Semi-Sweet On You (Hot Cakes #4) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,35
the goods,” Cam said, pulling Didi’s attention back to him.
She smiled. “You sound like a typical McCaffrey.”
Fair enough. He tipped his head in acknowledgment.
“The problem there is that you’re not as open to being taught or changing,” she said.
That was also fair. The McCaffreys were well-known for being stubborn as hell. But he wondered if Didi had an underlying meaning or lesson for him as well. It wasn’t as if the McCaffreys were the only ones in the family feud. The Lancasters had been just as stubborn. Hell, it had been Didi who had taken the recipe for Butter Sticks from Letty and turned them into her own business.
“If you think there’s a way to improve this, you let me know,” he told her.
She dipped her fork into the edge of his pan of chocolate coconut bars. Her nose was already wrinkled by the time she lifted the fork. “Well, the first way to improve them is to take the coconut out.”
He laughed. “They’re chocolate coconut bars.”
“Yeah. So they already”—she looked at Ollie—“suck.”
Ollie grinned. Cam laughed.
“You’re not a fan of coconut?” he asked.
“You didn’t wonder why none of the Hot Cakes have coconut in them already?” she asked.
He sighed, pretending to be hurt. “So I’ve lost before you even taste it?”
“Yes,” she said simply. “But you still get to have dessert with me,” she added. “So that’s a win. We’re just going to have to go to your sister’s bakery for something good to eat.”
Cam was again pleasantly surprised by Didi’s public compliment of something to do with his family. “I can arrange that,” he told her.
Didi handed her fork to Piper. “But I also want to be fair. Here. What do you think?”
Piper tasted the chocolate coconut bar. She nodded. “Delicious actually.”
“Do you want to taste the lemon too?” Didi asked her.
Piper glanced at Ollie. “No. Oliver never adds enough sweetness to anything.”
Cam coughed to cover his laugh. She was annoyed with Ollie today, clearly. He looked at Ollie. He had his arms crossed and was watching Piper as if he was equally annoyed, but also confused as to what he’d done wrong.
“So I guess that means I win,” Max said from the end of the stage.
Didi looked at him. “Well, it is possible that I won’t choose any of these.”
Piper frowned. “I don’t know. We do need to have a new product to launch.” She glanced toward the crowd, probably looking for Whitney.
Cam looked for her as well. She was still standing at the back, chewing on her right thumbnail. That was the sure sign she was nervous about this. Well, she needed to get her sweet ass down to the front, or better yet, up here on stage, and take control.
He lifted a brow as she caught his eye.
She didn’t move.
“I’m not going to choose a subpar product for Hot Cakes,” Didi said, lifting her chin slightly.
The move was so familiar to Cam that he had to shake his head. Whitney’s stubborn, don’t-mess-with-me expression was an exact replica of her grandmother’s.
“The town helped choose these,” Piper said. “We had nearly a hundred entries. I promise these are not subpar.”
“Well, we’ll see,” Didi said, moving toward Max.
Piper handed her another fork.
Max held his pan out.
Didi lifted a forkful of caramel crunch bar to her mouth and tasted it. She chewed. She swallowed. She thought for a moment. But there was no nose wrinkling.
“These are delightful,” she finally said.
Max’s mouth spread into a huge grin. “Thank you.”
“Very good,” she said, nodding and setting her fork down. “But—”
Everyone froze. Piper actually groaned.
“You shouldn’t let other people tell you how to express yourself,” she told Max. “I would have expected more from you. Something bolder. Something with more… flavor. Cinnamon and cayenne,” she said. “Or maybe raspberry and dark chocolate.”
Max lifted a brow. “Because I’m gay?”
Didi looked surprised. “You’re gay?”
“I am.”
“Huh.” She seemed to think about that. “No, I meant because you’re a big, bold personality,” she said. She studied him for a moment. “But if you wanted to put rainbow chips in something I suppose that would—”
“Grandma!”
Finally Whitney arrived in front of the stage.
Didi looked down at her. “What?”
“That’s… enough.” Whitney’s cheeks were bright pink.
“I’m being supportive,” Didi said. “If Max wants to express his sexuality—”
“He is a baker. Not everything has to be about his sexuality,” Whitney said. She cast an apologetic look at Max. “I’m sorry.”
Max shrugged one big shoulder. “It’s okay, Whit. This is how people learn.”
Whitney visibly sighed. “Grandma, let’s just focus on the baking.”