time; what a gift for you both,” Jean says.
    Ruth nods. “I agree. You’ll look back on this time with heras one of the best things you ever did. What about the job? How’s that been?”
    â€œGood, mostly. The