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There was no way I was telling them about Lance asking me out on a date. That was information they didn’t need to know right now. My heart was still pounding in my chest because even I wasn’t sure I was ready for a date with Lance Garland. I tossed my head to the side as I thought about it. No, I’d been ready for years, I just didn’t want to share it with anyone yet. I kind of liked the idea of hiding in plain sight. To them, we were friends going to pick up supplies. To us, we were exploring what had been simmering below the surface for years.
I sat and leaned my arm on the container of cake before I hit them with a thousand-watt smile. "He was giving me a pep-talk.”
“A pep-talk about what?” Becca asked, motioning with her hands for me to spit it out.
“Hopefully, about the new Christmas dessert for the bakery that I have in this container."
"Is it cake with gumdrops by any chance?" Ivy asked.
My shoulders deflated on a sigh. "You peeked."
"Nope," she said, a grin on her face, "a little elf told me."
"Was that little elf named Holly."
Ivy's shrug was hilarious. "Could be, but I could never give away my sources. Santa wouldn't like that."
"That's true. You can't upset Santa," I agreed. "So, what did this little elf who may or may not be named Holly think about the cake?"
"She told me, and I quote, that it had to be straight out of the North Pole because there's no way we could create something with that much Christmas magic down here."
My grin widened and I didn’t hold back my laughter. “Leave it to that girl to tell it like it is. I figured if Holly liked it then I was onto something.”
I took the lid off the cake and both Becca and Ivy licked their lips. Becca got a taste before Ivy and she moaned softly, her head tipping back and forth while she chewed. "There's eggnog in this." It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
"I may have altered the recipe to utilize a locally sourced ingredient."
Ivy was chewing but her eyes were begging to speak. "That was brilliant," she said after she swallowed. "Kids and adults alike are going to love this. I'm sold after one bite."
I clapped with enthusiasm just as Lance came out of the kitchen carrying three plates. "Eating dessert before the main course? You'll spoil your appetite!"
He set plates in front of us filled with home fries and a Monte Cristo sandwich for each of us.
"Be still my heart," I whispered. "A Lancenator."
He bounced up on his toes with an emotion I suspected was pride. "I know how you love them," he teased, throwing me a wink. "Well, don't leave me standing here uninformed. Tell me what you thought of the cake."
"I'm ordering twelve just for my house," Ivy said, accepting a cup of coffee when he grabbed the pot to pour it for us. "This gumdrop cake is our new Christmas dessert for the bakery and the diner. We’ll need a name."
Lance did a fist pump and then gave me a high five. "I knew you’d love it. The name is easy. Goody-Goody Gumdrop cake, of course. Saginaw Candy Emporium here we come."
He trotted back to the kitchen, whistling a tune while we dug into our food. After eating half, Ivy wiped her mouth. "This was so great of Lance to do. I was starving."
I leaned into her shoulder for a moment. "Shep called him and asked him to make you breakfast because you'd been up all night and had to take care of Lucy today. Lance came right over."
Becca winked at Ivy. "Shep loves you, even when you're cross with each other "
Ivy’s eyes welled with tears. “I know he does. It was sweet of Lance to come right over and do it too. I’ll thank him before I leave.”
“You know in Bells Pass friends help friends, whether it’s with a place to sleep or a hot meal. That’s what we do here,” I said, sipping my coffee. “And we also do great things with eggnog.”
Both women laughed but Becca pointed at what was left of her sandwich. “You mean like this French toast? Lance is brilliant.”
I finished my sandwich while nodding. When I was done, I pushed my plate to the side and grabbed my phone. “I suppose we should have that meeting.”
Ivy clapped once. “What do you need from me?”
“The bakery credit card.”
