Lucky Charm (2 page)

“But you have such a beautiful house
. Y
ou’ve got a pool and everything, and I’m sure the kids must love it.” Annabel grasped for straws to cheer Meredith up. Recently
,
Meredith and her husband, Doug,
had
left their house in Hoboken that was within an easy reach of Manhattan and moved to a much bigger house on the outskirts of New Jersey that was over two hour’s drive from the City. The move was Doug’s idea
,
and he justified it to Meredith by saying that he wanted to live in a family-oriented town. They had barely signed the closing papers on the new house when Doug purchased a studio apartment in Manhattan, claiming that he needed a place to crash in when he had late meetings with clients
. B
usiness must have been real good, since lately, Meredith’s husband had been staying in his City pad six nights a week.

“My ten-year-
old is having a blast, but Jamie and Sandy couldn’t care less
. T
hey miss their friends
,
and they hate being so far away from the City. But enough about that
. W
e are here to taste wedding cakes,” Meredith added brightly, “and I intend to try every bite!”

There was always a line for a table at Veniero’s, but because they had a tasting appointment, Annabel and Meredith were seated immediately. A few minutes later, eight different varieties of wedding cake slices were put before them.

“Remember the cake at my wedding?” Meredith mused as she lifted a forkful of cake to her mouth.

Annabel nodded. Despite the time distance, or maybe because of it, the details of Meredith’s wedding were crystal
clear
in her mind. Back then Meredith still had her figure
,
and she looked picture perfect next to Doug, a handsome football quarterback
. S
he
had fallen
in love with
Doug
in her senior year at
Rutgers
when Doug single-handedly won the opening game for the home team. Meredith’s father, Uncle Roby, owned one of the largest construction businesses in
New Jersey
and had spared no expense for his only daughter’s wedding
. I
t was a splendid affair with giant flower pieces, a guest list of over four hundred people that included the state governor, and a cake that was over two feet in diameter. There was a live band, and not some measly quartet, but a proper orchestra of twelve with violins and cellos and even a harp. But most impressive of all, or at least it had seemed most impressive to Annabel, was the wedding dress that Meredith wore
. It was
an intricate creation of white silk and lace, the kind of dress that every girl dreams of wearing one day. Clad in her lavender babydoll dress and her Mar
y Jane shoes, the then ten-year-
old Annabel gasped with awe when she saw Meredith walk down the aisle and vowed that one day she too would be princess for a day.

“Could we see the menu as well?” Meredith called out to one of the passing waiters. “While we’re here, I might as well scope out the enemy camp,” Meredith whispered. “Not that I could ever compete with something like this,” she added.

“I take it you’re going ahead with those pastry classes?” Annabel asked.

“Full steam ahead. I have a good mind to apply to the Culinary Institute
. T
hey have a one-year program for pastry chefs. Who knows, one day I might open my own bakery.”

“Sounds like you’re really getting into it,” Annabel noted carefully. For the past five years
,
Meredith had been changing hobbies non-stop
. F
irst it was a pottery class, then a knitting class, a sewing class, a jewelry
-
making class, and the list went on. Each time she threw herself into the task, proclaiming that she had finally found her true calling
,
only to lose her zeal just as quickly. Her latest passion was baking
,
and she had been taking pastry-making classes at the local community center for the past three months – a record commitment for Meredith.

“I know that I haven’t exactly been a model of commitment, but I think that this is really it. I love everything about making pastries
,
and I think I’m really good at it too. The other day we had a bake sale for the local school
,
and my table sold out first,” Meredith added proudly. “The only thing I hate about it is my growing waist
.
I wish I could keep myself from indulging in my own creations. I’ve been experimenting with more complex recipes lately, as I’m sure you can tell. The other day I made a batch of hazelnut éclairs – simply to die for!”

Annabel could not help noticing that Meredith did look strikingly rounder
. I
t had only been three weeks since Annabel had last seen her cousin, but Meredith looked like she had put on a good ten pounds, and Annabel wondered if Meredith’s weight gain had more to do with Doug than with the pastry class, but she knew better than to ask.

“Oh, wow, this cake is really good!” Annabel hastened to steer the conversation into a more neutral zone. “I think vanilla butter cream might be the winner.”

“It is good,” confirmed Meredith. “The chocolate one is too sweet
,
and I never liked t
iramisu. So, I
agree, vanilla is the way to go
. U
nless
,
of course
,
you’d like to try something more exotic.”

“Like what?” Annabel asked cautiously.

“Well, I’ve been working on this recipe
. I
t’s a combination of butter cream, marzipan paste
,
and apricot. It’s strictly top secret!” Meredith whispered, looking around suspiciously. “I guess what I’m saying is that I’d like to bake you a wedding cake
.
I think I could do a way better job than these guys.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Annabel stammered
,
and indeed she did not. The wedding was four months away, and that left plenty of time for Meredith to abandon her passion for pastry making.

“You don’t have to give me your answer now. Why don’t you come out to my house sometime soon for a tasting
,
and then you can decide.”

“Sounds good,” Annabel agreed, relieved to have the pressure off for now.

“So, have you finalized the guest list?” asked Meredith once they left Veniero’s.

“Not yet
.
” Annabel did her best not to sound disappointed. “Jeremy has been real busy lately. He’s away at a writer
s’
convention somewhere
u
pstate, but when he gets home tomorrow, I’m going to finally get him to sit down and make a decision.”

“Oh, I see.” Meredith smiled understandingly.

“And we still have to decide on the actual invitations.”

“There are a couple of station
e
ry shops in the area
.
I looked them up before I left. Do you want to have a look?”

“Meredith
,
you are too sweet for words
. W
hat would I do without you?” Annabel
could not help but be touched. S
ure, Meredith could be over the top at times, but she never left any details to chance.

“Trust me, I’ve been through this before
. W
hen Doug and I were planning our wedding, he refused to lift a finger.”

“How far is this place? Do you think we could walk? It’s such a nice day.”

“Sure, why not? I could use some exercise.” Meredith chuckled, looping her arm through Annabel’s.

It was a balmy day in early April – a rare gift in
New York
,
since usually the weather seemed to shift abruptly from winter to stifling summer heat. As they walked down the narrow Village streets, Annabel could not help wishing that she were with Jeremy instead of Meredith. Not that she was ungrateful for Meredith’s help, but it would have been nice if Jeremy had shown a bit more enthusiasm about the wedding.

“This is the place,” announced Meredith, pointing to a tiny station
e
ry shop on the corner. “They don’t look like much from the outside, but they had really good reviews on the Net
.
I think the owner would be willing to give you a good price since they are relatively new and are still trying to get their foot in the door.”

“Good afternoon and welcome to Claire’s Cards!” A bright-eyed sales girl who looked to be barely out of high school greeted them. “I’ll be right with you. In the meantime, please take a look at our sample catalogue.” The girl slid a bulging folder across the counter and returned her attention to the couple in their early twenties she had been helping.

Would it have been that difficult for Jeremy to come along?
Annabel wondered, glancing in the direction of the bubbly couple as they cooed over their invitation choice.

“Wow, look at this, Annabel
. D
on’t you just love Precious Moments?” Meredith held up an invitation card with a drawing of two Precious Moments figurines dressed as
a
bride and groom. “Or you could always go with something more mainstream.”

“No, it’s pretty.” Annabel nodded absent-mindedly, willing herself to focus her attention on the task at hand. “I think Jeremy will like it. I’ll get several different ones for him to choose from. What do you think about these two, Meredith? Meredith?”

Annabel looked up and saw Meredith standing frozen-still, staring at the window. When she followed the direction of her cousin’s gaze, Annabel could barely believe her own eyes
.
Doug was walking down the street opposite the store, but he was not alone
. H
is arm was wrapped around a skinny blond in tight leather pants. Leather pants – really? To Annabel’s mind, it was tacky to wear leather pants unless you were a rock star. As if to prove otherwise, Doug planted a passionate kiss
on
the blonde’s full lips just as they turned the street corner.

“I’m sorry
. W
hat were you saying, Annabel?” Meredith smiled brightly.

One look at her cousin’s face made it clear that Meredith did not want to talk about what they had both just witnessed.

“I think these three look really nice as well,” stammered Annabel, randomly pointing at several invitations.

“Yes, they look lovely
. E
xcellent choice.” Meredith nodded, her eyes watery despite the frozen smile that was still plastered on her face.

“All right
.
I’m very sorry about the wait
. H
ow can I help you?” The chirpy salesgirl turned to Annabel and Meredith.

“Actually, we
were just leaving,” said Annabel
.

“Aren’t you going to get those samples, Ann?” Meredith asked brightly.

“Yes, of course. I’d like to buy samples of these, please.” Annabel hastily showed her choices to the sales girl.

“Right away.” The salesgirl must have sensed the tension
,
because she quickly wrapped up the purchase and handed it back to Annabel. “Thank you and I hope to see
you
again soon.”

“I’m sorry Annabel, but I don’t think I’m going to be up for any more shopping today,” said Meredith once they were standing outside the store. “Could we do this some other time?”

“Of course. Are you sure you’re
okay
to drive home?” Annabel asked, careful not to say too much. “Do you want me to drive you?”

“No, no, I’m fine. I just have a bit of a headache
. N
othing a long bath and an aspirin won’t fix. I’ll call you about that cake,
okay
?”

“Sure, we’ll talk later.” As she watched Meredith walk away, Annabel was overcome with silent indignation. How dare Doug treat her cousin that way? And why did Meredith turn a blind eye to her husband’s infidelity, preferring to stuff her face with sweets to numb the pain of her failing marriage instead of facing the truth?

And then there was something else that was making her uneasy
- a
thought that had been nagging her all day. What guarantee was there that she would not end up just like Meredith
,
with her rosy dreams shattered, living vicariously the romances of others? But then Annabel knew that she had nothing to worry about
. U
nlike Meredith and Doug who
had
tied the knot right after college graduation, Annabel and Jeremy
had taken
things slow. They too met in college, and although their romance had started in the make-believe world of dormitories and idealistic dreams, it held strong through the realities of job hunting and paying rent. They’
d
been living together for six years and knew each other’s quirks
. N
ot only were they lovers, they were best friends. Marriage would not alter anything between them
. N
othing would change, except her last name.