“OK. This is the last group for today. Once this is done, we’ll bus you back to the hotel.” JC nodded and stifled a yawn as he shifted in his chair to get comfortable. ABDC auditions were keeping him busy – he was in his third of four cities and wanted nothing more than to go home. Spending nearly two weeks in and out of hotels and airplanes was taking a toll on him.

Once the last group walked in, JC put on a smile and watched the performance with interest. When it came to singing and dancing, he always put everything else aside to concentrate on it. He cared about the crews and about the show, and he only wanted the best to be represented. Telling the final crew that they were in to the next round put a smile on his face; being able to make a crew’s day made his day brighter. Even if he was tired of the travel, he never tired of the actual gig.

“Tomorrow, we’re up at 8am for callbacks. We head home in two days, so hang in there!” the producer announced as the cameras started breaking down. JC nodded and stretched before standing up and heading for his dressing room.  As he shut himself away from the world, he dug his phone out of his pocket and checked his various messages. As he sifted through them, he was looking for one person’s name in particular; he tried not to be disappointed when the name didn’t appear.

He hadn’t spoken to Addison since the bathroom encounter almost three weeks ago. He’d lost count of how many text messages he’d started to her, how many times he’d considered calling her…but he knew it was for the best. Addison had made it clear she needed space to clear her head, needed space to figure out how she was going to handle him – and if JC was honest with himself, he needed the space to steady his emotions, too.

Being on the road had helped keep his mind off of her, somewhat. The auditions had kept him so busy, had kept his mind figuring out ways to improve the show, that he didn’t have time during the day to really think about it. He had been losing sleep over it at first, but he was fine with it now. He had a job to do, and that came first. He’d figure out how to handle Addison if he saw her again once he got home.

JC entered his dressing room and plopped down on the nearest couch, stretching out and closing his eyes. He had so many thoughts running through his mind and just wanted to take some time to clear them all out. Instead, his mind wandered back to Addison, wondering what she was doing, how her job was going. Ever since she’d moved back, he wanted to reach out and really try to develop the friendship they once had; he just didn’t know how she’d react to it.

“Stop being a little bitch Jace,” he muttered to himself as he grabbed his phone and started typing out a text. Right before he was ready to send it to Addison, he stopped, erased it and dropped his phone back on the ground, groaning. He couldn’t bring himself to do it – not while he wasn’t sure if she even wanted to talk to him ever again. Instead, he closed his eyes and forced himself to drain his thoughts and breathe deeply. If he couldn’t talk to the one person he really did want to talk to, he’d talk to his dreams.
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“Happy Birthday to you!” Addison smiled brightly as the birthday girl blew out the six candles on top of a cupcake nearly three times its normal size. She loved catering events like this, especially birthday parties for little kids. The joy on their faces as they dug into their cupcakes made the entire day – no matter how stressful – much, much better.

As she helped the parents of the birthday girl put cupcakes on various Dora the Explorer paper plates, she smiled sadly. Addison had always thought that at this point in her life, she would be settled in her career, married and a couple of kids running around. Now, she felt like she was starting her adult life over again and going in the complete opposite direction from before. She knew she was happy with her decision, but it didn’t mean her biological clock wasn’t screaming at her that she was running out of time to fulfill the rest of her dreams. For now though, she would settle on making a 6-year-old sugar happy on her special day.

“Thank you so much for catering!” the mother of the little girl, Tessa, said softly as the kids ate. “These cupcakes are delicious and don’t have too much sugar. Last year, we had cupcakes with double the frosting, and I had to send the kids home bouncing off the walls. I’m sure their parents hated me.” Addison laughed softly as she looked over the table from a few feet away.

"I love doing these types of things. I love catering events, but birthday parties – especially for kids – are at the top of my list.”

“Do you have kids?” Tessa asked as she plucked a chocolate cherry cupcake from the nearby platter. Addison shook her head.

“No kids for me. I do love baking for kids though.” Tessa laughed as she took a bite and closed her eyes, moaning softly.

“Good God Addison. You have a gift, my new baker friend. I shall be coming to you for all birthdays and special events. These are fantastic.” Addison gave Tessa a bright smile and was about to thank her when her husband motioned for her to cross the room and talk to him. She watched sadly as the couple giggled, hugged and kissed, clearly enjoying the party and the moment. A sharp twinge hit her heart as she started thinking about JC. Again.

Addison hadn’t talked to him since that night. She knew that he was out of town – Heather had told her, and that was the only way Addison would go over there to hang out with her – but she still found herself wondering what was going on with him on the road. How he was doing. What he was up to. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking that way, but she found herself veering in that direction more often than she would admit out loud.

Instead of dwelling, Addison made herself stay busy for the last hour of the party. She tidied up the cupcake area, refilled drinks and talked to other parents who were at the party. She did a lot of networking in that short time, booking two birthday parties for kids who had been at the party. She couldn’t help but smile as people filed out and thanked her for the awesome cupcakes.

It never got old, hearing that her business was solid and people liked her. In her old field, she never heard it enough, and it burned her out. Here, she heard it all the time, and it made her feel like what she was doing was worth it. No matter what else was going on, she felt safe when she was baking and doing things for the shop. It was her life now, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

As she loaded up her car, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her heart skipped a beat, partially hoping it was JC. She shoved the disappointment aside when she pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that it was Grace, then swallowed hard when she read it.

We need to get home. Daddy’s gone.