Read Online It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder - Free Book Online

yesterday, on my way home from the library. I should have told her last night. But I just couldn’t.”
    He nodded. “I know. It’s hard.” He took a drink of coffee. “At least it doesn’t open until Labor Day weekend. That buys us some time. I mean, hopefully she’ll see it’s not the end of the world. We’re just going to have to work a little harder, that’s all.”
    I gave him a funny look. Was he talking about my mother?
    We sat there, waiting. “You hungry?” he asked me.
    I shook my head. Then the phone rang.
    I jumped up and grabbed the phone in the kitchen.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œIsabel, it’s Grandma. Did you hear the news?”
    I sighed. “Yeah. Dad and I are here, waiting to tell Mom.”
    â€œTell me what?” I heard Mom’s voice from behind me.
    â€œI’ll be right over,” Grandma said.
    â€œOkay. Bye, Grandma.”
    I hung up and walked back over to the table.
    I looked at Dad. He looked at me. I think about then we were both wishing for a miracle. Like suddenly the president of the United States would declare brownies unfit to eat and brownie shops everywhere would be forced to close. Or a big rock band would swing through town, see our shop, and write a song about it. It’d shoot to number one and our shop would be famous. They’d put me in their music video. And insist I come on tour with them. And . . .
    â€œTell me what, Isabel?” Mom said again.
    Dad walked over and put his arm around Mom. “Honey, I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to come right out with it. Beatrice’s Brownies is opening a store near here. It made the front page of the newspaper today.”
    I watched as her cherry-pink cheeks turned the color of buttercream.
    â€œMom, it’s really not that big of a deal. I mean, okay, yeah, it’s Beatrice’s Brownies. But the excitement will wear off, and people will realize that acute cupcake shop is way better than a stupid chain brownie store.”
    Her shoulders slumped, and one hand reached up to her heart, as if her hand pressed there could keep it from beating too fast. “Beatrice’s Brownies? Here in Willow?”
    Both Dad and I nodded. He handed her the newspaper. “It’s going to be all right, though, Caroline. I was telling Isabel, we just have to work a little harder.”
    She stared at the picture in the paper. “Work a little harder? Are you kidding? We could work day and night for months and never come close to getting the kind of business they’re going to get. And once you have a box of scrumptious brownies, you think you’re going to stop and get a box of cupcakes, too? Of course you’re not. Which means we’re doomed. Doomed before we even had a chance.” She threw the paper on the table and stomped down the hall to her room.
    After her door shut, I asked Dad, “What do we do now?”
    He got up and grabbed his clipboard off thekitchen counter. “I don’t know. I’ll be back later. I need some air.”
    As he walked toward the door, I wanted to tell him to go in there and be a cheerleader. He was giving up too easily. He needed to give her his best rah-rah-rah! But my dad’s not like that. He’s never been like that. Give him a fraction to reduce or a project to work on, and he’s all over it. But words of encouragement? Not his thing. I thought about making him a list.
    1. Use a soft, calm voice.
    2. Smile, but not too much, or it looks fake.
    3. General phrases like “Try not to worry” or “It’ll be okay” are good.
    4. And specific words that will make her smile and feel good about herself and her cupcakes are even better. What those specific words might be, I don’t know, since I’m not good at that kind of thing.
    I started to get up and go in there myself, and try to find the right words. But something