it that makes it different?” She grabs another one and eats it in one bite. She wasn’t kidding. Major sweet tooth.
“It’s a secret,” I lie.
It’s not. It’s the Tahitian vanilla extract from one specific tiny farm in Tahiti. His process is a secret, but he produces the purest, richest vanilla I have tried.
Oh no! I drop my head with guilt, smacking myself in the head. I’m the one who pushed him to produce more. My order makes up more than half his stock each month and now with me not there, his business will suffer. I make a mental note to call him at some point. Maybe I can get some shipped here.
“Guys, come in and grab a cookie,” Halli says into her sleeve.
Good thing I brought a larger bottle of extract with me. If there’s anything about my life for certain, it’s baking. “I want to open a bakery,” I blurt.
“Sign me up for a dozen a week.” Halli moans, eating another cookie. “Wait, make that two dozen.”
“What smells wonderful in here,” Amy says walking into the kitchen with her nose in the air.
She glances around the messy kitchen and I’m about to apologize but Halli exclaims, “You have to try these cookies. I swear they have crack in them. I can’t stop eating them.” She jerks her head toward me and asks in a worried tone. “They don’t have crack in them, do they?”
I scratch my head. All these unfamiliar words are baffling. “Crack? I… I’m not sure what that is.”
“Drugs.”
I laugh out loud, wondering how I’ll ever learn the lingo. “No drugs, I promise.”
Amy takes one and splits it in half before taking a bite. She hums and waits to finish before saying, “This is fantastic, Aspen. Is it just a sugar cookie?”
“It is.”
The looks on their faces give me hope that I can offer something different. “Can I bake you guys some other pastries?”
“You can make whatever your heart desires,” Amy says. “As long as I get a piece.”
I throw my hair up in a messy bun, already planning the menu. I spend the rest of the day making one dessert after another. As fast as the oven will allow me to bake. I’d do anything to forget about my life right now.
With Amy’s blessing, I search her kitchen for platters and put all the pastries on the island. By the time daylight disappears, I have the kitchen cleaned and a buffet of colorful sugar treats. I squeal with delight at how it looks. A variety of cookies, Firi Firi (a Tahitian fried donut), coconut cake, and a new recipe I’m trying out—Whiskey cupcakes inspired by Ryker. I couldn’t help it.
When I walk into the living room a few agents are relaxing on the couch with Amy and her husband, watching TV. Halli’s on her computer, sitting at a small desk in the corner of the room. I clear my throat and everyone turns their attention to me.
Twisting my shirt in my hand, I’m suddenly worried that they’ll hate everything. “Um, do we want to eat dinner first?” I say, not even sure what that would be since I’ve been hoarding the kitchen all day.
“No,” Halli and another agent say simultaneously. I need to learn their names. They introduced themselves at one point, but I was still in a state of shock.
“You’ve been killing us with the wonderful smells,” Halli says, jumping up and making a beeline toward the kitchen. The other agents pop up from their seats and race her to the kitchen.
“We better hurry before Hughes eats it all,” one of them says.
I chuckle. “Oh, that will be happening.”
They stop in their tracks at the sugar explosion. Halli gasps, bouncing on her toes. “Where do I even start? Everything looks amazing.”
I shift my body as gentle hands rest on my shoulders. “Wow. That is a piece of art,” Amy softly says, gazing at the island and then to me. Her warm smile is one I always imagined a mom would give her daughter. “I’m sure they taste as good as they look.”
“I hope you like them.”
“Well, it looks like if I don’t get in there to get a plate, there won’t be any left.”
“You snooze, you lose, babe,” Ted says with a pile on his plate.
“Geez, here I thought you were getting enough for me too.” We both laugh as he shakes his head like that’s a crazy notion.
I anxiously stand back while they test everything. “Oh, my gosh. I’m going into a sugar