Page 11 of His Unexpected Heir

She turned and pulled the silicone muffin “tins” closer. The silicone product description promised that nothing would stick to the silicone muffin shapes and every muffin would come out perfectly.

“How about if you come over for dinner next weekend?” Raven asked.

Astra concentrated on scooping exactly the right amount of batter into each silicone cup before she answered. As she put the mixing bowl down, she gazed down at her muffins with pride. “I’d love to have dinner with you and Tim.” She smiled with triumph, then looked up. “Wait.” She turned and…”Darn it!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot the…!” Gasping, Astra pulled the now-blackened chocolate chip cookie “casserole”. “Oh dear.”

Raven peered at the blackened mess. “What was that?”

Astra looked at her friend, wondering at the relieved tone in Raven’s voice. “They were supposed to be chocolate chip cookies. I even added grated potatoes into the batter to make them extra moist.” They both stared at the casserole dish with blackened…stuff.

“I don’t think that worked very well,” Raven finally proclaimed.

Astra sighed and walked over to put the charred mess into the sink. “I’ll work on the muffins. They’ll be perfect.”

Then her eyes swiveled from the muffin batter to the oven and back again. Biting her lip, she stared at the muffins. “They’ll be okay for a few minutes while I change the oven temperature, right?”

Raven shrugged. “I have no idea. I don’t bake.” She started to reach out a finger to taste the batter, then pulled back. “Why don’t you call Martha? She’s the brilliant baker.”

Martha was married to Joe and both of them looked after Clarissa. Clarissa was married to Levi Harris and they had two darling children. Clarissa had grown up relatively poor with her mother, but soon discovered that her absent father was actually a billionaire that lived in the adjacent city. After his death, Clarissa had inherited all of his wealth. Levi had been the one to tell her, then he’d stuck around to guide her through the tribulations of becoming suddenly wealthy. Levi was a man who loved to find battered businesses and bring them back to life, then sell them off and start all over again. So the man was disgustingly wealthy himself. Martha loved to bake and cook, having graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. She also loved taking care of any and every one, and could bake muffins that had been known to make a person swoon!

Martha’s husband, Joe, grew things. The couple had moved to the country so that Joe had more space for growing, including fruit orchards and vegetables, herbs and flowers. Martha used his produce to cook for several families that needed help getting back on their feet. Joe loved growing things, Martha loved cooking, and Clarissa loved spending her unexpected money helping people. And Levi adored Clarissa and their two children, so he just smiled every time the three of them adopted someone else to take care of.

Astra considered that for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m sure Martha is busy.” She looked around, startled at the enormous mess that was her kitchen. “The muffins should be okay. It only takes a few minutes for the oven to change temperatures, right?”

Raven laughed and lifted her hands, palms out. “Don’t ask me. I used to enjoy microwaving, but since I married Tim, all of our meals are cooked. Tim has the most amazing housekeeper.” She thought about that for a moment, her head tilting to the side. “Okay, so she’s not as good as Martha, but it’s really nice not to have to cook anymore.”

Astra glared at her friend, then lifted the silicone muffin pan, sliding it carefully into the oven. When she straightened, she dusted off her hands. “Okay, while those bake, you can tell me why you’re really here.”

Raven laughed. “Can’t I just come to visit a good friend?” she asked, then stood up and walked over to the sofa. Astra was about to join her, but Raven held up a hand. “You might want to change clothes before you sit down,” she warned.

Astra glanced down at herself and grimaced. “You’re right.” She turned. “I’ll be right back.”

Five minutes later, she came back out to her living room and sat down. “Okay, so what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Raven replied. “I just haven’t heard from you in a while and wanted to check in. What’s been going on?”

Astra thought about the pregnancy test that was still sitting on her bathroom counter. “Nothing much,” she replied. Instead of admitting that she was pregnant, Astra proceeded to tell Raven all about the parties she’d organized for various clients over the past few months. They laughed about some of the foibles of their clients and Astra poured some lemonade for them.

She brought two glasses of lemonade over to the sofa, handing one to Raven. They laughed and caught up a bit more, then finally, Raven sighed and stood up. “Okay, so you’re not going to admit what’s bothering you,” she said after two hours. “I’ll have to interrogate you when you get back from your next gig. Where is it this time?”

“Spain. It’s in a small town, from what I understand. Macie just sent the contract to me right before I started baking so I…”

She stopped and gasped. “The muffins!” They blurted out at the same time.

Both of them turned and, suddenly noticed the scent of burnt batter.

“Oh no!” Astra gasped and rushed over to the oven. Pulling it open, she stared into the dark depths and pulled out…blackened muffins.

“Well, that round was better than the date cookies you tried to make in Sidrina,” Raven teased.

Astra burst out laughing and Raven joined in, both laughing so hard, their stomachs hurt.

Chapter 5

The castle was…incredible! Astra stared as Macie drove their rental car down a two lane road, crossed over a bridge, then dipped down into a valley. The whole time, the castle up on the highest hill remained visible. It was a stunning square structure with conical spires at each corner. The stone was grey, and because of the crenelated walkways surrounding the outer wall, the castle looked like it belonged in a fairyland.

---