Read Online The Cakes of Wrath by Jacklyn Brady - Free Book Online

had everyone else. I’d have done the same thing if any of them had turned up looking like I did. I flashed an apologetic smile. “I’m fine. A little sore, but otherwise ready, willing, and able to do my job. Did you and Dwight get that space on the dock cleared? People are supposed to start bringing donations this afternoon.”
    Ox jerked his head toward the metal door that led outside. “You want to double-check what we did? Make sure it looks the way you want?”
    Normally, I would have but the ache in my neck was getting worse and spreading into the base of my skull. “What’s to double-check? I’m sure it’s fine.” I glanced around the room, taking in the activity buzzing in every corner, pleased to see that everyone was working.
    Near the kitchen, Dwight Sonntag—another friend from pastry school—bent low to study the massive stacked cake. Twelve tiers of spicy Italian plum sheetcake held together with layers of chocolate mocha buttercream, all just waiting for Dwight’s artistic endeavors with a serrated knife to turn it into rolling hills, water hazards, and sand traps. He scratched at the beard guard covering his scraggly brown whiskers and shaved a fraction of an inch from one corner of the top tier. Dwight is unkempt and his wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired, but his attention to detail when he’s decorating is unmatched. He has undeniable talent.
    Kitty-corner from him, Estelle crumb-coated a four-tier round cake that would eventually pass itself off as a tuxedo, an opening night cake for a local actor who’d landed the biggest role of his career. Estelle’s red curls spilled out from beneath her bright green kerchief, and she laughed occasionally at the nonstop monologue coming from “perkier than anyone ought to be” Isabeau.
    On the short side of twenty, Isabeau bounced around the workroom in a pair of blindingly white Keds and a red skirt so short it looked like it belonged in a cheerleading catalog. She’d paired the skirt with a white twin set. The only thing missing from her high school football game look were the bobby socks.
    In the far corner—the only part of the room that the sunlight never reached—Sparkle Starr chewed one black-painted lip as she sculpted off-white gum paste into a cover for a tiny golf cart she’d molded earlier out of Rice Krispies treats and then covered with fondant.
    Everyone seemed happy and productive, which was a good thing. “Do you still want me to work on those petunias?” I asked. “Or would you rather have my help on the golf course?”
    Before Ox could answer, the door to the reception area flew open with a bang and Edie appeared. She gripped both sides of the door frame and glared around the room. “Rita?”
    I could tell she hadn’t seen me yet, and I had a sinking feeling I knew what had put that look on her face. I had the childish urge to duck behind Ox’s table but I managed to ignore it. I was trying to earn the staff’s respect, and hiding from a confrontation didn’t seem like the right way to go about it. I gave Edie a little wave and sang out, “I’m over here, Edie. Is there a problem?”
    She strode across the room. “You’re damn right there’s a problem. Guess who just showed up to help with the collections for the neighborhood cleanup? Guess who says you invited her to help out?”
    Yep. Trouble. I glanced toward the door to make sure Destiny hadn’t followed Edie. “I can explain—”
    â€œIs that true? Did you
ask
her to help?”
    â€œOf course not! Moose asked me to let her help. That’s what we were talking about when that van came around the corner. I tried to say no, but it wasn’t that easy. And then, after he saved my life, what was I supposed to do?”
    â€œOh, I don’t know. Maybe bake him a cake to say thank you?” Edie put a hand to her forehead