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“That’s Wyatt, our resident pâtissier.” Kerry threw her head to the side to point out the man in a chef jacket by the stove, stirring whatever the contents were in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.
At the sound of his name, the man who had otherwise been preoccupied turned his head to look at them, Jo more so than the others, his light amber eyes scrutinizing her.
“Wyatt, this is Jo, my cousin,” Kerry introduced.
In response, he lifted his hand and gave a small wave, which Jo returned with a “Hi” of her own.
“So, the cake is her favorite. It’s coconut angel cake,” Kerry revealed. She walked to the refrigerator to retrieve the cake.
It was a three-tiered masterpiece. White frosting covered the base to the top, with red, pink, and purple rose petals adorning all sides and dusted with coconut flakes.
“This looks so delicious, and I haven’t even tasted it. I’m sure Mom is going to be beside herself with joy when she sees it,” Jo complimented her cousin’s skills.
Kerry beamed. “Thanks, Jo. That’s the reaction I was going for.” Kerry turned to Jo. “You have to keep it in the walk-in fridge at the restaurant, then take it out approximately two hours before the party so that it can acclimatize and be ready for serving,” she instructed Jo.
“Okay, no problem,” she agreed. “I’m going to need the recipe for this beautiful cake as well.” She gestured to the cake on the counter.
“Sure, I’ll text you the recipe,” Kerry agreed. “Let me help you get it to the car.”
The two women carefully brought the cake out to Andrea’s car with no mishaps involved.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jo said in departing.
“Yeah, see you.”
Jo pulled off and made her way over to the mall to quickly grab a few things and her niece’s weird request before heading back. She brought the car to a stop before the Willberry Eats.
She liked the rustic feel and the unassuming guise of the exterior. She also liked the fact that the large windows on either side of the wooden door were paneled and slightly tinted, giving away nothing of what to expect from the inside. She thought about some upgrades that could be made on the outside to make it even more welcoming and made a mental note to discuss it with her sisters.
Jo marveled again at just how beautiful the interior of the restaurant truly was. Every surface was stained wood, from the walls to the floor to the tables and chairs that were evenly spaced throughout the room. She especially liked the fact that the ceiling was exposed with the rafters of the gambrel roof on full display and supported the high ceiling fans and hanging lights for extra lamination. She thought about possibly commissioning Kerry to supply a few of her heavenly treats to add to the dessert menu, but that was something she would have to take up with the head chef whom she was currently seeking.
“Hi, Mrs. Hamilton-Boyer, would you like a table today,” the bubbly waitress who she met just a few days ago greeted with a broad smile.
“Hi, Pat, no, not today. I’m actually here to see Chef Daniel,” she replied to the young woman.
“Sure thing, Mrs. Hamilton-Boyer, right this way.”
Jo followed the young woman to the back, where she could see and hear Daniel instructing a young man to add more pepper to whatever was cooking on the stove. She waited for him to finish before making her presence known.
“Well, hello, Jo. It’s a pleasure to see you this afternoon,” he greeted, bringing the back of her hand to his lips to lightly brush it with a kiss.
Jo couldn’t help the warmth that spread over her whenever he greeted her in such a manner. She was still unaccustomed to this. It didn’t make her uncomfortable, though, just slightly surprised each time.
“What brings you here today?”
“Well, I have Mom’s cake for tomorrow in the van. I was wondering if you could help me to get it to the refrigerator,” she requested.
“Of course,” he agreed. After leaving instructions with the line chef, he followed her out to her vehicle and assisted her in lifting out the cake box and taking it back inside to place in the walk-in fridge.
“About tomorrow’s menu,” she started as soon as the fridge door had been secured.
“Yes. What about it?” he asked, hands clasped behind his back while he waited for her to continue.
“There’s something that I wanted to add to it. I know it’s a lot, but I really want to do this for her. I thought about not doing it because it was something she and Dad had at their wedding, and I didn’t want to make her cry, but now I think about it, I think it’s a good way for her to still feel close to him like he’s there cheering her on,” she explained.
“Jo, you don’t have to explain your reason. It’s okay, I get it,” Daniel informed her. “Just make sure you’re here early to help me prepare all of this. Everything has already been prepped. Give me the list of ingredients for the new recipe, and I’ll get them later,” he instructed her.
She gave him a grateful smile before rattling off the items needed for the special dish. “So, I’ll be here bright and early to help you,” she informed Daniel, who had walked her back to her car.
