Ashley rolled her eyes. “It’s a cake.”
“It’s days of hard work and the expense of buying the ingredients.”
“Please.”
She turned toward the men she’d brought to transport it, gestured at the tiers, and said, “Careful with the top.”
She didn’t even look back at Grandma.
Moments later, they were gone. The front door closed, leaving the house silent.
I wanted to drive straight to the venue and retrieve that cake myself. I already had my car keys.
“Please don’t,” Grandma said.
She sat at the kitchen table, hands folded, her eyes filled with tears. She looked utterly crushed.
“It’s Daniel’s wedding, sweetheart. I don’t want a scene. Not today.”
“She laughed at you, Grandma.”
“I know.”
Grandma gave a slight shrug, trying to minimize how deeply she’d been hurt.
“Maybe I should have… I don’t know. Asked for it in writing. It’s my fault.”
“It is absolutely not your fault.”
I sat opposite her and held her hand.
She’d begged me not to ruin Daniel’s wedding, but I couldn’t allow her to go without money for her medication.
“Where are the receipts?” I asked.
She retrieved an old cookie tin containing receipts for butter, eggs, fondant, gold leaf, and sugar flowers.
I totaled the expenses, then asked how much time she’d spent working.
“Three days. Most of each day,” she replied.
I counted out enough cash to reimburse every ingredient and compensate her labor.
Grandma stared at the money.
“Sweetheart, that’s… this isn’t your bill to pay.”
“Don’t worry about that. Please buy your medication.”
“What about the wedding?”
“I’ll take care of that.”
She squeezed my hand.
“No scene, please. It’s Daniel’s day.”
“I know,” I answered.
But I couldn’t promise there wouldn’t be a scene. The perfect payback was already taking shape in my mind.
I’d previously purchased an engraved silver picture frame for the newlyweds.
While Grandma got dressed, I prepared an itemized invoice using her receipts, including the cost of her labor.
Across the top, I wrote PAID.
Underneath, I added: Reimbursed in full by Grandma’s granddaughter, since the bride declined.
I tucked the invoice beneath the picture frame and tied the ribbon back around the gift.
Ashley would discover it when she opened the box.
But that was only the beginning.
