Edie's birthday was today. "I want nothing for my birthday," she had said. Nick knew better. He knew that "nothing" meant "something." He went to the bakery in the morning. He looked at the cakes. She liked cake without icing. He looked for a cake without icing. He didn't see one. But he did see a carrot cake. The cake had vanilla icing. He liked vanilla icing. She liked carrot cake. He bought the cake. The baker wrote "Happy Birthday Edie" on the cake. She'll like this cake, Nick thought. He took it home. He showed Edie the cake. "It looks delicious," she said. "But you have to eat all the icing. Did you buy this cake for me or for you? I know you love icing. You know I don't like icing. Next year buy me a cake without icing. You have a whole year to find one."
