When You Know

    A thin curl of lemon colored icing oozed from the metal tip of Avery’s pastry bag onto the scraped smooth blanket of frosting. She completed the daffodil’s last petal and stepped back. The cake, destined for a housewarming party for one of the ritzier families in town, sat on the gleaming granite countertop.

    She nudged the cake stand a bit to the side and ran her thumb over her left ring finger. One day. It’d be her turn. One day.

Just one more flower there, right below the scroll. The metal tip hovered just above the buttercream as she looped another flower into place.

    The doorbell tinkled as a cool breeze, with a warm undercurrent, flowed into the store.

    “I’ll be right with you.” Avery ran the icing back and forth to fill the space. “There’s a basket of cookies on the counter. Help yourself and browse a bit.”

    The telltale click of heels approached the counter. The crisp paper under the cookies rustled, and the clicks eased toward the far wall where the flavor choices were written on a chalkboard.

    “You have quite a few options.” The voice had a decidedly city ring.

    Avery pressed her lip between her teeth as she eased the icing away from the cake and broke the yellow line. This might be a country bakery, but it was an operation from the heart. 

She placed the pastry bag on a plate and dusted her hands on her apron, more from habit than need. “Thank you. What looks good to you?”

    The woman turned. “How would the vanilla with lemon buttercream filling be?”

    Avery smiled. “That’s one of my favorites. If you want something a little different, we can make it lavender lemon filling.”

    She tilted her head and glanced at the board, then held her hand out as she turned back toward Avery. “You just got the job.”

    Without a taste test or anything? She hurried to shake the woman’s waiting hand. “That’s fantastic. What type of job?”

    “Oh, right.” She giggled. “I’m Carissa. I keep forgetting that just because I’m so excited it doesn’t mean everyone knows. I’ve been looking for a bakery for cupcakes for my wedding reception, and I want you.”

    Avery’s smile widened. She blinked and swallowed. “My favorite kind of job.”

    An hour later, with a row of little bowls of icing samples and a notepad spread across the back table, Carissa sighed. “This is perfect. Vanilla cupcakes with lavender lemon or hazelnut, and chocolate cupcakes with mocha or raspberry filling. The only problem is I’m going to want one of each!”

    With a laugh, Avery pulled the notebook closer. “It’s your wedding. Who says what you have to do?” These were good choices. 

    “You know,” Carissa swirled the spoon through the toffee buttercream and took another bite, “the mocha reminds me of the time we went canoeing. I’d never been. He promised me it’d be fun. But we were out there all afternoon in the sweltering heat.”

 Avery ran her thumb over the empty space just past her knuckle. “I used to go canoeing a lot in college. Where did you go?”

“The dock just a few minutes out of town onto the river. I can’t remember the name. I’m not actually from here.” She rested the spoon back in the bowl. “I was melting. When we got back to the truck, he took me out to a cafe and ordered a frozen mocha for me.”

Avery ran a finger over her eyebrow. “It sounds like the day ended well, at least.” Her stomach knotted. Surely it wasn’t.

“It did. That was the trip back here, where he grew up, when he proposed.” She rested her hand on the table. Light danced off the diamond between two tiny amethysts.

It couldn’t be. She leaned back in her chair. “So, which flavors did you pick for the two of you?”

“Definitely the lavender lemon for me.” She glanced to her phone. “I think he’ll like the chocolate with raspberry.”

Avery nodded. “Both are good combinations. If I do say so.”

“I can’t imagine how they wouldn’t be. So we’re all set?” Carissa put her phone in her purse and stood.

“I believe so. Just call me with any questions. If I were to need to reach you, would you rather I just talk to you, or if he were to answer, who should I expect?” Avery held her pen ready at the bottom of the page.

“Oh, it’ll be me. Liam’s really not all that fussy about this sort of thing.” She ran a hand through the back of her hair.

Avery rested the pen back on the notebook and pressed her palm to it. “Sure thing.”

Carissa stood and pushed her chair under the table. “I’d better hurry. I still want to look at flowers today, and we’re meeting for dinner at six. He’s such a romantic. He’s taking me for a picnic at the lake.”

Avery followed her to the door. “No, don’t keep a great guy like him waiting. Catch a lightning bug for me.”

The bell jingled as the door shut, and Avery was already in the back room.

On a Friday night, Avery finished the last of Carissa’s cupcakes and sealed the box as her phone buzzed. Jill was ready to help her take the cupcakes to the church so they’d be there already for the next day.

Avery dismissed the text and left her phone on the counter to unlock the door.

“Hey, friend!” Jill skipped in with a hug. “Let’s get these cupcakes on their way. We’ve still got time for movie night, and I got white cheddar for the popcorn.”

“Sounds good.” She wrapped her arm around Jill’s elbow and headed toward the back.

Jill looked at her sideways. “Why aren’t you bouncing? You just did a wedding job, your favorite, and now we’re going to watch the new Pride and Prejudice remake. So where’s the bounce?”

“No, I am excited for the movie. Guess this batch of cupcakes just took it out of me.” She handed Jill a carrier. “We’ll just drive by, toss these inside, and get the movie started.”

Jill took the handle and started back out toward the shop. “Wait a minute, you left icing sitting out.”

Avery glanced to the mixing bowl with cling wrap covering it. “Oh, right. It’s actually extra. Hey, do you want it?”

“Well, sure, but that looks like a whole batch. What happened?” She shifted the carrier to her left hand and lifted a corner of the cling wrap. “This smells like your toasted coconut vanilla.”

“It is. She didn’t want it.” Avery picked up the other carrier and squeezed past Jill into the shop.

“Hold on. Did she come today to try it or something? Because if she didn’t like it, unless she’s allergic to coconut, I don’t think I can put these defenseless cupcakes in her hands.”

Avery snorted. “I made it because she didn’t know what his favorite is.” Heat crawled up her face.

Jill placed the carrier on a counter and sat on the barstool next to the glass case of cookies and brownies. “This would go faster if you just spill it.”

The wooden legs of the stool scratched over the antique stone floor as Avery scooted it out. “The bride didn’t know what his favorite filling was when I asked. So I made it.” She put her head in her hands. “Because it’s Liam.”

A gasp came from Jill’s direction. “Oh, Aves. I’m sorry. This is awful. Why’d you take the job?”

“She didn’t say his name until she told me the story of how he took her canoeing and how miserable she was.” She slid her fingers down to below her eyes. “After we chose flavors.”

“Isn’t that what you two used to do? Canoe?”

Avery nodded. “And I loved it.” Her voice squeaked.

The mantle clock ticked placidly over the register.

Jill flicked the handle of the carrier from one side to the other and back again. “Why did you make that icing?”

“I was going to use it too, because I wanted him to have his favorite.” Avery slid off her stool and marched back to the kitchen. She took a plastic container with a lid from a cabinet and peeled back the cling wrap.

Jill steadied the container as Avery dumped the frosting into it. “So why didn’t you?”

She swayed her head, her braid tickling the back of her neck. “Because she didn’t know.” She put the container in the refrigerator. “I’ll use it on a cake and take it to the senior center on Monday.”

Jill breathed out a deep breath and stood. “You still could. Take it to the wedding.”

“Nope. Then he’d know.” Avery stood to the side and let Jill pass before flicking out the kitchen light. “And he had three years to find out.”