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The hours ticked by and Ally had almost mastered the flavor combination she was going with for a slight tart-sweet cherry and rhubarb pie, but something was missing. It tasted like every other cherry-rhubarb pie she had ever tasted. It needed something special. Something with heat—and the crust, it needed something too.
Ally wasn’t here to make a regular pie. She was here to make an extraordinary pie.
Then she might really be accomplished. Then, maybe she could really help the Sprinkles bakery and in doing so, help Lauren and Maggie do more than just get by. And just maybe, she’d impress Mitch enough to see....To really see her.
Stupid, that Ally thought she could do all that with a pie.
She worked with the next pie crust, throwing in some sugar and a little ginger. The frozen bits of butter in the mixture would make for a flaky crust if Ally did it right. Kneading it a bit before she rolled it out, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Ally wiped her hair off her forehead with the back of her hand.
“I’ve created a monster,” Lauren said with Maggy, already dressed in her pajamas, perched up on her hip.
“I’ll be up soon, I promise. I just want to try one more thing and then I’ll clean up.”
Lauren considered this with a twist of her lips to the side. “It’s important to get rest so you’ll be ready for tomorrow. You know how high energy the bakery is. I don’t need to tell you that.”
Ally nodded. “I promise. I just want this flavor combination to work.”
“All right,” Lauren sighed. “I’ll leave you to it. Does...does all of this mean that you’re reconsidering what I said? Maybe you’ll stay here in Sweet Falls?”
“I don’t know. Not yet. But I want to stay for the fair. What’s two extra days, right?”
Lauren smiled. “Right. Either case, I really don’t want you to go. Head up soon, I have dinner warming in the oven.”
Ally was grateful for a friend like Lauren.
She prepped the dough into a pie plate and poured in the filling, before fitting a top crust on top with a sprinkle of sugar. While it was cooking, Ally cleaned the counters and put everything away. As she grabbed herself a bottle of water from the fridge, her phone rang.
Ally was surprised to see it was her brother, Christopher.
“Chris?” Ally said with wide eyes as she put the phone to her ear. “Is this really you?”
“Hey girl! Guess who is state side again!”
“It’s really good to hear your voice,” Ally said. “I’ve missed you. A lot has happened but how’s your sabbatical?”
“Boring, but I’m happy to be back. I’m just going through customs now. I hear you and dad have gotten into a new tiff.”
“We have but it’s working out. I’m living on my own and supporting myself.”
“Wow,” Chris sounded genuinely shocked and a fair bit impressed. “Doing what?”
“Working in a bakery. Making pies.” Ally paused as Chris burst out laughing and she waited for the hilarity of her situation to pass.
“No, really. What are you doing?”
Ally felt a rush of heat flush her face and her chest rose high as she took a breath. “I’m telling you the truth. You don’t have to like it, but if you called just to laugh at me, I’m afraid I’ll be hanging up now.”
“No, no. Don’t do that. I’m sorry I laughed. If you like making cakes, or whatever, that’s your business. Look, I got your message about needing money. If you still need it, I’ll wire it to you tonight. You can pay for whatever’s wrong with your car and head home tomorrow.”
Ally paused and her mouth hung open. “You’d...you’d do that?”
“Of course. Us Sinclairs stick together, right? Okay, I’m going through your Instagram feed and I see what you’re talking about. Now I’m hungry.” Chris sighed. “Only you could turn pies into a social media frenzy.”
Ally smiled at the compliment. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”
“You look good, kid. I’ve missed you.” His tone turned rich with emotion, which normally wasn’t his style.
“Me too. Hopeully I’ll see you soon...but, I’m not ready to give up, Chris. So thanks, but no thanks. You can keep your money.”
“You sure? You really want to stay in Sweet Falls of all places?”
“I think I do. For now. See where it takes me.”
Chris sighed. “It’s your funeral. When dad finds out who you’re working with...You know what he says about the Dressens.”
“White trash,” Ally nodded. “He says a lot of things. None of them kind. For what it’s worth, they say a lot of things about us too.”
“Yeah?” Chris asked. “What do they say?”
“Silver spoon planted firmly up our butts.”
Chris laughed. “They aren’t wrong.”
Ally joined in his laughter. “I’m learning I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. Tell you what, if you’re heading home, why don’t you visit? Drop in for some pie and coffee. I’ll even buy you a slice.”
“I’ll think about it, okay? Gotta go. See you soon, I hope.”
“Me too,” Ally said as she hung up the phone. Their conversation lingered in her mind as slid on her oven mitts. The steaming pie was out of the oven and looked good enough to eat, but would it be a prize winner? Would it be a pie that would earn her a ribbon and maybe Mitch Dressen too?