Inside, on top of the crystal serving bowl I had bought them, lay a neatly typed invoice. Wedding cake, four tiers. Ingredients, $286, receipts stapled behind it. Labor, four days at Grandma\u2019s kitchen table. And underneath, in my handwriting, the exact words Kayla had said to Grandma: Of course I\u2019ll cover the ingredients and pay you for your time.<\/p>\n
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Kayla laughed too loudly and tried to close the lid. \u201cIt\u2019s a joke,\u201d she told the room. But my brother had already taken the invoice out of her hands. He read it once. Then again. The muscle in his jaw tightened the way Dad\u2019s used to. He turned to his new wife in front of all 180 guests. \u201cKayla,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cI gave you nine hundred dollars in cash on Thursday to pay Grandma. Where is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
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