Royal Icing (7 page)

The rest of the play went smoothly—Rodney was an amazing Henry Higgins and his voice held out for the entire show, even the finale when he boomed at Eliza, “By George, I said I'd make a woman of you and I did!”

The audience erupted into thundering applause and gave him a standing ovation. Juliette whistled through her teeth and shouted “Bravo!” as Rodney blew her a kiss from the stage.

At the after-party, everyone congratulated the cast and crew on a job well done. The stage was set up with tables filled with all kinds of delicious treats.

“Prestat Red Velvet Truffles!” Jenna said, spying a platter. “I'm in heaven!”

“What did you think?” Rodney asked, rushing up behind Juliette and planting a kiss on her cheek.

“I thought you were absolutely wonderful,” she replied.

“As did I,” said a dapper gentleman. “May I shake your hand, sir? Your Professor Higgins was spot-on!”

Rodney blushed. “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

“Cupcake,
guh-vuh-nuh
?” Delaney asked, waving the basket under the man's nose.

“Don't mind if I do,” he replied, choosing a yellow daisy one. He took a bite. “And these cupcakes are spot-on as well!” He continued to make his way around the stage, mingling with the crowd.

“Do you know who that was?” Rodney said, trying to catch his breath.

“A guy with great taste in theater and cupcakes?” Kylie replied.

“No! I mean, yes!” Rodney stammered. “But he's also the chief theater critic for the
Time
s
!”

“That means you're gonna get a great review, right?” Delaney asked.

Rodney crossed his fingers. “I think we have a good chance.” He turned to Juliette. “Can you believe this is happening?”

Juliette beamed. “No, I can't. It's a dream come true.”

Just then the play's director, Nicholas Laughton, found Rodney. “Good show, old boy,” he said. “I have a few notes for you, but I think it went very well indeed.”

Delaney held up her basket. “Cupcake?” she said, smiling. He reached in and took a white carnation one.

“You! I know you!” Mr. Laughton said, staring at Delaney. “How do I know you?”

Sadie grabbed her friend by the elbow and tried to tug her away. “Um, she has one of those faces,” she told the director. “Ya know.”

“No, I don't know,” he replied. “But you look so familiar…” Before he could get a closer look, Sadie had pulled Delaney out of his sight.

“Phew! That was a close one!” Delaney said. “Thanks, Sadie.”

When all the food was gobbled up, it was time for a toast. Rodney clinked a fork on the rim of his champagne flute.

“Pardon me, everyone. If I could please have Archie, as well as my lovely fiancée, by my side? Oh yes. And the girls from Peace, Love, and Cupcakes.”

The girls all looked at each other. “What's going on?” Lexi whispered to Kylie. “Did you know about this?”

Kylie shook her head. “Nuh-uh. Maybe he wants to thank us for the cupcakes.”

A man dressed in a black robe and white collar came forward, and the orchestra in the pit began to play “Get Me to the Church on Time” from
My
Fair
Lady.
Everyone else onstage seemed just as surprised and confused.

“What's going on?” Kylie whispered to Rodney.

“You'll see.” He winked.

He took Juliette's hands in his. “There is nothing that would make this night more wonderful than for you to become Mrs. Higgins.”

“Oh my gosh!” Lexi squealed. “They're getting married!”

Archie pulled two gold rings out of his pocket. “I think you'll need these,” he said, smiling.

“Dearly beloved,” the man in the collar began, “we are gathered here tonight to witness the wedding of Juliette Anne Dubois and Rodney Humphrey Higgins.”

“Humphrey?” Jenna cackled. “Oh, that's funny!”

“Shhh!” Kylie hushed her. “It's not funny.” She wasn't quite sure how she felt about what was taking place. Part of her was thrilled for her advisor; the other part was shocked and worried about what this all meant for PLC.

“May I have the rings?” the minister asked Rodney. “Do you, Rodney Humphrey, take this woman, Juliette Anne, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Rodney placed the ring on Juliette's finger and choked back tears. “I do.”

“And do you, Juliette Anne, take Rodney Humphrey to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” Juliette replied, placing the ring on Rodney's finger.

“Then I hereby pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Higgins. You may kiss the bride!”

Everyone cheered as Juliette and Rodney embraced.

“Surprise!” Juliette told the girls. “You had no idea you were going to be my bridesmaids when you came to London, did you?”

“You weren't acting, right? This was for real?” Delaney asked.

“One hundred percent.” Rodney chuckled. “It was all part of the plan.”

Jenna, Lexi, Sadie, and Delaney huddled around the happy couple and hugged them. But Kylie couldn't budge from her spot. She was speechless.

The cast and crew all rushed forward to congratulate them. “Excuse me,” Juliette told Mr. Laughton as he patted Rodney on the back and kissed her on both cheeks.

She found her way through the crowd to Kylie. “I hope it wasn't too big a shock,” Juliette said, taking her aside.

Kylie tried to think of something, anything to say. Finally the words came to her. “I'm really happy for you, Juliette,” she said. “Really and truly. I'm sad for us, but really happy for you.”

Juliette squeezed her hand tightly. “Don't be sad, Kylie. I'll stay through the end of the Blakely school year. And I know I'm leaving the club in the best of hands. I don't think anyone could be a better president, leader, or friend than you.”

Now it was Kylie's turn to blush. “Really? You think I can handle it?”

“I know you can.”

Kylie still felt uncertain. “But who will our new advisor be? How do we know she'll be as good as you?”

“Well, no one could be,” Juliette teased. “But I promise whoever it is will be close. I'll make sure you approve.”

“I'll miss you, Juliette,” Kylie said, hugging her tight. “If it wasn't for you, I would never have started PLC or made these amazing friends or found a place where I belong at Blakely.”

“I'll miss you too, more than you know,” Juliette replied. “And if it wasn't for you, Kylie, I wouldn't have found a place where I belong either. But now I belong with my husband, here in London.”

Kylie nodded. “I know. Are you gonna teach drama here too?”

Juliette thought for a moment. “Maybe. I think I may go back to acting onstage. Mr. Laughton thinks he might have a juicy role for me in his upcoming play next fall.”

“That's awesome,” Kylie said. “We'll have to come bake cupcakes for your big opening-night party.”

Juliette smiled. “I'm counting on it.”

Back in school the next week, Kylie and the rest of PLC fell right back into their routine of studying and baking.

“Did you see this email order?” Lexi said, handing Kylie a printout at their weekly PLC meeting. “It's for a dozen ‘Welcome, Herbie' cupcakes.”

“What's a Herbie?” Delaney asked.

“I guess it's a guy,” Jenna said, scratching her head. “With a really nerdy name.”

“Any more deets?” Sadie asked, spinning a basketball on her fingertip.

“Let's see,” Kylie said, reading the email. “Cookies and Cream cupcakes with R2-D2 toppers?”

“As in the robot from
Star
Wars
?” Lexi said, shaking her head. “Weird.”

“Where and when do they want them?” Sadie asked. “Please don't tell me it's a rush. I have a huge English essay due Wednesday and basketball practice!”

“It says Friday afternoon at four,” Kylie continued. “Pickup here in the teachers' lounge. All PLC members should be present to receive payment.”

“Okay, doubly weird,” Lexi added. “Some teacher named Herbie wants robot cupcakes? And he wants to meet us all in person?”

“I'm sure it's fine,” Juliette assured them. “I'll be here to make sure.”

Kylie shrugged. “I guess. Whatever. Business is business. We'll bake at Delaney's Thursday night, and her mom can drive her over with the delivery Friday after school.”

• • •

When the girls brought the cupcakes to the lounge Friday, they thought they'd find a Blakely teacher ready and waiting. Instead, the room was empty.

“Uh-oh,” Jenna said, looking around. “Do you think we've been stood up?”

“It's just four o'clock,” Lexi pointed out. “Juliette isn't even here yet. Let's just take a seat and wait.”

The door of the lounge creaked open and Juliette walked in, accompanied by a tall teenage-looking boy with shaggy brown hair and glasses.

“Ladies, I'd like you to meet Herbie,” she said, smiling.

Delaney looked puzzled. “Um, aren't you a little young to be a teacher?”

Herbie hopped up on a stool at the kitchen counter. “I'm actually twenty-three,” he said. “I know I look younger than my age.”

“You look twelve!” Jenna exclaimed.

“Herbie just graduated from Ontario College,” Juliette told them, “With a master's degree in electromechanical engineering.”

Now it was Kylie's turn to be confused. “How do you know so much about our client?” she asked her advisor.

Juliette ruffled Herbie's hair. “Because he's my baby brother!”

Kylie's mouth fell wide open. “Your brother? Why didn't you say so? Why the big secret?”

“I'll let Herbie tell you himself,” Juliette said, elbowing him in the ribs. “Go on! Tell them!”

“I'm gonna be your new cupcake club advisor,” Herbie announced proudly.

“You're what?” Kylie gasped. “I thought you said he has a degree in electro-whatchamacallit engineering? What do you know about baking cupcakes?”

“Not much,” Herbie admitted. “But I'm a fast learner. And FYI, it's electromechanical engineering. I build robots.”

“He's going to be Blakely's new robotics teacher,” Juliette added. “He's a whiz, really. He'll be able to help you build some amazing cupcake displays.”

“Awesome!” Delaney said. “Can you build us a robot that cracks eggs? That's my least favorite part.”

“Hey! That's my job!” Sadie protested. “And it's
my
favorite part.”

Herbie laughed. “Whatever you want. I'm gonna hang out with you guys for the rest of the semester and get the hang of things. That way, when Juliette moves to London next fall or visits Rodney for a long weekend, we'll be all good.”

“All good?” Kylie gulped. “How is a
guy
advising PLC all good?”

Juliette smiled. “I thought you might say that, Kylie. But I did promise you that I would make sure you approved of my replacement.”

Herbie unzipped his jacket to show Kylie his T-shirt. It read, “Dr. Frankenstein.”

“It's what my friends called me in university,” he explained. “I was able to build robots out of bits of this, scraps of that. And I'm a bit of a monster-movie maniac.”

Kylie's eyes lit up. “Define ‘maniac.' I've seen
The
Curse
of
Frankenstein
twelve times.”

“Yeah, well I've seen
Ghost
of
Frankenstein
twenty-two times,” Herbie replied. “I can recite it from memory: ‘The lightning! It is good for you!'”

Juliette put one arm around Kylie and the other around her brother. “I do believe you two will get along fabulously,” she said. “You always reminded me of my little brother, Kylie.”

“Well, at least we can get along when it comes to movies,” Kylie said. “I guess we can give you a try with cupcakes too. Speaking of which…”

She handed Herbie a box. “As requested: Cookies and Cream with R2-D2 toppers. Dig in.”

Herbie opened the box and grinned. “Wow, you guys are really amazing. That thingamabob on top looks exactly like R2!”

Lexi sniffed. “FYI, it's called fondant. Not a thingamabob.”

“Yeah, you've got a lot to learn, dude,” Jenna said. “But I like your taste in cupcakes. Oreos are my fave.”

Juliette raised a cupcake in the air. “Here's to Peace, Love, and Cupcakes forever!” she said.

And Kylie couldn't argue with that!