Read Online Alexis and the Missing Ingredient by Coco Simon - Free Book Online Page B

looked at one another. I was feeling less enthusiastic about the cupcake retail business in general after I did my store math last night, but at the same time, I actually didn’t want Ava to “win.” (Isn’t that terrible? And me, a peacemaker!) I also felt bad for Katie, who was honestly interested from a business standpoint but also as a true baker.
    â€œYes. We’ve had it planned for weeks,” said Mia firmly. What she didn’t say was, You don’t have to come , but it was kind of clear that that’s what she was thinking.
    There was a silence for a split second, and then Ava said, “Okay. But then let’s go to the new Sprinkles or to the Magnolia at Bloomingdale’s. I haven’t been up there in ages.”
    Mia looked at her and then said, “Let’s play it by ear.”
    â€œI remember Emma mentioned the Magnolia at Bloomingdale’s,” I said. “She was in for a shoot or something for them, and she and her mom stopped in for a treat.” (Emma models, and sometimes work brings her into the city.)
    I thought I caught Katie and Mia exchanging a look, but by now I was so confused about all the alliances and enemies and different agendas that I just didn’t care.
    â€œI’m going to get dressed!” I announced, and I cleared my plate, went back to the room, and made my bed (aka air mattress), and got on my clothes. It felt good to be away from all the squabbling, even for a minute.
    I took a deep breath and opened my planner, adding to the notes I’d made last night from what I could remember of Madame Khalil. Then I chewed on my pen cap. My parents always tell us, when something seems big and intimidating (like the rest of this trip), to break it down into smaller,more manageable chunks. So I just needed to get through this morning. Then lunch. Then the afternoon. After that, Ava would be gone, which would remove much of the tension but would return us to a threesome, which was still tricky, especially with Katie and Mia and all their inside plans and secret ideas. Then we had this evening and tonight and then home in the morning. It seemed like a lot, even in chunks. The Beckers try harder, I told myself. Sighing, I decided to turn it all into a game. Maybe for every fight I defused, I’d give myself . . . ten minutes of Celebrity Ballroom reruns when I got home! That ought to do it!
    When I came back out, Mia and her dad were having a quiet chat in the kitchen, and I didn’t want to interrupt. I thought I heard her mention Emma for some reason, and I kind of cringed. I didn’t know how much Mia told her dad, but I just hoped she wasn’t complaining about me missing Emma all the time. That would be embarrassing and make me seem ungrateful to Mr. Cruz for having me here, as if it wasn’t good enough without Emma, too. I turned up the TV a little to drown them out and just sat and waited until everyone else was ready to go. I hoped it wouldn’t be too long of a wait.

    Okay, I will say this: Shopping with Mia is kind of amazing. It’s like magic. You walk into a store and quickly think, Wow, there’s nothing here for me. Nothing that would look good, nothing I could afford. And then Mia walks over and picks up some random and cheap little scarf and drapes it on you in a certain way, with flair, and suddenly, you look like a star. Like Taylor Swift! Ha. That happened a lot, and though I didn’t buy much, I could have.
    We hit a bunch of places around the Flatiron (it’s a district, or neighborhood, Ava informed me, that is named for a funny-looking building there shaped like an iron). There were the expected chain stores, like Anthropologie, but also lots of cool local boutiques and street vendors selling unique stuff they’d made. We made our way west, into the area known as Chelsea, and stopped for cupcakes (midmorning snack) at a place called Billy’s Bakery. Mia’s dad had one