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“How many different kinds of rice crispy treats can you make?” Starla reached for a second pinwheel, a hint of a blush in her cheeks. Blake consumed another treat too, while Gina tried to make sense of the question.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Lots.”
Starla looked from her to Blake. “Could be a signature dessert. Monday is campfire night. Tuesday is sandwich night. That kind of thing.”
“I can make a PB-and-J crispy treat,” Gina said. “I had a boss once in New Orleans who did that.” She tried not to let the hope infuse her voice, but she failed. If they liked her treats, she wouldn’t feel like she was walking on thin ice.
“Friday is fried chicken,” Blake said as if she hadn’t spoken. “What crispy treat would go with that?”
Starla shrugged one shoulder and finished her second pinwheel. “Gina?”
“Snickers bar,” Gina said without thinking too hard. “You put a little peanuts on the top. Pour caramel over it. Dunk in chocolate. Snickers bar crispy treat.”
Blake’s smile lit the whole lodge, and probably could’ve done so for the whole world had he been outside. “I do love a Snickers bar.”
Something else that hasn’t changed, she thought—and precisely why Gina had mentioned it.
“Okay.” She took a breath in through her nose. “The second item is a sugar cookie. It’s basic, but it’s not. They’re delicious, and everyone loves a sugar cookie they don’t have to make. We can do any shape, for any event and any season.”
“What’s going on over here?”
Gina turned toward the familiar voice, and sure enough, an older version of Rebecca Stewart came toward her. She was fairer than Gina, her hair blonde and her eyes blue, but a shade or two lighter.
She laughed as she crashed into Gina. “It’s Gina Barlow.”
Gina giggled as she hugged Becks too. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
“I do all the website stuff. Online blah blah. It’s boring.” She stepped back and beamed at Gina. “What are you doing here?”
Gina indicated the table in front of her, which housed over eighty desserts. “I made desserts for dinner. My bosses are tasting them to see if I can keep my job.”
“No, we’re not,” Blake said at the same time Becks said, “You said she couldn’t keep the job?” and as Starla said, “She can keep her job,” around a mouthful of cookie and frosting. She’d selected a pink daisy, and that didn’t surprise Gina at all.
Gina blanked for a moment, and then she burst out laughing. Becks did too, and she reached for a cookie. “Can I?”
“Go ahead,” Blake said, pushing the last petal on his blue daisy into his mouth. “They’re fantastic.”
“You have to do my wedding,” Becks said, sending surprise right through Gina.
“What? You’re getting married? When? To whom?”
Becks gave her a sly smile and took a bite of her cookie. She nodded to Blake, who said, “Luke Miller.”
“No.” Gina covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide. “Luke Miller? Becks.”
She chewed and swallowed and said, “It’s this horribly romantic story I’ll have to tell you another time.” She flashed a grin at Blake and Starla. “Our caterer just canceled. That’s why I left the admin dungeon.”
“It’s not a dungeon,” Blake said, rolling his eyes. He went in for a second cookie, and Gina wondered if there’d be any left for guests that evening. The man possessed a serious sweet tooth, and he always had.
“The light bulb in my office has been out for a week.”
“You’re on the back wall and have a window,” Blake shot back. He also shot a few crumbs from his mouth. He covered it quickly, and everyone at the table started laughing. Gina finally relaxed, glad her culinary creations had gone over well. She wasn’t sure what she was so nervous about. Maybe that rice crispy treats and sugar cookies would be too basic.
She once again reminded herself she wasn’t at a luxury, all-inclusive resort. Desserts like what she’d made strengthened the down-home feeling of Longhorn Ranch. People probably wouldn’t even like her crème brûlées, even if she made one raspberry and one butternut squash.
“You hit this out of the park,” Starla said. “I think we best be getting these back into the kitchen, though. Or there won’t be any left come dinnertime.”
Blake swiped another cookie from the tray as Starla picked it up, earning himself a dirty look from her. Gina could only smile as the kitchen manager went back toward the kitchen. She met Blake’s eyes and said, “She liked them.”
