Page 34 of Fa-La-La-La Faking It
She groaned again just as the bells on the bakery’s front door chimed, signaling a new customer.
Adaline’s head snapped up. “Welcome to Cherry on Top. I’ll be right there.”
She tightened the knot on her cherry-print apron as she dashed from the kitchen to the front counter and came to an abrupt stop when her gaze landed on Maple.
“Oh.” A nervous little jolt skittered up Adaline’s spine. She felt like she had a sign on her forehead that saidliar, liar, pants on fire. “Hi.”
“‘Oh, hi?’ That’s all you have to say?” Maple slung her Kate Spade handbag on one of the barstools and planted her hands on her hips. Her purse looked exactly like a pizza box and was covered in sequins. You could take the girl out of New York, but you couldn’t take New York out of the girl, apparently. “I’ve been texting and calling all morning. When I didn’t hear back from you, I decided I should probably drop by on my way to the pet clinic.”
She made her sudden appearance sound like a casual drop-in, but Adaline knew better. Maple was being nosy—in a best friend sort of way, of course. And Adaline couldn’t blame her one bit. If the situation was reversed, she would’ve done the same.
Or worse. Adaline had never been known for her restraint. But it was almost funny to see Maple stooping to her level.
“But Cherry on Top isn’t on your way to the pet clinic. Your house is literally right next door to your office,” Adaline said, arching a single eyebrow.
Maple sighed. She was busted, and she knew it. “Fine. I’m here for the scoop. I’m dying to know what happened with you and Jace. It’s not like you to be so mysterious. You’re usually such an open book.”
“As in, I usually blurt out whatever is on my mind, regardless of the consequences?”
Maple held her thumb and pointer finger a fraction of an inch apart. “A teensy bit, yes.”
Kind of like she’d done when she’d marched across the town square and accused Jace of stealing the space out from under her.
He’d been a decent sport about it, though. He’d even brought her the Christmas tree as a peace offering and stayed to help her decorate it. Not many people would’ve been willing to compromise the way he had, especially after how she’d acted. As fake boyfriends went, he wasn’t the worst in the world.
“I didn’t mean to keep anything from you, I promise.” Adaline took a deep breath. She was going to do it. She was going to just tell Maple the truth and get everything off her chest. Maple was the smartest person Adaline knew—even smarter than Ford, which he’d willingly admitted on more than one occasion. She could help Adaline figure out how to fix this entire mess. “In fact, there’s something I need—”
“Hold that thought for just a sec.” Maple’s nose twitched. “What is that amazing smell? Is something in the oven?”
“The cake!” In her fit of self-absorbed angst, Adaline had forgotten all about it. She sprinted toward the kitchen in such a rush that Fuzzy barked in alarm. “Please don’t be burned, please don’t be burned, please don’t be burned...”
Maple caught up with her just as she reached into the oven with a pair of pot holders and carefully removed the cake.
She set it on the counter and marveled at its golden color. It was a perfect bake, and Maple was right. It smelled divine. “Oh, thank goodness. This is a new recipe I’m experimenting with, and I got it out just in the nick of time.”
“Lots of drama around here this morning.” Maple gave her a playful hip bump. “What’s the deal with this cake? Is it a special order?”
Adaline grinned as she waved her pot holders over the cake to cool it. “Actually, it’s my first practice bake for your wedding cake. I’m testing recipes for the sponge.”
Maple gasped. “Really? Oh my gosh, this is so exciting. But why are you baking practice cakes? Your wedding cakes are always sublime. You could probably make one in your sleep.”
“I wanted to do something special for you and Ford, though. I thought it might be fun to try and recreate the cake that Gram and Gramps had at their wedding.” Adaline reached for the file folder where she’d tucked the photos she’d copied from the wedding album she’d borrowed from Gram the other day. “You won’t believe how gorgeous that cake was. It’s in a vintage style called Lambeth, frosted with royal icing in lots of decorative swags and over-piping. Lambeth cakes were hugely popular in the 1930s, and they’ve been making a comeback.”
Adaline’s Instagram feed was full of them. Scrolling through reels and photos of vintage cakes and beautifully latticed pies was her favorite way to unwind and get new ideas for the bakery. She’d remembered seeing photographs of Gram’s wedding cake years ago, but couldn’t quite picture it in her mind. When she’d found a close-up of the heart-shaped cake in the wedding album, she knew she’d struck gold.
In all, the album had contained four pictures of the cake, shot from various angles. She’d scanned and printed out copies of all of them, and now she spread them on the counter for Maple’s approval.
The cake featured two heart-shaped tiers stacked atop one another with elaborate, retro, Lambeth-style piping and topped with a halo of cherries. She just hoped Maple loved it as much as she did.
“Oh, wow,” said Maple, awestruck. “That might be the most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen.”
Adaline’s heart swelled. She knew this was a great idea...she just hoped she could pull it off to perfection. “I’m going to see if Belle can help me find Gram’s wedding announcement in the newspaper archives at the public library. Since Gram was such an avid baker, I’m pretty sure the announcement featured a full description of the cake, including the flavors. All I know right now is that the sponge cake was cherry vanilla.”
“You’re going to try and replicate the exact recipe too?” Maple’s eyes glittered. She was going to be such a lovely bride. “I love everything about this.”
“I was hoping that if I get the cake just right, it might bring back some special memories for Gram. Maybe make her more a part of things, you know? She’s always been so special to Ford and me, and of course she’ll be there, but...”
Adaline’s throat closed up tight.But is it silly to hope a simple slice of cake could make Gram feel like herself again?
