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“Don’t hold your breath,” Finn said. “There might be aprons, but I doubt your names’ll be on them. Gary doesn’t even know what your namesareyet.”
He beckoned them to follow him down the alley to the back door. Hector trotted to keep up. Of the three guys, he was the only one who looked as though he hadn’t fully recovered from Hrodgar’s Syndrome yet, and the way his white shirt bagged on him and his black jeans sagged from a cinched-in belt threatened to swamp Finn with guilt again.
But they’d all cheerfully agreed to help, with no recriminations or demands for quid pro quo. In fact, when he’d tried to apologize to them, Gage had stared at him.
“Dude, for what? It’s not like you can choose your parents. Besides, youliterallytook a bullet for Tanner. We’re cool.”
So Finn decided to roll with it. He mounted the concrete ramp and rapped on the back door, the metal booming hollowly under his fist, then backed up a step, leaving room.
With a clang of the panic bar, Peyton opened the door and grinned at them. “Hey.”
Finn heard a gasp behind him and turned to see Dakota gaping, wide-eyed, at Peyton.Well, isn’t that interesting?Finn hid his smile.
“Hey, Peyton. This is Hector, Gage, and Dakota, my—”
“His pack.” Dakota shouldered his way past Hector and Gage to hold out his hand. “Love the eyeliner.”
Peyton cut a rather alarmed glance at Finn as they shook Dakota’s hand. “Th-thanks.”
“Do you need a familiar?”
Another wide-eyed glance at Finn. “Um. Sorry. What? Familiar?”
Finn tapped his nose. “We’re all weres,” he murmured, checking that Melina was out of earshot. “We can tell you’re a witch.”
“Oh.” Peyton lost a bit of their deer-in-the-headlights expression, but kept their voice low. “Then yes, I have a familiar.”
“Cool!” Dakota grinned. “What kind?”
“Sugar glider.”
“Really? Those little squirrellish dudes who can fly? Aren’t they from Australia or someplace?”
Peyton smiled shyly. “Not fly. Just glide. And yes, Australia. She was exhausted when she finally reached me at my Partnering Ceremony, even though the triple goddess helped her on the journey.” Peyton pushed the door wider. “Come on in. I made scones.”
That seemed to light a fire under the Doghouse guys, and they trooped inside, Finn gesturing for Peyton to precede him before he closed the door.
This was the first time Finn had been in the kitchen when it hadn’t been obscured by smoke. Now he was met by bright, warm lighting, countertops in marble, wood, and steel, and gleaming commercial appliances.
One of the steel prep tables held three round cake layers in graduating sizes, the biggest about a foot and a half across, all of them frosted in smooth, white icing. Gany was standing on a step-stool in front of five assembled tiers, pastry bag in hand as he studied the curve of the swan’s neck above the top tier.
The swan was exquisite, exactly as Gany had sketched it, so lifelike that Finn could swear if he touched a feather, it would be soft.
It was alsowaymore appropriate than Gany knew.
“Wow,” Hector breathed.
“I know, right?” Finn whispered, not wanting to distract Gany at this delicate stage.
“What are those things?” Hector pointed to a ring of what looked like glass or clear acrylic dowels, about an inch across, embedded in each of the unassembled tiers.
“Support rods for the separator plates,” Peyton said as they skirted the table, a platter of scones in their hands. “Stabilizes the structure. Cake doesn’t sit directly on top of cake or it would all compress and collapse.” They held out the platter. “Here you go, guys. Grab a snack before we go.”
“Go?” Gany fumbled the pastry bag, but Finn darted forward to catch it before it could fall. “Damnation, Iforgot.”
“Forgot what, sweetheart?”
Gany turned stricken eyes up to Finn. “I forgot to buy avan. I was going to do it when I got my first catering gig, but I expected more lead time, and then with the oven and the”—he cut a glance at Peyton and Melina—“visitations, I forgot. How are we going to get this cake to the venue? I can’t load it into TD’s Prius. How am I supposed to get it to Wildwood?”
