Page 4 of Sugarplum

"Actually, I did mean cupcake. Do you have a favorite?"

I huffed in annoyance, asking why I hadn't just shut down my computer instead of playing along. I looked at the blinking question and thought about a running joke that we had in the company. Whenever it was time to sign up for the annual holiday potluck, Stan always sent a text asking who was bringing the sugarplums. The last person to respond to the text was required to show up to the holiday party with their own version of sugarplums. No one knew what the hell they actually were, and information online was sketchy at best. It was fun to see what people came up with. The task had fallen to me once, and I showed up with powdered sugar covered prunes on a silver platter. Surprisingly, they were kind of tasty.

I typed the word sugarplum in the box and sent it.

"Ooh, I haven't made sugarplum cupcakes in years. Wonderful. See you soon."

The site disappeared. "Very funny, you two," I called across the room. A few people looked questioningly my direction, but Mitch and Shelly never looked back. I decided to walk over to them.

Mitch looked up from his monitor as I hovered over his desk. He kept on with the programming. "You still mad about the donut, Jen?"

"No. Just wanted to let you know the gag was cute. Well done."

Shelly's head popped up over her computer. "What gag? What did you do now, Mitch?"

"Oh don't flash that look of innocence, Shel. I know you were in on it."

They looked at each other. The only thing on their faces was confusion. Mitch took his fingers from the keys. "I'll buy you a French cruller on my way in on Monday."

"No," I said abruptly enough that it caught the attention of several other people. "It's not about the donut," I said in a quieter tone. "I'm talking about the Silk Stocking Inn."

Mitch blinked up at me through his glasses. "Jen, I have no clue what you're talking about." I knew both Mitch and Shelly well enough to know that one of them would have cracked up by now, but they both looked genuinely worried, as if I was losing it. I decided not to push it or risk being the topic at the digital water cooler. And yes, it existed. We were a tech company, after all.

I backed up with a smile. "My mistake. I'll let you two get back to work." My eyes shifted stealthily around the room in an attempt to catch a guilty expression or hidden smile, but everyone seemed focused on getting finished with their work so they could head home and pack for the weekend.

I headed back to my own computer, deciding that was a good plan. A weekend away might just be what I needed too. It was a big mountain. I was sure with some strategic planning I could avoid the boss altogether.

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