Lemon Cake

Chapter Fifteen

Tulip was pissed to the highest level of pisstivity. Her fury was on nine and her foot was on the gas pedal pushing her SUV sixty-five mph. Fine, it was that fast but she wasn't on the freeway and didn't need the police pulling her over. A speeding ticket would only make it worse. She didn't need another random stranger thinking they knew better than she did.

Who did Mr. Irvine think he was?

No.

Stop.

She shook her head at the courtesy. She wasn't going to call or think about him as a mister. He wasn't pleasant nor did he deserve respect. He was going to be Irvine and just Irvine. He didn't know Sydney better than she knew her. Well, maybe he did since he was the executor of Sydney's trust but he wasn't the one that Amelia picked to raise her. If Amelia wanted him to call the shots to Sydney's rearing then she would've given him guardianship. But she didn't so he could suck a rotten egg on a muggy day. Tulip didn't know what the words meant but they made a smile curve on her face.

She turned up the volume to her music, nodded her head to the beat, and mentally cursed him out worse than she did to his face. By the time she smoothly slid her SUV in the parking lot of Diamond Glitter, her anger had tapered. She pushed down her feelings as she entered the establishment. The easy, chill flow inside the shop helped knock another degree of her annoyance down. Rap streamed from the speaker on Neisha's desk which let her know a client wasn't there.

"Esha invited us camping." Sydney outburst as soon as she stepped through the door.

The jovialness of the girl caused Tulip's eyes to widen and her footfalls to cease. She was speaking English without a French phrase or two laced in just to drive her crazy.

"What did you do?" Tulip shot the question to Niesha. "Show me your ways, guru."

Neisha laughed from behind the laptop. "I have two little sisters from my dad's second marriage." She shielded her mouth so Sydney, sitting near her at the table usually used client consultations and swag bag construction, couldn't read her lips. "I know kid."

She sealed it with a wink then turned to the girl, "Syd and I are BFFs."

"Syd?" Tulip slapped her purse on the table with a look of confusion. "I thought your name was Sydney King?"

"Oui." Sydney snickered as she neatly colored one of the leftover coloring sheets they had from a New Year's Eve party that was family-oriented.

"Okay." Tulip nodded knowingly with a grin. "I see how it is. But she's my BFF and if you're her BFF then you're mine, too."

Sydney's head slowly rose and her narrowed eyes linked with Tulip's as she thought. "That's not how that works." She turned to Neisha. "Is that how that works."

"I'm sorry, Syd." Neisha held up her hands as if she was surrendering. "That's the rules to best friend-hood."

Tulip nodded as the girl tapped the blue color pencil, her head tilted to the side as she pondered.

Sydney let out a sigh and begrudgingly said, "I guess you can call me it too."

"I mean if it wipes your smile away I'll just stick to Sydney."

Sydney gave her a cardboard smile then went back to coloring.

"Okay. Sydney it stays." Tulip joined Neisha at her side of the table knowing where the girl got her nice-nasty attitude from. It was inherited from her. "Is everything set for the quinceanera this weekend."

Neisha angled the laptop towards her, "Just putting the final touches on the slideshow. Marisol gave us a list of the music she wants but her daughter emailed this to us." She hit play on a song on her phone and Megan Thee Stallion came lowly through the small speakers.