“Perfect!” Tiff said brightly. “People, I’m getting excited!”
When was Tiff anything else? Ella wondered. “When do you fly in?”
“The team and I will be there Friday morning, bright and early. We want to get a time-lapse vid of the setup Friday afternoon, and then wander around Friday evening and Saturday and capture the different booths and food options. We’ll finish up Sunday afternoon with a dramatic look at the First Baptist Bake-Off. I know there are fireworks and a bonfire afterward, but we wanted to make it feel like the bake-off is the festival’s grand finale.”
The preacher chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with some creative storytelling.”
“Not at all,” said Grace.
Ella put down her pen. “Any other new business?” She cast a careful look around the table, but no one said anything else. “I guess we’re done, then. Unless there is an issue, we won’t be meeting again until an hour before the bake-off, in the greenroom. I’ll—”
Jules raised her hand.
Wow. Two engagements in one meeting. “Yes, Jules?”
“I’m just curious. How did we get so many people to buy tickets for the bake-off? There aren’t a thousand people in this town.”
“The internet,” Grace said. “Mainly via Ella’s social media platforms. To be honest, most of the audience is coming to see her.”
Ella wished everyone would stop looking at her. It made her feel like an animal in a zoo.
Tiff jumped in. “And remember, it’s more than just the ticket holders who will get to watch the bake-off. The biggest audience will be online, as we’re live streaming it. We expect a minimum of five hundred thousand people to tune in, and probably more.”
“Five hundred thousand?” Jules gave a surprised, disbelieving laugh. “To see a cake contest?”
Tiff shrugged. “If the demo or the bake-off goes viral, the number will be higher than that. Ella’s fans love seeing her bake, so it could happen. That reminds me: Ella, did you decide what you’re going to make for the demo?”
Tiff had brought up the cooking demonstration at their last meeting. It would be a separate event from the bake-off and would be its own fundraiser. Grace had suggested that the money from the baking-demo ticket sales could be given to the library for new book purchases, which had thrilled Sarah.
Ella pulled a piece of paper from the back of her folder. “Tiff thought I should make another caramel apple cake—”
“I taught you that,” Aunt Jo said proudly.
Ella smiled. “Yes, you did.”
Preacher Thompson patted Aunt Jo’s arm. “I’ve had your caramel apple cake and it’s divine. If Ella’s is anything like yours, people will be happy as punch to learn how to make it.”
“Let’s do that one,” Tiff said. “This is an Apple Festival, after all. And Aunt Jo, maybe Ella can have you on as a guest or a special assistant of sorts. Ella, what do you think?”
“Sure!” It would be lovely to be back in the kitchen with Aunt Jo.
Tiff wrote a new to-do on her list. “Send me your ingredient and equipment needs and I’ll make sure everything is in the demo tent when the time comes.” Tiff looked up and down her list. “That’s it for me. I can’t wait to see this little town of yours, Ella. It seems like a movie set: too good to be true. It’ll be crazy to see the real thing.”
“I’m sure you’ll love it.” Ella looked around the table. “Last chance. Are there any more questions?”
Everyone looked at each other, and for a moment the only noise came from Moon Pie’s not-so-gentle snores.
“Terrific,” Ella said. “Adjourned!”
“That was quick.” Grace capped her pen and stood as she slid her notebook into her satchel. “I’ve got my to-do list. Tiff, I’ll text if I need anything else.”
“Sounds good,” Tiff said. “See you all on the big day!” With a wave, she signed off.
Zoe closed her notebook. “This year’s bake-off is going to make this the biggest Apple Festival we’ve ever had. Thank goodness for Tiff.”
“We’re lucky to have her,” Ella admitted. She smiled around the table. “Thanks for coming, y’all. It’s going to be a fun event.”
Everyone started collecting their stuff. Sarah said her goodbyes before she hurried back to the front desk to help the new assistant librarian. A few minutes later, Grace left with Zoe, both of them talking about the “golden ratio” and Tiff’s “amazing omnichannel marketing.”
The preacher waited as Aunt Jo collected her cane and purse, then he helped her into her coat. Afterward, he bent down and gently woke Moon Pie.
The dog came awake with a snort and a weird little hop. “Easy there, Goliath,” the preacher said. “We’ve got to get you and your momma home.”
Aunt Jo leaned on her cane. “Come on, Moon Pie. Ella, I look forward to doing that demo with you.”
“Me too. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather bake with.”
Aunt Jo’s brown eyes twinkled, and she said with a broad grin, “It’ll be just like old times, won’t it?”
“Exactly like old times.” Ella gave Aunt Jo a hug before the preacher herded the older woman and her sleepy dog from the room.
Ella slid her notebook back into her purse, her mind already composing the ingredient list she’d send to Tiff. As she turned to pick up her purse, she realized Jules was still sitting in her chair. “Oh! I thought you’d left with the others. Did you have a question about the scoring system? It looks complicated, but it’s not, really.”
“I understood it.” Jules’s expression grew troubled, her dark brown eyes carrying a hint of worry. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Ella sat back down. “Should I get my notes out? I can—”
“It has nothing to do with the contest.” Jules’s voice was sharp. “This is about Gray.”
Oh, wow. We’re doing this today, are we? Ella sent a wistful look toward the door. She felt a little ambushed, and realized now that she’d taken Jules’s involvement in the meeting, along with Mark’s kindness earlier this morning, as signs that Jules might be softening toward her. Apparently not. “What’s up?”
“What’s going on with you and Gray?”
That was direct. Ella supposed she could be, too. “We’ve been seeing each other.” Well, they were also laughing and holding hands and talking about life and its foibles… stuff like that. And yes, there’d also been some kissing, but not as much as Ella would have liked. But Jules didn’t need those details. “Gray and I haven’t hidden anything.”
“You’re still planning on leaving, though.”
“Yes.” The word was harder to say than she’d expected. “I can’t see myself living here. I’ve told him that too. Many times, in fact.”
“I see. What will you do once you’re done here?”
Ella shifted uneasily in her chair. “At one point, I’d thought I’d go back to New York, but… now I don’t know.” It was odd, but the thought of going back to New York was less appealing by the day. She didn’t know where she’d go. All she knew was that the second her horrible strawberry dreams ended and the bake-off was over, she would be free to leave.