Page 49 of The Incubus's Angel
“I thought I’d find you here,” Uncle Richard says as he slips through The Flowering Teapot’s front door, letting it snick closed behind him. No one else will be on the hill for hours still, but he’s usually here early to preparethe shop for the day.
Since he and Annamae are in charge of all the baked goods for the party, anything that could be prepared in advance was already done yesterday. This morning they’ll prepare the final bakes as well as anything that’s needed for the shop while I work on assembling and decorating the giant cake.
Today, The Flowering Teapot will have a smaller selection than usual available for anyone who’d like to grab a quick bite. We’re not expecting it to be super busy in town, with guests most likely heading to the beach early to enjoy the good weather, but it’s better to be prepared than to have a bunch of hungry creatures running around.
I flash my uncle a quick smile. “I’m a little nervous and wanted to check on the cake. Even though it looked stable last night and I wrapped it tightly before I left, I didn’t get much sleep. I almost brought a blanket and pillow and camped out in front of the fridge but thought that’s a step too far.”
Uncle Richard places a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It’s not like you to be this nervous, but I understand why you are. Have I told you how proud I am of you? If your parents were here they’d say the same. Those brothers of yours too.”
“You think so?”
Uncle Richard cups both my shoulders, earnestness shining in his familiar green eyes. “Of course. We’ve never left our shop in anyone else’s hands, but with you here, dear Maisie, we’ve not had to worry once while we’ve taken a step back to focus on your aunt’s recovery. You’ve exceeded every single one of our expectations and on top of that, you’ve created this special cake for a special friend of ours that everyone will enjoy. I’m pleasedthat you’re getting the opportunity to show off your talent and skill.”
“Thank you, Uncle Richard,” I choke out, trying to swallow around the lump in my throat.
My uncle draws me into his arms and hugs me with the same ferocity that everyone in my family shares. “You’re most welcome, little niece of mine.” Holding me at arm’s length again, he asks, “Now, how about we check on that cake together? Sometimes it helps to merely have another person around for a little support. And if you’d like to run through your long list of things you still have to do today, I’d be happy to listen.”
My knees almost buckle with relief. “Can I? Sometimes I just need to say something out loud and then my brain can make sense of it. Right now it’s a little overwhelming with a million thoughts running rampant.”
Uncle Richard pats my shoulder affectionately, the corners of his eyes crinkling with an understanding smile. “Of course. I’m always happy to help you, dear Maisie. Let’s get started right now. Your aunt will be in a little later after she’s communed with the forest. She needs to be at her full strength today if she’s going to create everything she’s set out to do. I heard her mention something about flower crowns for all the partygoers on top of helping with some kind of elaborate decorations, as one might expect from my Anna.”
“Will she be okay?” Concern for my aunt laces my words. Though, based on the overwhelming evidence I’ve seen in Ren, if she’s fully charged then she’ll be more than able to handle theworkload she’s set for herself and have fun spreading all kinds of floral joy.
Uncle Richard chuckles fondly. “Oh yes. Nothing can stop my Anna.”
Together we head to the fridge where I brave checking on the sponges, which are thankfully in the exact same condition I left them in last night. He makes us each a cup of strong coffee and listens as I talk through my schedule, double-checking cake elements, assembly times, dowel lengths and placements, and what time I’ll take it down to Kraken Cove.
Then it’s my turn to support him as he chats through their plans for the day and all the bakes he has to complete before they’ll head down to help with the setup for the party.
When we’re done, Uncle Richard and I get to work.
I take out the six different layers that’ll make up the cake’s three tiers and place them on the baker’s table in the center of the kitchen, grouping the same sizes together.
As I unwrap the first sponge, I lower my nose toward the gluten-free vanilla bean sponge and inhale deeply, loving the way the flavors dance along my olfactory sense. My toes tap merrily inside my shoes at how well it came out, a tingle of excitement skittering through my veins at how good it’s going to taste when I add the raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream.
The middle tier’s layers are unwrapped next and I take a moment to breathe in the coconut sponge, clearly imagining the lime buttercream I’ve paired it with as a little homage to girls’ night. My lips pull into a smile and my shoulders shimmy as I recall how much fun we had that night, my cheeks heating whenI think about everything that happened on the way home,andthe next morning.
I miss Ren.
Shaking away any thoughts unrelated to cake, I unwrap the smallest sponge, but by far the most important one. Without having to lower my face down to the cake, the zesty and floral aroma caresses my senses and I hum in satisfaction. This is Doc Calla’s favorite cake and I really wanted to do it justice. Out of all the sponges I practice baked, this one was done the most times until I was absolutely sure I nailed the lemon and elderflower flavors.
Grabbing the serrated cake knife, I bend down to level off the slight dome of each cake to ensure they’re absolutely flat and will fit together like perfect puzzle pieces. Unable to resist, I pop shaved-off pieces from each layer into my mouth, feeling rather proud of myself that I made something that yummy.
A warmth of gratitude for Beck creeps into my heart as I reach for the two cake boards and the large cake drum that he sourced for me from Cape Easton.
Beck really came through for me with these. As Starry Hill’s guardian and boatman, it’s part of his job to procure all our requests, but I feel extra thankful that he searched through multiple stores to find the exact sized boards and dowels I asked for.
I take a sip of my now-cold coffee, needing the extra caffeine boost before I prep the raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream for the vanilla-bean sponge. I may perhaps taste test the delicious frosting a few more times than strictly needed, but it’s just so good I can’t resist.
A delicious shiver runs down my spine as the vivid image of Ren flashes through my mind—of me looking up at him from my knees, right here in this kitchen as I—
Nope. Focus on the cake, Maisie.
Adding a smear of buttercream to the center of the cake drum to act as the glue for the whole cake so it doesn’t go sliding around, I repeat the process with the other two tiers and their respective frostings before stacking the sponges together with a generous layer of buttercream between.
When I’ve got the three naked cakes staring at me, I take a couple of slow breaths while I stretch out my back, and marvel at the opportunity I’ve been given.
I wish this could be my full-time job. If I could create speciality cakes, design flavors and be creative with decorations, it would be the ultimate dream job for me. Starry Hill doesn’t really have many weddings, what with the population being so small, and not many hundredth birthday parties either, so it’s not exactly a viable option for a living wage.
