Page 20 of Cakes for the Grump
Okay, the “white whale” is someone who hates Luke’s company, but also someone Luke wants to gain the favor for a merger to happen? And why is that behind the back of his investors?
Mr. Duncan continues. “As I said, they’ll only join if they believe their core values are matched with the buyer. That is the uphill battle you climb, and don’t be mistaken, itisyour Mount Everest. They won’t entertain any offer unless they believe in your moral character, which—to be blunt—I didn’t believe those optics could be salvageable until today, but Ms. Singh makes you appear nicer, somehow.”
Me?What am I doing?
Mr. Duncan pulls out his phone. “But that’s enough talk. You heard my advice. Bring Ms. Singh if possible and I’ll be there too. Only because I’m interested to see where this goes.”
He gives me a small bow of acknowledgement. “Apologies if I spoke about you as if you weren’t in the room. I hope you’ll forgive me for any rudeness.”
“Sure.”
“Good. I’ll take my leave. And Luke?—”
“Yes?”
“Make sure your plans don’t leak. That kind of disaster would sink this.”
“Don’t worry about that. Now, I’ll walk you out.”
“Don’t bother. I know the way.”
Mr. Duncan leaves the kitchen. As the door shuts behind him, I slump onto a kitchen stool. Luke tucks his hands into his pockets, leans against the counter and swears vividly.
“And here I thought you were having fun,” I say.
“Yes, well—I would rather not leave business decisions of large magnitudeup to frivolities like whether my meal chef thinks I’m a bad person or not.”
“You’ll note, I didn’t answer either way.”
“Noted. Now I need a way to relax and I’m feeling rather reckless, so I think Iwillinflict some of this sugar monstrosity on myself since we both know it won’t be served to any guests of mine.”
The chiffon cake.Crap. I had forgotten about it.
Luke goes and digs into a drawer for two forks, placing one of them in front of me, leaving the decision in my hands whether I will partake or not. Does he see how nervous I’ve gotten? I think he already knows it’s bad, but what happens when he actually tastes it? Should I wait and watch to see how he reacts?
I glance at the clock on the wall. Technically, the longer I stay out of my own apartment and away from Janice, the better.
Reaching over, I grab the fork. “For the record, I’d rather not be a bartering chip in your meetings, though I’m not surprised Mr. Duncan took a liking to me. Most people do.”
Luke tastes a forkful of the rose-bud infused chiffon cake. His nose wrinkles, and he immediately walks over to the sink and puts his fork away into the basin. “That was off-putting.”
“Every time you insult my work, I dislike you even more,” I confess honestly. Even if this cake doesn’t reflect my abilities, it was still made by my own hands. When I try a bite of the cake, floral notes explode in my mouth, blanketing the senses.
The cake is essentiallypotpourri.
Those rose buds definitely steeped in the water for too long.
“It’s indulgent,” I insist.
“Take another bite,” challenges Luke.
“Gladly.”
I force another swallow down.
“Your best work?”
Rather subtly, I cough into my hand. The flavor is sticking to my throat. “Seems unfair to rank it.”
