Take the Cake (51 page)

“I have my suspicions,” Michael admitted, “but how about we hold off until Fiona pays you a visit?”

“Guess I won’t have long to wait,” Kate said as she settled down again. “She’s coming into the store tomorrow.”

“She works fast. I can see why Alistair speaks so highly of her.”

~~~

The next day, Kate was serving a customer when she looked up and saw Fiona pausing in the doorway, her eyes darting everywhere to try to take in everything at once.

“Honey,” she called out. Michael looked up from his laptop and nodded when he saw Fiona. To Kate’s surprise and delight, Michael had offered to visit the store and keep her company when Fiona arrived.

“Not for any negotiating,” Michael had said. “I know you can look after yourself, and the store is your baby, but can I just be there to watch it happen?”

“Watch what happen?” Kate had given him a suspicious look. What did he know?

“I dunno.” He had shrugged. “But I think it’s going to be something good.”

“Sure, why not?” Kate had nodded. “It’d be kinda fun to have you there.”

“Done.”

“Is this the part where we spit on our palms and shake hands?” Kate had asked as she wrinkled up her nose.

“If that’s how you want to play it,” Michael had said, looking dubious at the prospect. “How about we kiss instead?”

“So long as that isn’t how you close all your deals,” Kate had said with a smile as she submitted.

Now Kate stood waiting by the coffee machine as Fiona approached. The woman strolled through the store looking entirely unhurried: stopping to look at the artwork, smiling at the children’s books stacked on a low shelf, and then stopping dead in her tracks when she saw the display cabinet.

“God.” Fiona’s jaw dropped as she gazed at the sugary temptations in wonderment. “Tell me you made these.”

“Sure did.” Kate nodded.

“And the quote outside?” Fiona waved a hand to indicate the chalkboard by the door.

“Ah, that’s the work of Wren today, sometimes Emily, sometimes Kristyn.”

“I see.” Fiona was looking thoughtful now. She stood and turned in a slow circle as she looked at the store again. “Okay,” she said as she reached a decision. “You got a moment?”

Kate glanced over at Wren, who gave her an encouraging nod. “Sure, coffee?”

“Please.” Fiona nodded and walked the table where Michael was sitting. “Michael.” She nodded as she sat down. “Working on something?”

“Just a few notes.” He smiled.

“Anything for me to tell Alistair about?” she said with an inquiring gleam in her eye.

“Not yet,” he answered, “but when there is, I’d like to be the one to tell him, if you don’t mind.”

“Point taken.” She gave a gracious nod, and then beamed at Wren as a coffee was set down in front of her. “Smells good,” she said as she picked up her cup, and then her eyes widened as Kate set down a plate for her with the cupcake of the day. “And
that
looks even better.”

“So, Fiona, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Kate handed Michael a fresh coffee and took a seat with a cup of her own.

“Well, going by what I tasted yesterday, you clearly know what you’re doing,” Fiona began, “and the style I see here in the shop tells me a lot more.”

“More about what?” Kate asked as she sipped at her coffee.

“Enough to know that if you agree to publish a book with us, it’ll be the kind of cupcake book that no one has ever seen before,” Fiona said as she leaned forward in her chair. She hesitated and then, unable to resist any longer, picked up the cupcake and took a bite.

Kate and Michael sat and watched as Fiona chewed and swallowed, before setting the cake back down on its plate and giving Kate a particularly intense stare. As they talked, Fiona revealed that she had done her research last night and had read both newspaper reviews. She said the store had delivered on its promise: the coffee was the best she’d tasted in a long time and the cupcake had exceeded her every expectation. Even better, the display cabinet held an array of tarts and almond petit fours that showed Kate was more than a one-trick pony.

“Kate, just say yes, and I promise you it will be a book that changes your life,” Fiona said as she sipped at her coffee with an inward sigh of pleasure.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Kate said as she gave Michael a loving smile. “The books I’ve come across lately have all been pretty life-changing.”

“Well, then,” Michael replied and, heedless of Fiona’s presence, leaned forward to give her a kiss. “I guess we’ll just have to see if we can make the next one even better.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Kate smiled.

“Is that to me, or Michael?” Fiona inquired as she leaned forward again.

Kate looked from her soon-to-be editor and then back at her husband.

“Both,” she replied. “Let’s get to work.”

THE END

AKNOWLEDGMENTS

The quotes and cupcakes have come from a combination of my own imagination and the many café chalkboards I’ve encountered, which are too numerous to mention.

Credit is also given to Dr. David Suzuki, whose 2008 Commonwealth Lecture provided the inspiration for the argon discussions found in this story.

Freshly baked cupcake thanks to: Autumn Barowski, Nicole Dean, Lisa Allen, Leisa Voysey, Shannon Helton, Adeline Remy, Siobhan Melia, Kari Hansbarger, Kathryn Robertson and the mini U.N.

Grammatically correct thanks to my editor, Meredith MacLeod, and all at Omnific.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandra was born in Gnowangerup, and lives in Perth at the end of the earth—get a map and look it up. She shares her windswept and interesting existence with good friends and the biggest, laziest cat in the known universe. Having had a number of different occupations, Sandra aspires to be rich and famous so she can travel aimlessly around the world, drinking good wine and writing novels. She smiles often, cries sometimes and generally loves life.

www.sandrawright.com.au