Eve stared at the ingredients in front of her. Everything she needed to make a cake was right there. But her mind had gone completely blank.
What was she supposed to do first?
She looked around her at the other entrants, who appeared to be a mixture of male and female and different generations. They all seemed to be confidently creating masterpieces. Most impressively, they were all multitasking, something that Eve had yet to master in the kitchen.
There was only one thing for it.
She’d have to make lemon drizzle cake.
Or a Victoria sandwich?
Which one?
She took hold of the block of butter and a knife and weighed some of it out then dropped it into the mixing bowl. Then she grabbed a wooden spoon and began to beat it. As she did so, she watched the woman to her right melting chocolate over a saucepan whilst simultaneously whipping up egg whites. Was she making some sort of soufflé? That would be way beyond Eve’s talents. In front of her, a teenage girl was flicking melted sugar back and forth with a spoon over a sheet of baking paper. Sweat broke out on Eve’s forehead. She was way out of her depth. Her armpits tingled and she felt hot all over. This was too much. She didn’t need to be under such pressure; pressure was her enemy.
Pressure makes me—
Get a grip! It’s all fine, Eve!
She lowered her eyes and saw that the butter was soft and fluffy, so she stopped beating it and weighed out the sugar. Good. Focus. This is all good. She creamed the sugar into the butter and smiled. It was the right consistency. Now for the eggs and the flour.
She worked away diligently, blending in the rest of the ingredients, until the batter was prepared. All she had to do was mix in the lemon zest then pop the mixture into the oven.
But there were no lemons in the fruit bowl.
Or in the fridge.
Or on the work surface.
Why hadn’t she thought to check?
She glanced around at the other contestants. They all had chocolate and sugar and strawberries and even mangoes. But no lemons.
Eve stared at her cake batter. Without lemons, it was just plain sponge cake.
‘Eve!’
She looked to the doorway and there was Jack. Grinning. And juggling. He crossed the tent and dropped two lemons into her fruit bowl.
‘Had a feeling you might need these.’
‘But I wasn’t even meant to be entered into this competition.’ Eve frowned at him.
‘I know, but when you told me about Mary, I suspected that you might make lemon drizzle cake. Luckily, they had lemons on the refreshments stand, so I pinched two. Just in case.’
‘You are a life-saver!’ Eve reached out and pulled him close. She planted a big kiss on his mouth and giggled when he blushed.
‘Eve Carpenter! In public view too!’
She shrugged. ‘Thank you.’
‘Any time. I always want to be able to rescue you if you’re a damsel in distress.’
‘Oh Jack.’ Eve gazed into his eyes for a moment, then realized where she was. Time to get the zest into the batter then get the cake into the oven.
‘I’ll let you get on. I’ll be right over there.’ Jack pointed to where Aunt Mary and Edward sat watching them both intently, beaming at what they’d just witnessed.
Eve nodded and got back to work.
When she’d finally placed the cake in the oven and squeezed the juice from the two lemons into a small bowl, she cleaned up and wiped a hand across her brow. All around her the other contestants were busy creating the most elaborate baked goods she’d ever seen in real life – of course she’d seen similar things on those TV shows – and they were extremely impressive. But they’d most likely been doing this kind of thing for years, whereas for Eve, baking a cake was a significant achievement.
Now all she had to do was sit back and wait for it to cook, then she could add the drizzle and it would be ready.
A hush fell over the cake-off tent as the judges sampled all the cakes. There was a chocolate marble tower decked with tiny chocolate stars, a lemon roulade served with a berry compote, a baked Alaska surrounded by a delicate glittering sugar cage and a chocolate and raspberry soufflé served with Cornish ice cream – probably from Foxglove Farm, Eve thought. Everything looked delicious.
Then there was Eve’s lemon drizzle cake.
It had caught and browned slightly around the edges and she’d tried to disguise it by spreading the drizzle thicker there, but she knew that it paled in comparison to the other creations.
Even so, even though she knew she wouldn’t win, she didn’t care.
Because she had achieved something special: she’d baked a cake and it had turned out all right – certainly edible, if not as pretty as the others – and she had baked it under pressure.
And she hadn’t crumbled.
She hadn’t suffered an anxiety attack.
She hadn’t thrown up or passed out.
She left the judges and the other contestants and went to find her aunt and Jack. They were standing near the doorway with Edward, sipping lemonade and talking quietly.
‘Well?’ Mary asked, nodding in the direction of the judges.
Eve shrugged. ‘I was never going to win it, was I? I only learnt how to bake in the last few weeks and it’ll take a while before I’m up to their standard.’
‘I like the positivity there,’ Jack said, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
‘Well I feel really positive. I do enjoy baking and I will get better, in time. But I know that this was about more than that.’ She pointed at her aunt’s arm, which was now out of its sling and seemed to be fully functional.
‘Well, dear, I just wanted you to know that you’ve still got it.’
‘It?’ Eve chuckled. ‘Yes, I guess I have.’
‘Whether it’s teaching, leading a school, making a dog happy or just being you, Eve, it doesn’t matter. You’re a lovely young woman with a lot to give and I wanted you to realize that you won’t always crack under pressure. Your confidence has taken a battering of late but it will return, and although that might take time, it will come.’
Eve leaned forward and kissed her aunt’s cheek. ‘Thank you.’
‘That’s what family are for.’
Eve nodded, her throat too tight to reply. Family. Whether that was her aunt, Edward, Gabe or Jack … or all of them together. It didn’t have to be as straightforward as a mother and father or sisters and brothers. It was about the people you spent time with and the people who had time for you. And even after everything that had happened, she was lucky enough to have people who wanted her around.
Later on, as the stars twinkled in the clear night sky and the moon cast a silvery light over the ocean, Eve and Jack lay on a picnic blanket spread on the deserted beach, gazing up at the sky. The wind had died down and the evening was calm and still. Eve wriggled over and rested her head on Jack’s shoulder.
‘You know … I feel like I’ve known you for years, not just weeks.’
‘You’re fed up of me already?’ he asked, turning his head slightly to kiss her hair.
‘No! Not like that. I meant that I’m so comfortable being with you, Jack. You make me feel safe and cared about. I can be myself with you and it’s like you’ll always be there. I don’t doubt that you care or that you like me.’
‘Of course I like you. How could I not like you?’
‘I’ve spent my life wondering if people like me. My own parents weren’t fussed, so why would anyone else be?’
Jack rolled onto his side to face her and stroked her cheek with his free hand. ‘Your parents were fools if that’s true, Eve.’
She shrugged. ‘They’re just people, and not all people should be parents.’
‘I know that. But not us, eh?’
‘What?’ Eve gazed into his eyes and her heart filled with emotion. His eyes shone in the moonlight and she knew that she’d never seen anything more wonderful than his face.
‘Well, Eve … if you do want me, then I see a wonderful future ahead for us.’
‘You do?’
He nodded. ‘I can’t stand the thought of not being with you. I want you to stay here in Conwenna Cove forever.’
‘I want that too.’
‘And perhaps … one day, we can get married and have a family.’
‘What?’ Eve held up a hand.
‘I was just thinking that when the time is right … Wouldn’t you like that? A baby, or even babies?’
The sincerity in his eyes tore right through her, and when she tried to swallow, it was like she had broken glass lodged in her throat.
‘Babies?’ Her heart pounded furiously. ‘What makes you say that, Jack?’
‘You want children, don’t you?’ His expression was suddenly wary and Eve could see a vein throbbing in his neck. ‘To have a family … with me?’
‘Oh Jack.’ Her voice cracked. She wanted to be with him but she hadn’t thought beyond them as a couple; she hadn’t thought of what might happen after that.
And now …
She sat up and looked around as panic seized her. ‘I’m so sorry, Jack. I just can’t do this. I have to go!’
She paused for a moment, then slid her feet into her shoes, jumped up and ran off along the beach. She didn’t know if Jack was following her or if he tried to call her back, because she was running so fast that all she could hear was the wind rushing past her ears and the sound of her own sobbing.