Celeste rallied. ‘And you can still show them.’ She gave her sister a hug. ‘All’s not lost. The way I see it, this is a bonus for the happy couple, am I right? Nobody gets to see their cake before the actual cake is delivered. There’s still plenty of detail left to impress them, and now we get to see what the inside looks like too, with that delicate sponge,’ she winked. She picked up the knife, gave it a quick wash and dry, and then, with the sides of the box folded down, she trimmed the edges of the cake neatly. ‘If you think about it, it’s artistic with a piece taken out.’ When Jade shot her a look she said, ‘OK, it’s not, but take it to them, they’ll still get to see the prototype.’
‘I guess they can imagine some greedy guest couldn’t wait,’ she sighed. It had been a genuine accident on Linc’s part, but still, did it not look so professional that he’d question whether he was really meant to help himself? It had her worried her skills weren’t quite up to par for the wedding of the favourite resident in the Cove when she’d left the course today filled with confidence.
‘Go on, get yourself over to Barney and Lois’s,’ Celeste urged. ‘That’ll cheer you up. I’ll put money on them having a good reaction.’
Linc had already disappeared from the garden and was nowhere to be seen so Jade took the cake and got into her car. She’d intended to walk over there but she didn’t want to tempt fate. The way things were going, she’d probably trip on a paving slab and face-plant in the cake, rendering it unrecognisable.
*
Barney and Lois lived in a cottage around the bend on the way out of Heritage Cove. It had a low-hinged wooden gate at the front that led past the small box garden to the front door and, on one side, a row of hardy juniper trees that formed an archway in the middle and led through to a courtyard and the back of the house. Jade had driven down the track that ran alongside the cottage and parked up in the gravelled courtyard opposite the barn that came with the property and was the venue for the annual Wedding Dress Ball and, this year, Barney’s wedding too. The cottage had beautiful surrounds, with rolling fields that gave a true sense of space even though The Street wasn’t all that far away.
‘This is a pleasant surprise,’ Barney beamed, welcoming Jade inside the home he shared with the love of his life.
‘Not intruding, am I?’
‘Never,’ he dismissed. ‘My door is always open, everyone knows that.’ And she could already hear voices as it was.
She went inside to find Lois chatting to Etna, who was sitting at the dining table as Lois busied herself making the tea. The kitchen and dining area as well as the lounge were all together in this open-plan arrangement Barney favoured. The cottage still had smaller proportions in other parts, but this area he liked this way because it was sociable. And that was Barney all over – a much-loved member of the village, he was always one to stop and talk to whoever he could.
‘Cuppa?’ Lois offered Jade.
‘Not for me, thanks.’ Cake box in her arms, guarding it protectively after it had already fallen victim to Linc’s abuse, she turned her attentions to Etna. ‘How are you?’
‘Better for those glazed doughnuts you left for me. I never got a chance to thank you, I’m sorry, I found I had to dose up on painkillers for a few days.’
‘I’m just glad to see you up and about. I’ll bet the doughnuts speeded up your recovery,’ she winked.
‘Something like that.’ She indicated her foot. ‘It feels almost normal now but I’m still being careful. And after days holed up in my flat, Barney and Lois offered to put me up for a while. It’s lovely to have the company. You know me, I like being around people.’
‘We’re enjoying it too,’ Barney assured his guest. Lois had set down a cup of tea on a saucer in front of Etna while Barney brought over a cup for her and himself. ‘It’s lucky she had Linc staying with her, otherwise who knows how long she might have been lying on the floor. Reminds me of when I had a fall and Harvey found me.’ He gave a shudder. ‘Getting old can be scary.’
‘No need to be dramatic. I would’ve dragged myself to a phone,’ said Etna with an eye roll. ‘But Linc really has been wonderful. He’s really stepped up. He always does.’ She tried to sip her tea but it was much too hot. ‘You know, that boy nursed his mum when she was sick; he looked after his dad too. He didn’t deserve me and my woes as well,’ said Etna, giving Jade an unexpected insight into Linc’s character.
‘He’s a hard worker,’ Barney approved.
‘He’s working hard on your bakery,’ Etna smiled at Jade, ‘and he’s made a start up at the waffle shack, which was a surprise extra job. He’s also been getting up at the crack of dawn to start at the tea rooms and darting between there and the bakery so he doesn’t let any of us down. Poor Patricia had twenty tourists turn up this morning and she says she doesn’t know what she would’ve done without Linc. It might have been easier if I’d been out of action in the autumn rather than peak summer season.’
Jade’s insides had flipped not only at the mention of Linc’s name but at hearing how he’d jumped in to help out wherever he could. It sounded as though it was something he never hesitated to do with his family, and it painted him in a whole new light. She cringed at how she’d gone right off at him earlier over an innocent mistake.
‘More doughnuts?’ Barney asked Jade, cutting into her thoughts, when he finally acknowledged the box she was clutching.
‘Actually, no. I’ve brought along something I hope you’ll enjoy a little more than doughnuts.’ She briefly explained all about the course she’d been doing. ‘Today, we got to make a cake of our choice and I decided to try a prototype of your wedding cake.’
Lois gasped. ‘We get to see it beforehand?’
‘And taste it, I hope,’ said Barney.
‘There’s just one issue with it,’ Jade hesitated. ‘I added lots of intricate detail – buttercream roses and purple petunias I worked for hours on, some piping around the sides – but unfortunately someone cut a huge chunk out of the cake when I wasn’t looking.’
‘That’s terrible,’ cried Etna. ‘I hope your course teacher reprimanded them and told them not to come back.’
‘It wasn’t anyone on the course.’
‘Then who would do something so preposterous?’ Etna asked, livid on Jade’s behalf.
‘It was Linc.’ She explained the mix-up, the way Celeste had told him to help himself.
Barney began to laugh. ‘I bet you gave him a good talking to.’
