“Anyone ever tell you that you look just like Moira Patterson, the guitar player for Freddie Johnson?”
She looked at me but nothing registered. I had on a ball cap and sunglasses, not because of fear of being recognized, but because it was sunny and I didn’t want a sunburned scalp.
Moira just smiled.
“I get that a lot. Must not be that many red haired guitar players in the world. Could we get a couple cupcakes?”
She had eight different flavors. Moira got red velvet with cream cheese icing. After tasting a sample, I went with prune. Moira looked at me funny until she tasted a sample, then she had to have one of those too.
“What’s in this?”
The girl smiled.
“A good baker never reveals her recipes, but I will tell you it has a spice cake base, and the cream cheese icing has a little sweetened prune juice in it.”
“You do know his shows are sold out, right?”
She sighed.
“I know, but I’m hoping we’ll make enough money to get two tickets from a scalper. But they want twice the price, and I don’t think I’ll make that much”
I did some quick calculations. Fourteen band members, six crew, security guys, stadium workers, management. Say sixty to seventy.
“We might can help you out. Think you can have two hundred cupcakes by four this afternoon?”
Her eyes got huge.
“Are you serious, mister?”
Moira stepped in.
“Sure we are honey. I want fifty red velvet, and I’m sure my husband wants that many prune. We’ve got some friends here, let me call them over and see what flavors they’d like.”
She called Sarah and told them to come over to the east side of the park, near the picnic shelter.
They came over, still hand in hand. Freddie was like me, ball cap and glasses, but his was so no one would recognize him. They took in the banner and started grinning.
“Guys, taste these, aren’t they great? Which flavor do you like best?”
They tasted the samples. The girl was looking at Freddie closely, frowning.
Sarah was a chocoholic, so she wanted fifty of the double chocolate. Fred choose peach, an unusual flavor, but it was Atlanta after all.
Suddenly, her face fell. Moira noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
“We don’t have a car. Are you going to pick them up?”
“Sure we will. I’ll send a car over, give me the address.”
She was still looking distressed.
“Could you, um, pay half up front? I need to buy more flour and sugar.”
We gave her the full amount. While we were doing that Freddie had the mom off to the side. Her hands flew to her mouth and tears came to her eyes. She was composed, though, when she came back. Her smile was just slightly bigger than a mile wide.
When we got back to the car Sarah and Moira gave us both a kiss.
“We know what you two were thinking. You’re really good men, you know that?”
Moira slapped me on the shoulder when I asked her if she was willing to put that in the writing.
We let the rest of the band in on the plan. We had brought all the cupcakes she had back, and a mini sugar orgy ensued.
I wished we had filmed it. Her mom said she cried when the limo pulled up. The driver told them he was supposed to deliver them and the cupcakes to the address he was given, and to please dress suitably.
They put on their best dresses, loaded the cupcakes, and were off. The first stop was one of the best restaurant in town. The driver instructed them to go in, they were expected.
Her mom said she looked like she was going to her execution. When they were seated the waiter told them to order anything they wanted, the bill was already taken care of. Mom got lobster. The girl,
Julie, asked for a burger, but her mom said no, order something she had never had. She ordered lobster also.
After dinner, they were delivered to the stadium. Julie saw Freddies name in lights and started crying. The limo pulled around back to the artist entrance. Security gathered the cupcakes and the girls and took them backstage.
Freddie met her and told her he was always glad to meet a big fan. He apologized for not being able to get her a ticket, and asked her if hanging around with us backstage would be all right. She still hadn’t stopped crying but nodded yes.
The girls and her mom took her to the dressing room to clean her face. She finally stopped crying and the girls put a little light make up on her. She and her mom stood just offstage for the whole show. Fred would look over every once in a while and wink.
At the end of the show they brought two stools out and put them center stage.
Freddie put down his guitar and grabbed a mike.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to what is probably my biggest fan and the best cupcake maker I know. Please welcome hometown girl Julie Franklin!”
Julie froze. The girls led her gently out to the stool.
Freddie took the other stool and held her hand.
“Julie, this song is for you.”