Page 84 of Royal Icing

“Uh—”

“How could she keep this from me? How couldyoukeep this from me?”

Emma’s eyebrows contracted. “It wasn’t my secret to tell, Leo.”

He turned to face the wall, hands shaking. He was closer to Ruby than any other member of his family. He couldn’t care less that she was gay. Or bi. He didn’t know the specifics. But how could his own sister have concealed something that was so deeply foundational to who she was as a person? And yet she trusted Emma, whom she had barely known more than a week?

“Does she think I’m some kind of bigot?” he spat.

“No,” Emma said quickly. “I don’t think it’s that at all. I can’t speak for her, but I think she might be worried about your mom finding out.”

“It’s not like I would tell her. We only talk about all the ways that I’m failing my family and my country.”

Emma’s eyes watered, and she turned away from him. She scanned the room, which was still covered in dirty baking sheets and bowls, and silence fell. A minute crawled by. Suddenly, her hands clenched into fists at her side, and her shoulders straightened.

“She’s not going to get away with this.”

“Emma, wait.”

Before he could stop her, she dashed through the door and down the stairs toward the castle.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

EMMA

“Emma,please. Think about this. If you do this, there’s no going back.” Leo’s voice shook as she pushed the castle doors open.

Fury was coursing through her veins. “I’ve spent my entire life thinking before acting. And you know where it’s gotten me? Trapped in a hole I can’t dig myself out of. I’m at the mercy of Maya and our landlord and the freakin’ health insurance companies who are canceling my mom’s coverage of her medication. Which now I won’t be able to afford.”

She stopped next to the fireplace in the foyer and grabbed a fire poker from the basket of tools, then strode back into the hallway to a linen closet by the kitchen. Leo followed in her wake.

“Your mother has all the privilege in the world, and she uses it to make people fear her. Ruby’s afraid to be honest about who she is. She’s made you feel unloved for your entire life.”

She pulled out a stack of tablecloths, then made a detour to the kitchen for a bottle of champagne and a stack of food storage containers. Then she was off again, marching toward the ballroom.

“And to top it all off, she didn’t even pay for the fucking castle. We don’t let customers get away with that in the city. If they don’t pay, they don’t get their product.”

He bit his lip. “Are you?—”

“Yes. This is Brooklyn justice.”

She wasn’t going to wait around for Leo to negotiate. His mother was an asshole iceberg, and she wouldn’t be moved by logic or a plea from the child she treated like dirt. There was no chance Emma would ever see the second half of the payment.

She kicked the doors open, allowing light and music to spill into the foyer. She beelined for the dessert table, where a small crowd had gathered. The queen was standing in front of it, pointing at the intricate stained glass windows.

“Oh, is that the pastry chef? Did you do all this?” a fancy-looking lady in an emerald-green ball gown asked when Emma slid behind the table. She bowed when she noticed Leo.

“Yes, I did,” Emma said brightly as she unfurled the tablecloths and laid them under the table.

Leo’s mother looked very startled to see her. Her nostrils flared like a dragon’s.

“It’s magnificent. You’re very talented,” the fancy lady said.

“That’s so kind of you. Thanks so much,” Emma said, ripping the foil and cage off the bottle of champagne. She propped the bottle against her leg and wiggled the cork. “You should try the raspberry tart. Now.”

“Uh—oh. Maybe I will.” The Duchess plucked a tart from the table.

“Anyone else? I suggest grabbing them now because, unfortunately, the crown reneged on payment. So embarrassing, right?” she said as she stared dead into the queen’s eyes. “As such, Crumb and Get It retains ownership of this project, and we’ll be donating these baked goods.”