Page 73 of Serving Bunt

Matty and I exchanged a hopeful look. For a split second, the rest of the barn disappeared—it was just the two of us, flour-dusted, exhausted, and so damn horny. I wanted to reach out and squeeze his hand, to tell him without words how proud I was of us. Instead, I tucked both hands deep into my apron pockets so I wouldn’t do something stupid on camera.

Keira’s expression softened into something warmer than her usual stern mask. “But today? Seamless. You anticipated each other. You trust each other. That’s rare. And it shows in every bite.”

“Thank you,” I managed, voice steadier than I felt.

Matty nodded beside me. “Yeah, thank y’all.”

With that, our time at the table was over.

We gathered our serving platter and made our way back to our station, our shoulders brushing as we walked. The second we were out of the spotlight, I let out the breath I had been holding for four fucking hours.

For the first time all week, there was nothing left to fix. No batter to mix or frosting to pipe or cookies threatening to cave in—we had done everything we could.

Now we just had to see if it was enough.

Behind our workstation, hidden from view, I felt Matty’s pinky nudge mine. I hooked mine around it and squeezed.

We did it.

Together.

I didn’t have a clue what came next—with us or the competition—but standing here beside him, I knew one thing for sure.

I wanted to keep figuring it out with Matty.

Granny Miller's Alabama Lane Cake

Lane cake, also known as prize cake, is a four-layer white cake with a bourbon-spiked raisin filling that originated in the American South. The cake was featured in To Kill a Mockingbird and is Alabama's official state cake.

Active Time: 50 minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

3 1/4 cups sifted cake flour, plus more for pan

2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt

1 cup whole milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

8 large egg whites

Bourbon Filling (see below)

Meringue Frosting (see below)

Instructions: