Page 48 of Lemon Pound Cake Club

Miss Evelyn finished her slice quietly and set down her fork.

"This tastes like someone's been making this recipe with love for a very long time."

Her look made me uneasy.

When the votes were counted, Camille presented me with the little yellow ceramic cake stand.

"Our newest Queen of the Cake."

Applause filled the dining room. I laughed, feeling embarrassed.

"Beginner's luck."

"No," Simone said. “Just good cake and we don’t play about cake."

Camille smiled as she handed me the stand. She seemed warm, but for a moment, I thought I saw something else in her eyes. It happened so quickly I wasn’t sure if I imagined it.

The evening ended with hugs and leftover cake wrapped in foil. Danielle hugged everyone before heading to the front door. When she got to me, she smiled.

"I'm really glad I came."

"I'm glad you did too."

She nodded and slipped out into the night. I watched her taillights fade down the street, then went home too.

◆◆◆

The smell of bacon and cinnamon toast filled the air when I walked into the kitchen. Zaire was already dressed for work, checking his emails while the news played quietly in the background.

"There she is," he teased, not looking up. "I was starting to think the Queen of the Cake wasn't getting out of bed today."

I rolled my eyes.

"I think the title expires after twenty-four hours."

He chuckled.

"I don't know. I think those ladies will be expecting dessert every Thursday now."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

I was reaching for a mug when the anchor’s voice suddenly changed.

"We're following breaking news this morning out of Lemon Grove Estates."

I looked up at the TV. Blue lights flashed on the screen. Yellow crime scene tape blocked off the front of a house I knew. The camera moved in slowly and stopped on a photo of Danielle with Marcus.

The caption beneath them read:

LOCAL BUSINESSMAN FOUND DEAD INSIDE HIS HOME

The authorities hadn’t said what caused his death yet. The investigation was still underway.

Zaire frowned.

"Wasn't that the woman you met last night?"

I nodded once.