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artificialqueens · 4 years

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Tree House Kisses, Chapter 24 (Adorney) - Scorpio and Veronica

A/N: Click here for previous chapters. xoxo!

Chapter Summary: Adore faces some unexpected challenges on the opening night of Grease, and it causes her to think hard about who she can trust.

TW: homophobia

Chapter 24: Freddy My Love

On the day of the agonizingly slow tech rehearsal, by the time they got to the prom scene, everyone was a little exhausted, but they kept pushing through.

Courtney kept one eye on Adore and Raja as she and Willam marked their swing dance choreography. She rolled her eyes as Adore tucked a stray curl back into Raja’s hair, giggling as the senior slung an arm around her shoulders.

Courtney sighed and looked over at Roy dancing with Shangela, who was playing Cha Cha. She grinned, remembering his recent confession to her. When Mrs. Maguire paused the actors to work on a lighting cue, she sidled over to them, whispering, “Shangie, those were some killer moves!”

“Thanks! I try…” Shangela laughed, feigning modesty.

“And you look so cute in that dress. I love the way you look in red. Roy, doesn’t Shangie look soooo cute?” She smiled at them, fluttering her lashes.

“Uh, yeah, you look cute,” Roy echoed.

“Thanks guys…” Shangie gave them a slightly puzzled look and walked a few steps away to grab a drink from her water bottle.

Roy grabbed Courtney’s arm, hissing, “Stop that right now!”

Courtney widened her eyes, a mischievous grin on her face. “Stop what?” she asked innocently.

Glaring down at her, Roy insisted, “You know what. Seriously, knock it off.”

Courtney pressed her body against his, giggling. “You’re so uptight, babe…” She wrapped her arms around him, glancing over his shoulder at Adore and Raja again.

“Courtney…” he said warningly.

“Alright, alright, I’ll be good,” she promised, kissing him gently.

It was finally opening night of Grease and everyone was bursting with excitement and nerves. Thorgy ran around making sure everything was going smoothly as the cast members got into costume.

It hadn’t taken any time at all for Courtney to pull her hair into a curled ponytail, a pretty pink ribbon wrapped around it. She loved how cute she looked in the 50s get-up, and pranced around backstage swishing her hips, humming the songs and joking with the others.

Courtney propped herself on top of the vanity Roy was using, legs swinging as she watched Adore and Raja on the other side, helping each other get ready. Adore was finishing up her makeup, while Raja pinned Adore’s hair up for her wig.

“Ow,” Adore hissed, jerking away from the bobby pin Raja poked her with.

“Sorry, babe,” Raja kissed Adore’s shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Adore said, a sunny smile gracing her face as she stole a kiss from Raja.

“You guys are so fucking cute, it’s almost gross,” Jinkx said, leaning against the vanity to line her lips.

Courtney tore her eyes away, slightly annoyed. She watched Roy try to get his hair in a perfect Danny pompadour for a second before hopping down.

“Let me help, babe,” Courtney said, giving Roy a kiss, taking the comb from him and climbing into his lap. She combed Roy’s hair back on the sides, the gel in his hair a bit sticky under her fingers.

Courtney’s eyes kept wandering over Roy’s shoulder to Adore and Raja. Raja stood between Adore’s legs, Adore’s arms wrapped around the girl’s waist as Raja tucked stray hairs under Adore’s wig cap, making sure nothing would peek out. Courtney found herself trying to read Adore’s lips as she whispered something to Raja, the older girl only biting her lip and shaking her head in response.

“Oh, okay. That was my ear. Twice!” Roy grabbed at his ear, taking the comb from Courtney, a deep wrinkle between his brows.

“I’m sooo sorry,” Courtney cooed loudly, wrapping her arms around Roy’s neck. “I didn’t mean to-- I wasn’t paying attention.”

Roy sighed, putting the comb down and leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

“What’s on your mind? You’ve been distracted all day,” Roy noted.

“Nothing.” Courtney shook her head, forcing a smile across her face.

“Really?”

Courtney nodded. “I’m just excited for the show. Excited for you to get on stage and kill it,” she said, giving him peck on the lips.

When she pulled back, she saw Adore gazing lovingly at Raja, laughing at the playful tiff going on between her girlfriend and Jinkx. She looked back to Roy trying to not let Adore’s infatuation with Raja annoy her.

“You look so good as a greaser,” Courtney giggled, completely oblivious to the fact that Roy had just admitted to being a bit nervous, hands rubbing up and down Roy’s chest. “Where’s your jacket?” Courtney started to move to get up.

“It’s over there. Were you listening at all?” Roy frowned at Courtney who’d hopped off his lap to grab the jacket.

Courtney paused, jacket gripped in hand. “You said... That I look amazing in this outfit and you still wish I could have been Sandy.” Courtney batted her lashes playfully. She glanced over to Adore and Raja, their laughter a distraction.

Roy sighed to himself, deciding to let Courtney slide tonight, but made a mental note to try to get her to talk later, “You’re right, you in this poodle skirt is driving me a bit crazy,” Roy tugged her closer and Courtney might have squealed a little louder than necessary.

After Mrs. Maguire agreed to Adore’s unconventional character choices, it took shockingly few changes to the script to bring the “Marty is gay” subplot come to light. In fact, the changes were so subtle that it was probably possible for people to miss them in the early scenes. Her big solo in the sleepover scene was the first time she openly expressed attraction to girls, starting out signing to her fellow Pink Ladies (maybe focusing on Raja in particular).

As the music began and the lights dimmed, the spotlight came up on Adore. A “Woo!” sounded from the audience, that Adore knew to be her uncle. She took a deep breath and began to croon the song that by now was second nature to her.

“Freddy my love, I miss you more than words can say Freddy my love, please keep in touch while you're away Hearing from you can make the day so much better Getting a souvenir or maybe a letter I really flipped over the grey cashmere sweater, Freddy my love…”

After one last eyelash flutter in Raja’s direction, Adore made her way down into the audience, winking and shimming in front of cute girls. She spotted Fame, Trinity and Violet in the audience and blew them a kiss. Fame, of course, goofily caught it while Violet rolled her eyes.

“Freddy my love, Freddy my love, Freddy my lo-ove Freddy you know, your absence makes me feel so blue That's okay though, your presents make me think of you”

In their seats, mothers and grandparents scrunched their noses and pursed their lips in confusion and distaste as Adore went around flirting with girls. A few audience members shared glances and whispers as Adore continued to sing.

“My ma will have a heart attack when she catches-”

Adore sung to a cute strawberry blonde who giggled shyly.

“Those pedal pushers with the black leather patches…”

She leaned forward, hands on the girl’s shoulders, one knee on the arm of the seat, batting her eyes in what she and Mrs. Maguire had decided would be their chaste version of a lap dance.

“Oh how I wish I had a jacket that matches, Freddy my love”

The girl laughed as Adore winked and took her leg down.

“What kind of establishment is this-- allowing this homosexual filth in a high school play,” a middle-aged woman sneered loudly, grabbing her purse and moving to leave.

“Fr-freddy my love, Freddy my love, Freddy my love…”

When Adore heard the woman, she stuttered, but she didn’t stop singing. Until two more women got out of their seats, mumbles of sin and disgust on their lips. A bearded man followed, taking a small child with him.

Adore’s singing faded off; she stopped in her tracks, a confused look on her face as she watched several other men and women leave. People turned in their seats watching them and whispers waved through the crowd. Adore’s heart thumped against her chest, blood rushed through her ears as she watched those people leave with their families in tow.

Mrs. Maguire grew anxious when she saw that Adore had completely stopped.

“It’s okay, honey, keep going. Keep going. Don’t stop!” she hissed, hands motioning for Adore to continue singing. Adore’s wide eyes connected with Mrs. Maguire’s.

She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, but when her mouth opened, no words came out. The crowd grew antsy, shifting in their seats. The air filled with tension and the pounding of her heart was all she could hear. Her stomach turned as she watched the last mother flee with her child.

Bonnie shifted to the edge of her seat, fingers tense around the armrest, ready to get up if Adore needed her to. Adalia, Bonnie’s mother, put a hand on her shoulder.

Trinity grabbed Violet’s thigh, looking at Violet with confused and terrified eyes, only receiving a shrug of annoyance because how the hell was Violet supposed to know what was going on. Trinity’s other hand squeezed Fame’s, the blonde's face scrunched up in embarrassment for her friend.

The other cast members scurried backstage trying to peek from behind the curtains. Courtney gripped Roy’s arm, her other hand over her heart, scared it would stop.

Finally, Adore came back to the moment. Hyper-aware that she was standing in costume in the aisles, her cue repeating-- waiting for her to pick up. She nodded to herself knowing she needed to finish. The play must go on.

“Don't keep your letters from me, I thrill to every line Your spelling's kinda crummy, but honey so is mine I treasure every gifty, the ring is really nifty You say it cost you fifty, so you're thrifty, I don't mind…”

As Adore hopped up to sit at the edge of the stage for the last verse, she made brief eye contact with Raja, then quickly looked away, knowing that right now she just needed to get through the song. She didn’t have any time for sympathy, or she’d fall apart, and she was so close.

“Freddy you see, you'll hold me in your arms someday And I will be wearing your lacy lingerie Thinking about it, my heart's pounding already Knowing when you come home, we're bound to go steady And throw your service pay around like confetti, Freddy my love Freddy my love, Freddy my love, Freddy my lo-ove Freddy my love, Freddy my love, Freddy my lo-ove…”

As Adore made her way back to the stage, a breath of relief had Bonnie falling back into her chair, blinking watery eyes, relieved that her baby was okay, angry at those disrespectful parents, and a sadness sitting in her chest.

Her mother and brother tried to assure her that Adore would be fine, but she wasn’t so sure.

As the lights and music faded, all Adore wanted to do was get the hell offstage and find Raja, but unfortunately, her girlfriend had exited off stage left, so she stumbled blindly into the wings, breathing hard, heading for the dressing rooms. Her heart was still pounding and her knees felt wobbly. Worst of all, she knew she still had the whole rest of the show to get through.

Courtney was the first one to run up to her, throwing her arms around her friend from behind, holding her close. Adore took a shaky breath, leaning back against her, tears burning in her eyes.

“I’m so proud of you, Dory,” Courtney murmured against her neck. “You were so good, even after all of that bullshit. I mean, you sounded amazing from backstage-”

Adore whirled around, cutting Courtney off.

“This is not about my fucking singing, Courtney!”

“No, I know, that’s not what I-” the blonde shook her head, taken aback, reaching for Adore’s hand.

“You just don’t get it!” she continued, tears now streaming down her cheeks. “Do you know what it’s like for someone to look at you and think that who you are is so offensive that they can’t even be in the same room? That they can’t even have their kids look you? No, of course you don’t!” Adore’s voice broke. Courtney would never understand. How could she? She was perfect. No mother would ever pull their daughter away from looking at her. Any mother on the planet would kill for a daughter like Courtney. A beautiful little blonde angel, with a perfect face and a perfect body and a perfect boyfriend.

Courtney looked back at her, that dumbstruck, wide-eyed expression, compounding Adore’s rage with guilt. “Adore, I-”

“Forget it! Cause you’ll never know what that’s like. So...it’s fine. You know, I just…”

“Hey…” Raja stepped over to them, putting an arm around Adore’s shoulders. Adore turned around and buried her face against the older girl’s chest.

Courtney swallowed. She wanted to protest, to tell Adore that she did understand, that she misunderstood, that nobody cared more than her, that her heart was breaking, that her words had come out all wrong, but she couldn’t say any of that. None of this was about her. So she took a step back, whispering, “I’m sorry…”

Raja continued to rub Adore’s back. Courtney backed off even more, watching as Pearl and Jinkx approached, were granted access to the circle, offering words of encouragement, making Adore laugh.

Mrs. Maguire came rushing up to the group. “Adore,” she began, clearly ready to give one of her famous inspirational speeches.

But Adore sighed tiredly, wiping her eyes. “Mrs. Maguire, with all due respect, let’s just move on. I can’t really handle a pep talk right now.”

The teacher put a hand on her shoulder. “Okay, honey. But are you okay to finish the show? Because if not-”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Attagirl,” Mrs Maguire said, giving her a hug. “Let’s show these bastards some musical fucking theatre.”

Having Raja on her side saved Adore from losing it completely. Without explaining why, she immediately understood that her girlfriend wouldn’t want to talk to anyone during intermission, even her well-meaning friends and castmates. She guarded Adore’s privacy fiercely from anyone who approached, giving her the space to retreat into herself and process what had happened.

The anger and disgust had been awful—awful to see, awful to experience. But what kept Adore going was the auditorium full of people who had stayed. Knowing that her mother, her grandmother, her aunts and uncles, her cousins and friends, were all sitting out there, made her feel calm. When she felt like breaking down, like running away, she thought about them all out there. She could get through this performance, this terrible night. She could do it.

She was onstage for a lot of the second act, which helped keep her mind occupied. By the time the show ended, she was so emotionally exhausted that she didn’t even register the applause. Raja walked her outside to where her mother waited outside of the dressing rooms, holding a big bouquet of pink roses, pulling her into the tightest and most protective embrace she’d felt in a long time.

“I’m alright ma. I’m fine,” Adore tried to assure her mother, trying to keep her tears at bay.

“You sure?” Bonnie pulled back, looking into big hazel eyes, “because I swear-”

“I'm fine. I'm fine, promise,” Adore insisted, moving to hug her grandmother, who exclaimed over how good she was, then accepted high fives and fist bumps from her cousins and uncle. She was grateful that none of them mentioned what had happened, none of them pushed her to talk about it.

At least, not until everyone was piling into the cars a few minutes later, when Bonnie put a hand on Adore’s shoulder and pulled her to the side.

“Dory, I just want to make sure you're okay. Really, baby. Because if not, I can-”

“Ma, it's whatever, it happened. Whatever…” Adore shrugged her shoulders, avoiding her mother's gaze.

“Baby, it's not ‘whatever.’ I know you,” Bonnie grabbed both her shoulders, making Adore look at her. “This world is filled with a bunch of ugly, nasty-”

“I just like really don't feel like talking about this right now. Maybe another time. I want to eat and spend time with my family. Okay?” Adore pulled away from her mother.

“Okay. Just never let people like that make you feel unworthy, because you…are perfect.” Bonnie wrapped Adore into another tight hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Roy pulled into Courtney’s driveway, glancing over at her. She’d been uncharacteristically silent the entire drive home. Normally she’d be chattering away, musing about random topics or telling him stories about people they knew, emptying the entire contents of her racing mind, but tonight she was like a statue.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

He put the car in park and turned to face her. “You don’t seem fine.”

“Well, I have no right to be complaining tonight, so…I guess I’m fine.”

Roy frowned, searching for the right words. “I didn’t ask how you’re supposed to feel.”

Courtney stared straight ahead, blinking back tears. “Why are people so awful?” she finally choked out.

“Umm...I don’t...I don’t know.” He reached over and touched her hand, where her fingers were rubbing the charms of her bracelet.

A tear slipped down her cheek. “We worked so hard. She worked so hard. And they ruined everything. And why?”

“I...I don’t know, babe. But hey, it’s gonna be okay. Because she has us. You know? She has you. So-”

“You should have seen the way she looked at me. Like I was...like I was one of them.” Courtney let out a sob, breath hitching.

Roy swallowed, looking at her. “Court, you know...she’s not actually mad at you.”

Courtney turned her head towards him, nodding slightly. She crawled over the armrest and into his lap, burying her face into his neck. He held her close, stroking her back.

“It feels really shitty to make this about our friendship, with what she went through. But I feel...like something broke...and it hurts so much...and I don’t know how to fix it…” Courtney wept into Roy’s shoulder, tears soaking his t-shirt.

“I think she was just upset, and you were a safe person to take it out on,” Roy said. “Because she knows deep down that you’re gonna love her no matter what. I’m sure it’ll be okay tomorrow.”

Courtney pulled back, tear-stained cheeks shining under the streetlights. “You really think so?”

He cupped her face, gently brushing her tears away. “I really do.”

She leaned forward, kissing him. “You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

“I know,” Roy replied, flashing her a grin.

Adore shoved a few books in her locker, cringing when she heard her name. She’d intentionally come late to school, hoping to avoid whispers and stares, wanting everyone to forget about last night, move onto the next drama.

“Delano, I’m talking to you,” Violet repeated.

“Hey Vies,” Adore said tiredly, shutting her locker and sagging against the cold metal doors.

Violet crossed her arms. “What a bunch of bullshit that was last night, huh?”

“I don’t really want to-” Adore began, but she was cut off by Violet continuing, her words bitter.

“Just so you know, this is why I fucking hate straight people.”

“Violet, not all straight people are-”

“ALL OF THEM!” Violet spat.

“Even your parents?” Adore asked, raising her eyebrow.

Violet looked at her like she was an alien who’d just arrived on the planet. “Um, hi, are you new? I fucking hate my parents.”

Adore laughed. “Right. What about Trinity?”

Violet slammed her hand against a locker. “Shut up! Why aren’t you more pissed?! I fucking want to kill those bitches! How dare they?!

“Vies…”

“What?!”

Adore bit her lip, eyes filled with tears. “Of course I’m pissed. And...scared. And confused. But mostly I’m just…”

Violet put her hands on the sides of Adore’s face as the tears spilled down her cheeks. “Adore…”

“I’m sorry, I’m just, I dunno. They don’t even know me. How can they hate me so much?”

“That’s right, they don’t. And you know, we don’t know them too well, but we do know one thing…” Violet held her face gently, looked directly into her eyes. “You are better than they will ever, ever be. Don’t forget that.”

Adore sniffled as Violet gently wiped her tears away.

“Fuck them. They are nothing. Okay? Just...we just have to keep being better. That’s how we win.”

“Okay.” Adore let Violet pull her into a hug, the fierce, rib-crushing kind that only she could give, so tight it nearly took her breath away, both comforting and painful. They stayed like that for a few moments, until Adore was gasping for air and had to break away, giggling slightly. “Alright, alright, I’m good. You don’t have to suffocate me.”

Violet smiled. “Damn it, you’ve foiled my plan.”

There was a pause, “So, I guess this means you're talking to me again?”

Violet snorted. “I think you learned your lesson.”

“Hey Vies?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

Violet rolled her eyes, clearly uncomfortable now that their conversation had taken a sentimental turn. “Yeah, yeah, yeah...get your ass to class, you tardy bitch.”

“Copy that, ma’am.” Adore saluted, walking away.

“Oh, and Adore?”

“Yeah?” Adore asked.

“Me too, man.”

Adore smiled, blowing her a kiss, before taking a deep breath and heading to class.

Later that day, Adore sat nervously at Mrs. Maguire’s desk, fingers playing with the edges of her sleeves, trying to swallow down the uneasiness that rose up in her throat. She’d heard rumors that even more parents had come into school today to complain to the principal. Bob told her that one of them was Mrs. Lake, Darienne’s mom. She’d always known that Mrs. Lake was conservative, but she’d also known her since she was in second grade. The thought made her sick.

Mrs. Maguire sat down, soft blue eyes filled with compassion as she asked softly, “How are you doing today, honey?”

“Um...okay. Fine.” Adore bit her lip.

Nodding, Mrs. Maguire leaned forward on the desk, propping a chin up. “Yeah.” She heaved a sigh and then continued. “I know you said you didn’t want a pep talk last night, so I’m going to try giving you one right now. Is that alright with you?”

Adore nodded.

“It might not be one of my better ones, because...well, I’m pretty fucking pissed.”

Adore couldn’t help cracking a smile. It was always funny when a teacher swore.

“For the record, I’ve spoken to Principal Greene and agreed to give a more detailed disclaimer, but NOTHING in the show is changing. So there’s that. Everyone agrees that the show is perfectly acceptable. Your song, your whole arc, is one of the least offensive parts of this play. For god’s sake, Roy tries to date rape Alyssa, and then she gets back together with him, and punches another girl out for simply flirting with him. It’s like, a super problematic show that at no time tries to preach about morality, so this whole thing is incredibly stupid. But next year he wants a ‘family-friendly’ show, so I told him we’ll do something real sweet like The Sound of Music. Those PTA whores probably love singing nazis. Or a show about orphan abuse, that really gets them off.”

Adore laughed. “I’m digging this Riot Grrrl vibe, Mrs. Maguire.”

“You have no idea,” her teacher smiled, then said, “I’m so sorry you went through what you did, Adore. Truly. But I have to tell you, that the way you handled yourself - it was one of the bravest things I have ever seen in my life. You must have been terrified. And...I wish I could tell you that this is the last time you’ll ever face that kind of ignorant, pointless bigotry. But...it’s not. And, sometimes it will get easier to stand up to. Sometimes...not. But what you need to know, is no matter how many people are there looking at you with that dumb fucking hateful look on their faces...there are so, so many more who love and support you. Who have your back.”

A tear rolled down Adore’s cheek. She couldn’t help thinking about Courtney, how she’d pushed her away. That sick feeling in her stomach clawed it’s way back up into her throat.

“What you did on that stage was incredible. Because you told all of those people that they couldn’t break you. But Adore, if you hadn’t been able to keep going with that song, that would have been okay too. Because sometimes, we have limits. And that’s why we have friends, and classmates, and communities, to back us up. You follow me?”

Adore nodded again, not trusting herself to speak.

“Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, honey. Sometimes the strongest thing to do is to admit when you need a hand. Okay?”

“Okay.” Adore managed to whisper.

Mrs. Maguire had called the whole cast and crew in early for Friday’s performance, and as they filed into the auditorium for the meeting, Courtney felt dread gnawing at her insides. She had managed to avoid Adore all day at school, trying to give her some space, and the thought that she was still mad - or even worse, still in pain, weighed heavily on her.

But when Adore’s eyes met hers, they lit up with happiness, and she ran over, throwing her arms around her. Relief flooded through Courtney’s entire body as she hugged her back.

“Um…” Adore cleared her throat. “Sorry for being such a basket case crybaby last night. I didn’t mean-”

“No, you don’t have to...come here…” Courtney blinked back tears of joy, pulling her in for another hug. “It’s okay…”

“Thanks,” Adore said simply, laying a head on her shoulder.

“They’re not making you change it, are they?” Courtney asked. “Because if so, we should protest! We can make signs, and march over to the district office, and-”

“Okay, chillax, dude. No, we’re not changing it. But Mrs. Marguire did say that Greene wants a family-friendly show next year, so we’re probably gonna have to do Sound of Music or some lame shit like that.”

Courtney’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands, then off Adore’s scowl, covered her face, a little embarrassed. “Sorry...I like The Sound of Music…”

Adore shook her head. “You fucking nerd. Come sit with me…”

Courtney grasped Adore’s hands, skipping after her happily to sit down for the meeting.

#rpdr fanfiction #scorpio #veronica #adorney #adore delano #courtney act #bitney #rajadore #viadore #bianca del rio #raja gemini #shangela laquifa wadley #violet chachki #lesbian au #high school au #angst #fluff #tw homophobia

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hollywoodblondeatlarge · 7 years

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Baking it Forward

bake love. give love. be love!

Thinking back, I guess it began with the ruggelah.

It was years ago. My pal, Petr sent me his amazing cinnamon and walnut twists- individually wrapped, shapely, doughy swirls of decadence that made me swoon. This aromatic package made its way from Philly to my Los Angeles doorstep. Lucky me.

Petr’s always been a great baker but this particular basket of goodies had that wow factor. They were perfect and the time spent in airmail didn’t seem to affect their delicacy. This event kicked my pie-baking hobby into high gear. While I couldn’t send pies quite so easily in the mail, it definitely up’d my baking game.

Over the years, I baked pies. Lots and lots of pies. You got your fruit pies, you got your pumpkin.. and everything in between. Pies are lush. They drip all over you and stain your lips like watercolor nectar from the gods.

They require dollops. Whip cream, ice cream, clotted cream, and crème fraiche. They can refresh but you can also enjoy them hot.

I like things hot.

Pies seem to have been my forte. I even named them.

Better than Sex Pie. Substitute Husband Pie. Right to my Thighs Pie…

I listened to songs about pies (Patty Griffin – “making pies” is a must). And I watched the movie, Waitress several times in homage. She named her pies too.

Well, OK, I stole that idea from her.

Since I lived in Hollywood, my pies not only had to taste great, but they had to be pretty. After all, it’s all about presentation…is it not?

Well, what presented itself seven years ago, however was a move to England- - where are pies are just not the thing. Now, Cakes?

Cakes are a thing.

Here in West Country, it seems wherever you go, there you are - with a cuppa and slice of cake.

So, I perfected my apple Dorset cake and tried on a host of others with a secret booze ingredient to set me apart. The Dorset cake has a drizzling (ok, more like several shots ) of cider brandy.

Boozy cakes. I had a boozy brand.

I decorated them lavishly and topped them off with a little romance and glam. Hollywood Blonde’s “Taste of Tinseltown.”

This Persian Love Cake baby is one of my favourites....with a dusting of pistachio, the cake is two layers- one lemon and one vanilla. It is then topped with a rosewater. whipped cream. Let us not forget the booze... there’s a bit of anisette in the cake.

I began selling my cakes to locals. While it was a sideline, it gave me great pleasure to present these works of cake-art to my UK friends.

On a trip home to Los Angeles one year, I baked some cakes and pies for a party. Then, went out on a limb and made a few pounds of shortbread. Popular fare here with a nice cuppa.

Within days, the shortbread demand became quite insane. My sister, my friends and perfect strangers were all asking for my shortbread.

OK, I lied about the perfect strangers.

They were not perfect at all.

Some were weird.

Still, I had yet to discover making shapes!! So, I got creative. Made multiple varieties in hearts and stars… dipped them in milk chocolate, doused them with cinnamon and pecan, coated them with dark chocolate and almonds or orange zest, jumbled them up with a mixture of macadamia nuts and white chocolate nibs, milk chocolate-chipped them, spiked them with rum and stem ginger, iced them with lavender lemon and vodka, or dunked them in white chocolate and pistachio. I’ve made green tea shortbread, toasted coconut-lime and tequiia shortbread and savory rosemary shortbread.

Me -ee -ee - ee and Mrs…. Mrs. Shortbread, Mrs. Shortbread… We got a thing going on….

I’m enjoying shortbread-ing and growing with every new batch (in every dimension, mind you….) I’m experimenting with different butters and shapes, playing with the amounts of flour and gluten free flours. Testing out both savory and sweet recipes.

A few months back, I sent some shortbread to Petr. His box included and array of lavender lemon stars, blood orange, stem ginger and chocolate dipped.

In return, the master baker himself (that’s with a K not a T) sent me some of his outstanding pecan and toffee cookies and an assortment of his specialty...homemade toffee-almond bits. How lovely is that!

WOW. They flew off the plate. Had to hide a selection in the freezer so my Terry wouldn’t finish them off.

Oh YUM. See, that’s the thing about this whole baking adventure. People surprise you with the grooviest of gestures. And just maybe it offers a little inspiration to do something for someone else…

Now, Petr has an artist friend in Italy. He wanted to send her some baked love but apparently, Italy would not accept food packages from the US. So, Petr asked me if I would mind baking something for her and sending it off for him -since I live in the UK. Sure! My pleasure.

In fact, I sent her shortbread in the packing box I received from Petr… to make the circle complete.

Danaide in Italy received some of my fancy schmancy amaretto-laced shortbread and an assortment of other boozy biscuits. It arrived after about ten days and she wrote this to me- (translated from Italian).

“Finally I opened the package, with the excitement of the children when they open the Christmas gift ... now eaten immediately one, sweet relief from this cold winter... each cookie is different from ' another, every one has its own flavor, today I tried that from the simplest form with frosting...the language of food ... this package has called me many thoughts, smells ... emotions ... I need a space to express them.... ... meanwhile, a hug…”

It touched me. Her words. Poetic. I could imagine her there in her Italian landscape, surrounded by her paintings and photographs. A few FB exchanges later, she offered to make me some jam from the lemons and oranges in her garden. I now await this beautiful aromatic gift from Italy. I hope to meet her one-day.

Here I had sent some shortbread to Petr. He had asked me to send some to his friend in Italy and now Petr is baking me some more ruggelah and toffee to boot! What joy! And what an interesting circle of kindness.

After I baked Danaide the shortbread, I posted my cookies on Facebook and requests for biscuits followed.

I baked some for a dear FB friend I have yet to meet in person. He recently lost his wife and I thought some sweetness was definitely in order. I sent a box of assorted shortbread to Canada. After several weeks, he finally received them. Because Petr had wrapped his cookies individually, I copied his idea and did the same and, voila the freshness was preserved.

My Canadian friend sent my Terry and me some crazy maple leaf candies from Ontario. And in the box, pure maple syrup and outstanding maple sugar cones. A wonderfully unique, thoughtful and tasty gift. We loved it.

More carefully packed boxes of shortbread gifties have gone out to my friends and family in the recent weeks. From Cape Cod to LA to New York. Scattered with rose petals, wrapped in tissue and tinsel, my packages of love always include a toy a crown, tiara or a horn blower. That way, everyone gets a little shortbread party.

I like the lavender lemon stars, personally. But what I especially like is the idea of sending something hand made to someone who gives you pleasure.

Or simply sending a gesture of good wishes during a hard time. In these politically challenging times, you might want to stick your head in the oven.... but don’t... we could all use a dose of sweetness. As long as we’re spreading around the love, it’s all good, I say.

Hollywood Blonde signing off.

And hey...

#baking #cake #pies #shortbread #cookies #gifting #Hollywood #Hollywood Blonde at Large #friends.#love #bake it forward #giving #desserts #sharing the love #ruggelah

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