(Just a Little Bit of Fun)

YEARS AGO

(Adena)

I couldn’t find Anna anywhere. Which was my own fault for not putting some kind of tracking device on her. I had spent hours baking everything needed for this wedding. The bride and groom even trusted me with their cake. It was the biggest job I ever took because there were so many people there. More so because I trusted Anna to help me. Her job was simple… organize the dessert area and stand there and offer people food. Explain what was what. I even went as far as to color code everything and wrote out index cards with what each item was.

It was fool proof.

But this was Anna…

I turned to the three tier wedding cake and admired the work.

It was as good as it was going to get. From here it was up to the bride and groom to give their final opinion.

From the corner of my eye I spotted a handful of people at the dessert table.

Anna was nowhere in sight.

I sighed but then slapped a smile on my face. I had an event to take care of. I had a business to run. Plus, Anna was probably out back smoking. The one thing I asked her not to do. Just take one damn night and not smoke. Just stand behind the table. Smile. Enjoy the music. Eat desserts. Whatever. Just… be… here…

And she wasn’t here.

I slipped behind the dessert table and introduced myself.

I explained all the delicious items and the four people each loaded up a small plate and walked away. I gazed around the giant ballroom. Most of the wedding guests were on or near the dance floor.

I took the chance and snuck away from the table to go find Anna.

Truthfully, it had been over an hour now since I realized she was missing. This wasn’t just a regular cigarette break. Either Anna had gotten herself into trouble or she just said fuck it and called for a ride to leave.

I could handle the event on my own, that was fine.

But I needed to make sure Anna was okay.

I checked all the logical places, leaving me standing at the men’s restroom out in the main hallway. I put my hand to the door, shaking my head. I hoped to everything I wouldn’t have to explain to anyone why I was in the men’s restroom.

The second I opened the door, it squeaked.

Then I heard a giggle.

Oh, no…

I lowered my head, defeated.

“Anna?” I called out.

Then came the sound of shuffling. Clothes shuffling. Elbows hitting the inside of a bathroom stall. The sound of shoes echoing off the floor.

It wasn’t hard to figure out which stall Anna was in.

So that’s what she was doing? Finding some random guy to…

The door opened and Anna looked a mess. Her hair was a mess. Her face looked a mess. Her clothes looked a mess. She put her hands to the doorway of the bathroom stall and started to laugh.

“Are you kidding me right now?” I asked.

“What?”

“We’re working, Anna.”

“We’re fine,” she said.

She took one step and stumbled toward me.

I smelled the booze as I caught her, keeping her from falling on her face.

She pushed off from me just as a man came walking from the bathroom stall. He gave me a cocky grin, followed by a quick nod.

I curled my lip.

I realized he was in a tux. Not a suit. But a tux. A black tux.

I looked at Anna. I looked at the guy.

My heart sank.

“Please tell me you’re not the groom,” I said.

Because honestly, it wouldn’t have surprised me one bit.

“I’m not the groom,” he said. “I’m the Best Man.”

“And I’m the best woman,” Anna said and giggled.

The guy had a flask in his hand. His left hand. He held it out for Anna to take. That’s when I noticed the ring on his finger.

“You’re married,” I said. “And you’re the Best Man at a wedding. And you’re…”

“Shhhh,” Anna said. She waved her hands. “Don’t mind her. She’s my uptight sister. If she bends over you can see the broom up her ass!”

They both started to laugh.

“You two are disgusting,” I said.

I walked away, my stomach in a twisted knot.

This was the biggest job for my business. My name was everywhere at this wedding. And there was my sister, fucking the Best Man in the bathroom. Worse yet, the guy was married. That meant his wife was out there. On the dance floor, having a good time. Maybe even eating one of the baked goods I made. While my sister was…

I opened the bathroom door and a guy stood there.

His eyes went wide. “Whoa…”

“Sorry,” I said. “I can’t read.”

I pushed by him and went back to the wedding.

I needed a plan, and fast.

So I hurried to call Riley. I could always count on her.

She was willing to come and get Anna.

The twenty minutes it took were the longest twenty minutes of my life.

I did my best to keep my composure though. Nobody at the wedding needed to know the hell I had brought with me. As I stood behind the dessert table, I replayed everything in my mind. At what point did I really believe this was a good idea? I honestly thought bringing Anna would have helped myself and her. I planned on giving her a little money, to show her what working feels like. She held jobs like she held men. Just like that guy in the bathroom stall. They probably gave each other flirty eyes and what was temptation Anna made reality. It’s what she did. And that guy was married. He would have to forever live with this decision…

As I helped a little girl and her younger brother with a plate of brownies, I heard someone shout. Not a painful shout. No. But a happy shout. A dancing shout.

I looked up and saw Anna on the dance floor. Her arms in the air and hair bouncing around. The bigger problem here was that Anna was drunk, which meant she was in her own world. That meant she thought she was fitting right in with the rest of the wedding party and the guests. In reality, everywhere she went, people spread apart like she was on fire.

“No, Anna,” I whispered.

She was drunk, dancing, making an ass of herself… wearing a shirt with my bakery’s name on it. It would take anyone two seconds to realize she was with me. And from there it only took a couple more seconds before people started looking at me. I knew that look. The look that said come get her!, as though she were a dog barking and I was her owner.

I just stood behind the table.

Anna turned and stuck her ass out, slamming it against a woman. The woman let out a yell and jumped back. Anna began to back up, moving her ass up and down, chasing the woman. She stood up and spun around, laughing and yelling.

Anna wiggled her hips and danced to a table. She grabbed a glass of champagne and threw it back like it was water.

“Congrats!” she called out and threw the glass into the air.

There was a gasp right before the glass hit the floor and broke.

Then someone came through the crowd. The Best Man. He grasped Anna’s arm, his face red with anger. Granted, I could have - and maybe should have - stepped in at any time to help, but I was frozen. Embarrassed. Wondering how long it had been since I called Riley.

The Best Man dragged Anna toward me.

“This yours?” he asked.

“I think she’s yours,” I said.

His eyes went wide. “Don’t. Not like this.”

“Not like what?” I asked. “Right…”

“Get off me,” Anna said and threw her arm to get away. She broke away from The Best Man and stumbled into the dessert table. Her elbow landing in a stack of brownies.

“Ew,” she said. “Looks like I’ve got shit on my arm.”

Anna laughed and looked right at the two kids still standing at the table.

I gasped and hurried from around the table. I touched the kids’ shoulders. “Hey, why don’t you go to your seats.”

“I’ll be there in a few,” The Best Man said.

The kids nodded and walked away.

“They’re yours?” I asked.

“That’s none of your business,” The Best Man said.

“Oh, this just gets better,” I said.

“Keep her here,” The Best Man said. “She’s drunk.”

“Give me that flask again,” Anna ordered.

“No,” me and The Best Man said at the same time.

“Fuck you both,” Anna said. She pointed to The Best Man. “You weren’t even that good. Feel bad for your wife. Hope she doesn’t choke on small things.”

I grabbed Anna’s arm and pulled. “Get over here. I’m so fucking mad at you.”

“Your business is done,” The Best Man said. “I will fucking ruin you.”

“What did I do?” I asked.

“You heard what I said,” The Best Man said.

He walked away and I was left alone with Anna.

“You fucked up,” I said to Anna.

She put her pointer finger to my nose. “You’re cute, Adena. So fucking cute.”

“And you’re drunk. I asked you to be here. I was going to pay you.”

“Whatever,” Anna said. She reached to the side and put her hand right into a special chocolate creme eclair I made. And she didn’t just grab one, she jammed her fingers into three. She slammed one to her mouth like she was a two year old child. “This is good. So good.”

“Adena!” another voice yelled.

I was never so happy to see Riley in my life.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to Riley. “She got drunk.”

“Shocker,” Riley said. She looked at Anna. “You can’t help yourself.”

“You like me,” Anna said. “I know you do. You’ve got a thing for me, Riley. I won’t lie… I think I could try you on for size…”

“I might have to hurt her,” Riley said.

“As long as you get her out of here,” I said. “Please. Right now.”

“On it,” Riley said.

“Thank you,” I said. “I owe you.”

“Come on, Anna,” Riley said. “We’re going for a ride.”

“Sounds kinky,” Anna said and laughed.

As they walked away, Anna reached for the wedding cake. I wasn’t close enough to stop her. Riley didn’t see what she was doing.

Her parting gift to the wedding was swiping a handful of the cake I had worked so hard to make.

I stood there, in shock.

My back to the wedding and the guests.

Which was good.

Because my eyes filled with tears.