The caramel hardened fast, so there was no time to waste. She got it distributed evenly, then poured the custard in and covered the pan with foil. Next the pan went into a roasting dish, and the dish was filled with hot water from the kettle.
Finally, the whole thing went carefully into the oven.
It was such a relief when she got to that part with nothing spilled and no burns. She set the timer and went to sit down with a glass of iced tea to read. The next step of getting the pan out of the water bath wasn’t her favorite either. She’d be in oven mitts again for that.
The pan would sit on the counter for about half an hour, then into the fridge so it could cool and set up.
The very last act before serving it was to flip it over onto a serving plate. She laughed to herself. She doubted Frank had any idea how much effort that flan was, but he was more than worth it.
She said a quick prayer for his safety as he traveled, then focused on her book. It was absolutely a page turner. She stopped twice to make more notes for book club and her review.
When the oven timer went off, she blinked in surprise. The time had flown and she’d been lost in the story.
She got up to check the flan, using a pair of tongs to lift the edge of the foil, then grab the side of the pan and give it a little shake. Perfectly jiggly, just as it should be. She turned the oven off and set the tongs aside.
With both hands mitted up, she eased the oven rack out so that the water in the roasting pan didn’t spill. When it was farenough for her to get a grip on the flan pan, she took hold of the edges and lifted it, immediately transferring it to a waiting rack.
She exhaled. All of the hard stuff was done. She left the oven open and the roasting pan out to cool. The sooner she could get that cleaned up the better. She did not like mess.
Maybe that was why Sophie’s nonsense had bothered her so much. It was messy. Also nothing but lies and very disrespectful.
Sophie was free not to like Essie. There was no requirement for that. Essie had married Frank, not his children, but at the very least Sophie could acknowledge that her father had been lonely and was now happy.
But that child lived in a universe of one.
Essie disappeared into the pages of her book again, reaching the end just as the timer for the flan went off. She made sure the foil was secure, then set the flan in the fridge. The roasting pan was cool enough to touch, so she dumped the water in the sink, put it away, and closed the oven.
Pleased that Frank, who was due home in about an hour, would have a nice surprise waiting for him, she went back to her chair and jotted down her final thoughts about the book. It had been a wild ride, but she loved a thriller like that.
Paige had made a great choice. Essie couldn’t wait to see what she picked next.
When Frank arrived, Essie had just finished the rough draft of her review. She opened the front door and stood waiting, waving as he got out of the hired car. “Hi, honey.”
His smile warmed her. “Hi, baby.”
“How was your flight?”
He rolled his bag alongside as he came to the door. “It was fine. It’s really good to be home.”
“How did everything go with Sophie? Did you leave on good terms?” Essie closed the door behind him once he was in.
He let go of the bag’s handle and sighed, pulling her into his arms. “She’s a handful. It could have gone better, but we got there in the end.” He kissed Essie. “I’m glad to be back.”
“Same here.” She leaned into him. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
She tilted away from him so she could see his face. “So? How was it? What happened?”
“I gave Sophie two options. Stop the hateful posts and her allowance will continue.” He shook his head. “I know a woman of her age shouldn’t be getting an allowance, but I also told her she has a year to get a job and be self-sufficient.”
“Good for you.” She was proud of her husband.
“The other option was the allowance stops immediately, and she can do whatever she wants on social media. She took the money.” He smiled weakly. “No surprise there.”
“Thank you.”
“You never should have been subjected to that. I also told Sophie that another condition of her keeping her allowance is she has to apologize to you. I don’t know when that’s going to happen, but I told her it needed to besoon. And this new boyfriend of hers, Ryan?” He rolled his eyes. “He’s as delusional as she is about becoming an influencer. But whatever, it’s taken care of.”
