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The next morning, the café was busy with Saturday morning customers. Ed didn’t work that day, so it was up to Lauren to make enough cupcakes to satisfy everyone.
“Phew!” Zoe theatrically mopped her brow when they finally closed at lunchtime. “We’re sold out.”
“I forgot to put some aside for us.” Lauren shook her head in dismay.
“Never mind. You’re making your new carrot cakes this afternoon – aren’t you?” Zoe looked hopeful.
“Brrt?” Aren’t you?
“Yes.” Lauren smiled. “Would you like to help me, Annie?”
“Brrt!” Yes!
“And I’ll work on the design for your wedding mugs. Just don’t elope or something, because I’ll need time to make the mugs, like I explained to Mrs. Finch last night.”
“I won’t,” Lauren promised, wondering if somehow her cousin had overheard her conversation with Mitch outside Stately Vue Hall on Thursday afternoon. “I don’t think Mom would be happy if we did that, anyway.”
“Yeah. Oh – have you got my parents on the guest list?”
“Yes.” She’d thought of it late last night and scribbled a note to herself. Perhaps she should keep the list next to her bedside table, or a journal where she could jot down ideas that came to her – at any time of the day or night.
They closed the café, cleaned up, and trooped along the private hallway that connected the coffee shop to the cottage.
After a quick lunch, Lauren set to work in the kitchen.
Zoe said she was going to stretch out on the sofa in the living room with a sketch pad.
Lauren gathered the ingredients together, and a large mixing bowl.
“Brrt?” Annie looked with interest at the carrots, raisins, and jars of spices on the table.
“We’re going to make carrot cakes with a cream cheese frosting,” she told her fur baby. “And if they’re good, I can start making them for the café.”
“Brrp.” Annie sounded approving.
Lauren hummed as she mixed up the ingredients, including Ceylon cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, walnuts, and brown sugar. Annie seemed to enjoy hearing the little tune.
Lauren placed the cupcake tray in the oven. She could have used the commercial kitchen in the café, but cats weren’t allowed in that part of the business, and it was fun having Annie as her ‘supervisor’.
“Now we wait for them to bake,” she told her fur baby. “Meanwhile, we can mix up the frosting.”
Annie watched while she took out cream cheese from the fridge, along with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
“Something smells yummy,” Zoe called out from the living room, when the cupcakes were nearly done.
“Thanks.” Lauren’s mouth watered at the aroma wafting from the oven – carrot, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Although it hadn’t been long since lunch, her stomach rumbled.
The timer dinged, and she took the tray out of the oven. Perfectly risen cupcakes greeted her – and Annie.
“Brrt.” Annie seemed to nod in approval as Lauren placed the orange-brown goodies on a wire rack.
“We’ll wait for them to cool,” Lauren remarked. “And then we’ll frost them.”
“Brrt!” Annie jumped down from the chair and scampered toward the living room.
“Are they ready?” Zoe appeared in the doorway. “Annie alerted me.”
“Just about.” Lauren gestured to the treats. “They might still be a bit warm but—”
“I’ll risk it.” Zoe snatched one up and bit into it. “Mmm – oww! Hoth,” she mumbled. After she swallowed, she blew on the remains. “You did warn me.” She eyed the bowl of frosting on the table. “Are you going to frost them now?”
“When they’ve cooled down,” Lauren replied in amusement. “I want to put some away for Mitch tomorrow, even though they won’t be freshly baked.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind. Guys.”
Lauren agreed with a smile.
She frosted the cupcakes when they’d cooled down, and she and Zoe enjoyed a latte with them. Annie joined them, looking from one plate to the other.
“I don’t know if these would be good for you,” Lauren apologized. “I’m sorry.”
“Brrp.” Annie’s lower lip stuck out a little.
“What about some chicken in gravy?” Lauren headed to the pantry and got out one of Annie’s favorites.
“Brrt!” Annie hopped down from the chair and sat next to her food bowl. When Lauren spooned the food into the lilac bowl, Annie tested the mixture with her little pink tongue, before lapping at it enthusiastically.
“Are you seeing Mitch tonight?” Zoe asked.
“No. Tomorrow. He said he wants to tidy up his apartment a bit. He’s thinking of having his parents stay there when they come for the wedding, and he’ll bunk in with Chris.” Mitch’s parents lived in San Diego.
“Good idea.” Zoe nodded.
Chris lived in a scarce rental nearby. Although the outside of Chris’s home was in need of some love, the interior was decent. Zoe had enjoyed adding some of her decorating touches to it, including some of her string-art pictures.
“Chris is working tonight.” Zoe made a face. “But the three of us can watch something on TV.”
“Brrt!” Annie seemed to like that idea.
“How’s your sketch coming along?” Lauren asked, noticing the pad in Zoe’s hand.
“Pretty good.” Zoe held it out to her.
Lauren and Mitch was written in a graceful but easy to read script, and the date listed as month day year. Underneath was a drawing of Annie’s furry face wearing a pretty floral headband.
“Your names will be on one side of the mug, and Annie will be on the other. I looked up cat safe flowers, and they include gerberas, pansies, orchids, and roses, and so I drew those on Annie’s headband, but I don’t know if they’ll be in bloom for your wedding day. Once we know your exact date, I can put that in the design. Hmm.” Zoe scrunched her brow. “I’ll need to know how many guests are attending so I can make enough mugs, plus some spares just in case there are some accidents.”
“Will you make more for the café as well?” Lauren asked. “I’ll pay you for those. I’m sure our regulars would love to see them when they visit, whether they come to the wedding or not.”
“Of course.” Zoe sounded enthused. “But you don’t have to pay me.”
“Of course I do,” Lauren said firmly. “It’s a business expense. And it will be the café who pays you.”
If there wasn’t enough money in the coffers, she’d lend it to the business personally and pay herself back over time. But she knew the café account had a decent balance in it at the moment.
“Just let me know how much the café mugs will be. And include your time.”
“You’re the best.” Zoe beamed. “And don’t forget, the wedding mugs are my gift to you – and Mitch.”
“I won’t.”
“Brrt!”