Maxi practically bubbled with excitement. “Yes, it certainly will.”
“Good, then go for it. I have to run. Love you!”
“Love you too!”
James hung up, and Maxi tossed the pillow off the chest with a burst of energy.That was so easy!Shehadbeen making too much of James’ reluctance to let her draw. Had that all been in her mind, an internal excuse because she was too busy with other things? It didn’t matter now, she thought as she opened the cedar chest and looked inside, half-expecting the contents to have evaporated in the years since she’d tucked them away. But there they were, row on row, packed neatly. Her old sketchbooks from high school and the scant years after right up to the half-filled one she’d tucked away with the others some months after she’d gotten married.
Her hand trembled as she fished that one out of the neat row. She opened it to sketches in various stages of completion. And then a blank page. Untouched. In the corner of the cedar chest was the box in which she had stuffed her charcoal pencils. The cardboard crinkled as she opened the box and pulled out her favorite pencil, worn almost to a nub. The tip was blunt. A small pencil sharpener was crammed into the corner of the box along with a kneading eraser.
The blank page sang to her. She was reaching for the pencil and sharpener when her phone chimed with a text.
It was Claire, asking to get together that night at her place to help her plan the cupcake sale.
Of course, Maxi would accept. She could draw anytime, but if Claire needed her help, that was a priority. She texted back.
I’ll bring my lobster dip. See you later!
She set the pencil and sharpener back in their place, piled everything else back into the cedar chest, then shut the lid. She placed the pillows on top of it neatly and stepped away, already planning what her first drawing would be.
Right then she had something more important. If she was going to make her famous lobster dip, she would need to head to the store for ingredients. Maybe while she was at it, she would get ingredients for her equally famous chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
The day was looking up.
Chapter Twelve
Claire loved entertaining on her back patio in the summer. The patio had been one of her renovation splurges when she’d bought the small cottage, and Maxi had helped her design it. It was done in antique brick, laid out in a herringbone pattern. It was private, enclosed by a pleasant wood fence painted the same grayish blue as the cottage. Twinkle lights were twined around the top of the fence, and flowerpots bursting with colorful petunias and impatiens hung from hooks spaced evenly all around it.
The area was large. On the far end, she had comfortable wicker furniture, a patio umbrella to shade from the sun, and a gas fire pit. A gas grill and glass table and chairs sat closer to the cottage near the sliding door that led to the dining room. She’d already arranged napkins, plates, silverware, glasses, and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket on the table.
Maxi arrived first, loaded with her signature lobster dip, a box of sea salt crackers, a cheesecake, and a special lobster treat for Urchin. Claire tried not to be jealous at the way the cat cozied up to Maxi. Even after her friend had given him the treat, the cat continued to purr and rub against her legs. The only time he ever wanted to cuddle with Claire was when it was freezing cold and he wanted the heat. But then, Maxi did seem to have a way with pets.
Jane arrived a few minutes later with her platter of vegetables and dip, and Hailey not long after that with a plate of homemade brownies.
“I brought a little gift for Jennifer.” Maxi held up a small bag. Jennifer didn’t have a grandmother, and the three of them tried to make up for that with occasional gifts.
“You don’t have to do that. She’ll get spoiled.” Hailey peered into the bag. “A sketchbook and pencils. She’ll love that.”
Maxi shrugged it off. “Just a little something.”
“Thank you. Speaking of Jennifer, I have to pick her up in a half hour. Mrs. Pease dropped her off at the soccer game, but I don’t want to miss too much of it.”
“Then I say we get started.” Claire gestured to the glass-topped table where she’d arranged the food, and they all sat.
Jane produced a tablet and scrolled to a display with columns. “I made you a spreadsheet for ingredients. You’ll need to change things for the right amounts per cupcake, of course, and make sure I have every ingredient listed, but the important part is that it’s a spreadsheet, so it will calculate what you need to order.”
“Really?” Claire watched as Jane changed some figures and the spreadsheet recalculated. “That’s much better than my handwritten jumble.” Claire pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket.
Jane rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Everything is electronic now, Claire.” She reached for the paper. “I’ll just plug what you have here into the formula, and you can double-check. Have you put in an order yet?”
“Just for the flour. I use a special brand, and it has to be ordered a day in advance, so I should get a delivery tomorrow, just in time for baking.”
“And the baking schedule?” Hailey dipped a miniature carrot into creamy ranch dip. “We don’t have much down time during the day, and there are only a few days until the sale, so I think it makes sense to settle on a set amount of cupcakes that need to get baked every night.”
“Good thinking. I’ve lined up Ashton and Sarah for the next two nights, and if we bake fifteen dozen each night, we should be good,” Claire said.
Jane glanced up from the tablet, looking over her readers at Claire. “You might want to add an extra dozen or so just in case.”
“I’m going to see if we can fit some extra baking in during the day.” Claire looked at Hailey. “Maybe in the afternoon, when it’s not so busy, we could get a dozen in each day. Just in case we fall short at night for some reason.”
