Page 31 of The Last Autograph
“Seriously? But you’ve made choux pastry before, right?”
“No, never. First and, if I have my way, only time. Anyway, I’ll pop back later to watch the prize-giving, then I have to head home and change, but right now, what can I do to help?”
14
It was after six when Molly poked her head around Gloria’s back door. “Knock, knock. Are you ready to party?”
Gloria emerged from her bedroom, wearing capris and a twinset, the cardigan draped around her shoulders like she’d just stepped out of the sixties.
She gave Molly a once-over. “Well, look at you. Dressed for action with the perfect shade of lipstick to ruin a handsome man’s collar.”
“These lips will not be going near any collars, thank you very much. That stuff just gets you into trouble.”
“Why are you never any fun? At your age, you should be out with a different beau every other night.” Gloria rummaged in her bag, her advice on Molly’s love life forgotten in her search. “Shoot. Where are my keys?”
“I haven’t seen them.” She glanced at the MG in the driveway, all polished up and with its top down. Whenever Molly was a passenger in Gloria’s car, she found herself gripping the edge of her seat. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”
“No, I do not. It’s only five minutes down the road. And anyhow, Mitch has saved me a special parking spot. It’s not what you know. It’swhoyou know.”
Gloria searched the drawer of the hall table, where she found her keys. She followed Molly outside. “You can driveit home if I have one too many Pimm’s tonight. And if you want to stay late, I’ll ask Frank and Andrea to drop me off. Wasn’t this morning a blast?”
Molly slid into the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt, Gloria’s earlier “fun” comment preying on her mind. Was that her now? No fun? “I’m glad you thought so. I, on the other hand, found it extremely stressful.”
“Yes, I could see that.”
As Gloria reversed onto the street, Molly gripped her seat and held her breath. “Anyway, in the end, I wasn’t good enough.”
“Pfft. According to those judges, maybe. I blame that Sinclair fella myself. He’s a bit of a grump if you ask me.”
With a warm wind ruffling her messy updo, Molly remained silent as Jake’s assessment of her choux pastry mentally reared its annoying head. While his comments were valid, the perfectionist side of her nature struggled with his execution, especially when he spat his mouthful into a tissue.
Such a shame. Step back.
Gloria zipped down Seaview Road and entered the park grounds, where an attendant waved her forward and into a parking space. She cut the engine and turned to Molly. “You were plenty good enough. You do know that, don’t you? But politics played a part.”
Molly glanced her way. “What do you mean?”
“Like I said, that Jake chap, he had to eliminate you.”
“What? Why would you say that?”
Gloria patted her on the leg. “Because he’s sweet on you. Can’t you tell?”
Molly chuckled but then remembered that lazy smile he’d given her at the beach. “Don’t be ridiculous. He is not.”
“Hmm, believe me, I know a thing or two about men, and when a man looks at you the way Chef Sinclair looked at you, it means only one thing—you’d better hold on tight because Mr. Sexy Cakes is definitely interested. Of course, whether he has the balls to act on that interest remains to be seen.”
“You think he’s sexy?”
“Oh yes, in that arrogant way some men have. Oh, and another thing.” Gloria pointed a finger at Molly. “Don’t bother correcting me if I’m wrong, but I’m almost certain you have a teeny crush on him as well.”
Molly opened her mouth to protest, but Gloria stopped her with a decisive hand. And as they left the MG and headed for the Lime Tree Hill tent, Molly wondered if Jake would be at the after-party. Knowing Mitch, he would’ve invited half of Clifton Falls. However, as she followed Gloria inside, the crowd was manageable, and Jake was nowhere to be seen.
After a full-on two days, Jake had contemplated skipping the after-party. Not one to socialize much lately, he’d been on edge all weekend. He was exhausted—all peopled out—however, mingling with the sponsors was all part of the deal, so for that reason, he’d promised Todd he’d put in an appearance.
It was now early evening, and apart from a few taste-test mouthfuls, Jake hadn’t eaten since grabbing a quick sandwich for lunch. His stomach rumbled as he caught a whiff of the offerings from the grill, but instead of grabbing a plate, he headed into the belly of the crowd, where Mason and a couple of women from the competition were waiting for him at the bar.
A short time later, Alexia and her posse of pouty hangers-on joined them. Although wary of her, Jake tolerated her while maintaining his distance for the sake of family peace.
