marionberry garnish.”
The judges scribbled on their paddles and raised them high in the air. Ten, nine, eight. Really? Why was Saggy Lady’s score always lower than the other two? Did she even taste the cupcake? From her vacant expression, one would never know.
At least Goatee Man was on their side. His last three scores had all been a ten, possibly because all the sugar was putting him in a good mood.
“What was that all about?” Andi demanded, coming into the kitchen with baby Jacob over her shoulder as she gently patted his back. “That wasn’t one of the recipes on the list.”
Stacey took the bowl of frosting for the final cupcake and stirred it with a spoon. “No, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to make some last-minute changes.”
“Unforeseen circumstances?” Andi repeated with disbelief. “ What kind of unforeseen circumstances?”
Suddenly, the baby spit up milk all over Andi’s shoulder . . . and straight into Stacey’s bowl.
“Oh!” Andi exclaimed, her eyes wide as she realized what baby Jacob had done.
Stacey pushed the bowl aside, and she and Andi looked at each other for a long moment.
“ That kind of unforeseen circumstance,” Stacey said, quietly.
“This is a disaster! ” Andi shouted and walked back out of the kitchen.
Stacey wiped her hands on a dish towel and threw it down on the table.
“You can’t give up,” Dave said, his voice filled with encouragement. “One of the things I love about you is that you never give up.”
Stacey stared at him. One of the things he loved about her? Did that mean there were more? Wait! Did he say love ?
“Gladys, any ideas?” Stacey asked, dumping the sour-smelling frosting into the trash.
“Something with peanut butter,” the old woman said. “Judge number three always had a penchant for peanut butter when we worked together at the bakery.”
Stacey’s gaze fell on her backpack. “Peanut butter, huh?”
She retrieved the last MRE, ripped open the box, and slit the foil pouch. After mixing the contents with a jar of marshmallow fluff, she swirled the creamy peanut butter mixture over the last three cupcakes.
“I thought you said the MREs tasted horrible,” Dave reminded her, his voice sounding slightly panicked. “You said they were only good if you needed to survive.”
She nodded. “Right now I’m trying to survive this competition.”
Dave, Theresa, Heather, and Eric all followed her out the door of the kitchen as she marched the final cupcakes to the judges’ table. Gladys hung back to peek out between the double doors.
“Vanilla Buttermilk cupcakes frosted with Peanut Butter Surprise,” Stacey said, her voice strong and firm.
The crowd remained silent as the three judges each took a bite. Then instead of scribbling a number on their paddles, Goatee Guy, Skeletor, and Saggy Woman each looked at each other, nodded, got up from their seats, and went out the door.
“Was it that bad?” Stacey asked, more to herself than anyone else. “They didn’t even give it a score.”
Rachel and Kim both ran through the door, followed by their husbands.
“I came right from the airport,” Kim said, her voice breathless. “What happened?”
Stacey frowned. “I served the last cupcake and . . . the judges left.”
“We didn’t win?” Rachel cried.
“The baby spit into the frosting,” Andi said, as she stepped up to join them. “What a mess!”
Then the murmurs from the crowd rose and mixed with Andi’s, Rachel’s, and Kim’s anxiety-ridden squeals of distress. Dave’s voice, along with Theresa’s, Heather’s, and Eric’s, joined in, and the sound spun round and round the room, like the loud, fearsome whirring noise of a tornado before it strikes.
Stacey put her hands over her ears and shouted, “ Stop! All we can do is our best, right? But if my best isn’t good enough, then I guess I’ll have to find another job.”
Andi gasped and handed the baby off to Jake. “Stacey, you can’t
The judges scribbled on their paddles and raised them high in the air. Ten, nine, eight. Really? Why was Saggy Lady’s score always lower than the other two? Did she even taste the cupcake? From her vacant expression, one would never know.
At least Goatee Man was on their side. His last three scores had all been a ten, possibly because all the sugar was putting him in a good mood.
“What was that all about?” Andi demanded, coming into the kitchen with baby Jacob over her shoulder as she gently patted his back. “That wasn’t one of the recipes on the list.”
Stacey took the bowl of frosting for the final cupcake and stirred it with a spoon. “No, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to make some last-minute changes.”
“Unforeseen circumstances?” Andi repeated with disbelief. “ What kind of unforeseen circumstances?”
Suddenly, the baby spit up milk all over Andi’s shoulder . . . and straight into Stacey’s bowl.
“Oh!” Andi exclaimed, her eyes wide as she realized what baby Jacob had done.
Stacey pushed the bowl aside, and she and Andi looked at each other for a long moment.
“ That kind of unforeseen circumstance,” Stacey said, quietly.
“This is a disaster! ” Andi shouted and walked back out of the kitchen.
Stacey wiped her hands on a dish towel and threw it down on the table.
“You can’t give up,” Dave said, his voice filled with encouragement. “One of the things I love about you is that you never give up.”
Stacey stared at him. One of the things he loved about her? Did that mean there were more? Wait! Did he say love ?
“Gladys, any ideas?” Stacey asked, dumping the sour-smelling frosting into the trash.
“Something with peanut butter,” the old woman said. “Judge number three always had a penchant for peanut butter when we worked together at the bakery.”
Stacey’s gaze fell on her backpack. “Peanut butter, huh?”
She retrieved the last MRE, ripped open the box, and slit the foil pouch. After mixing the contents with a jar of marshmallow fluff, she swirled the creamy peanut butter mixture over the last three cupcakes.
“I thought you said the MREs tasted horrible,” Dave reminded her, his voice sounding slightly panicked. “You said they were only good if you needed to survive.”
She nodded. “Right now I’m trying to survive this competition.”
Dave, Theresa, Heather, and Eric all followed her out the door of the kitchen as she marched the final cupcakes to the judges’ table. Gladys hung back to peek out between the double doors.
“Vanilla Buttermilk cupcakes frosted with Peanut Butter Surprise,” Stacey said, her voice strong and firm.
The crowd remained silent as the three judges each took a bite. Then instead of scribbling a number on their paddles, Goatee Guy, Skeletor, and Saggy Woman each looked at each other, nodded, got up from their seats, and went out the door.
“Was it that bad?” Stacey asked, more to herself than anyone else. “They didn’t even give it a score.”
Rachel and Kim both ran through the door, followed by their husbands.
“I came right from the airport,” Kim said, her voice breathless. “What happened?”
Stacey frowned. “I served the last cupcake and . . . the judges left.”
“We didn’t win?” Rachel cried.
“The baby spit into the frosting,” Andi said, as she stepped up to join them. “What a mess!”
Then the murmurs from the crowd rose and mixed with Andi’s, Rachel’s, and Kim’s anxiety-ridden squeals of distress. Dave’s voice, along with Theresa’s, Heather’s, and Eric’s, joined in, and the sound spun round and round the room, like the loud, fearsome whirring noise of a tornado before it strikes.
Stacey put her hands over her ears and shouted, “ Stop! All we can do is our best, right? But if my best isn’t good enough, then I guess I’ll have to find another job.”
Andi gasped and handed the baby off to Jake. “Stacey, you can’t
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