“Right. So, my professor had a favorite metal water bottle he brought to class every day. I figured I would make a cake that matched the water bottle.” She swirled on the next two embellishments. “I snuck a bunch of pictures of his water bottle and worked on the project after hours so he wouldn’t know. I painted it right down to the long, jagged scratch on the side. Then I’m afraid I did something rather sneaky.”
“Straight-A Robin did something sneaky?” Sammy pantomimed being shocked.
She leaned forward, lowered her voice. “I stole his water bottle.”
“Okaaay…” He drew the word out. “Doesn’t sound like you, but I’ll suspend my disbelief.”
“I gave it back, I swear.” She held her hand up, Scout’s honor style. “I finished my cake and put it on the workbench Chef Paul usually used.”
“Now I see where this is going.”
“Right. The next day, Chef Paul came in and cried out ‘My water bottle!’ Then he tried to drink my cake.” She grinned at him. “Best. Day. Ever.”
“I can see it now.”
Her phone pinged and she glanced at the screen. Jean Adams had texted her a photo of the table they had set up for her cake.
Jean
Ready and waiting. See you in a few hours.
She pulled off her gloves and texted back.
Robin
Looks great! Do you have your own cake knife and server?
Those pieces of silverware were often overlooked at a party.
Instead of a typed reply, Jean sent back a picture of herself and Palmer dueling with the implements.
She laughed and showed it to Sammy. “These two are a hoot. I hope I’m as happy as they are when I reach fifty-five years of marriage.” She looked at Sammy, whose gaze was so intense she had to turn away.
Wowza. Working in the kitchen with Sammy brought a new meaning to the old “if you can’t stand the heat” proverb.
She concentrated on putting on a new pair of gloves and breathing deeply. “I’ll put the last few swirls on this layer, then the whole thing needs to set for a short time before we move it.”
“Roger that.”
Yeah, making cakes without those green eyes watching her would be a whole lot easier, but definitely a whole lot less fun.
She finished the cake and carefully stacked the smaller middle portion on top of the bottom one. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, she piped frosting around the edge where the two cakes met, covering up the cracks. From the cooler she retrieved the “Cheers to 55 years!” design she’d piped out of white chocolate the day before. The chocolate was now firm and attached vertically to two toothpicks. Using gold leaf, she covered the chocolate until it gleamed. Holding her breath, she inserted the toothpicks into the bottom layer of the cake so that the words stood up and out just a little from the second layer.
“Wow. That looks amazing. What you do is incredible.” Sammy gave her a slow clap of the hands. “Let me snap a photo.”
“It’s not finished yet.” But he didn’t listen to her protest as he aimed his smartphone at the cake and took a few pictures. She dusted her hands together. “Okay, now I just need to put together my emergency box while the frosting firms up a little.”
Sammy found the tote she’d used for the Snowball Dance and handed it over for her to fill. She packaged up the leftover frosting to use for any damage or other issues that arose during the drive to the Adamses’ party. She also put some extra fondant, a palette knife, and extra gold leaf into the tote. Like the Boy Scouts, she wanted to be prepared.
“Let me help you load this in the van, then you can get cleaned up before it’s time to go.”
Pleasure wrapped Robin’s heart as Sammy lifted the bottom two layers of cake in his capable hands. “I’ll hold the doors and show you where to put it.”
They walked in tandem to the delivery van. Beneath their feet the pavement glistened with a hint of ice, and overhead the sun cast reds and golds into the sky.
By her calculations she would be two hours early, which in her book was right on time. She wondered what time the photographer would arrive. If her cake made it into the magazine, maybe her agate pattern would catch on and be in demand.
She might even have to figure out how to ship cakes.
