“Good.” He watched her leave and then sighed. “There is no such thing as employee loyalty anymore.”
“Is everything ready at the Moonlight for the livestream?”
He nodded. “Marian just called and they’re already at capacity. We made some sheet cakes to serve in honor of the bake-off. Marian’s already got them sliced and ready to serve.”
“What kind of cakes did you make?”
“Two coconut sheet cakes, two chocolate cakes with chocolate fudge frosting, and two vanilla cakes with white frosting.”
“Gray’s going to be sad you didn’t make his favorite.”
Mark smiled. “I’ll make him one before the week’s out. I promise.”
It was nice seeing Mark so relaxed. Happy, even. “You’re enjoying this.”
“The festivals are great for the Moonlight. Zoe says Ella’s social media has more than doubled the turnout. She’d know. No one in this town gets Dove Pond the way Zoe does.”
I detect a hint of admiration in that tone. Hmm. Angela cast a cautious glance at Mark and then said with studied indifference, “She’s an amazing woman, Zoe is.” Angela waited, but Mark didn’t say anything. She tried again. “She’s beautiful. Like a model.”
Again nothing.
Angela surged ahead. “She’s smart, too. Can’t run a bank without having a decent brain, and I hear she owns a darn nice house right on the lake, so—”
“Stop it!” he said through clenched teeth as he glanced around to make sure no one had heard his grandmother. “Not another word.”
“Why haven’t you asked her out?” Angela elbowed him. “Imagine being the kept man of the owner of a bank. You’d become a town legend.”
He flushed, a sheepish look on his face. “She’s something,” he admitted.
“So ask her out!” Good Lord, what was wrong with her grandsons? Jules, I’m blaming this one on you. Ella’s history and her fear of commitment would make any man hesitate, but Mark doesn’t have that excuse. “You won’t know until you try.”
“But I do know. I have about as much chance of getting Zoe to agree to go out on a date with me as I do of winning the bake-off, and I didn’t even enter.”
“There’s your problem. You never try.” She shook her head. “Between you and Gray, I’m about done advocating for your love lives. If you two don’t get off your rumps, you’re both lost causes.”
Mark’s half smile disappeared. “Did Ella—”
“No, no, no,” Angela said hastily. “Gray is fine. I was just talking in general.” She took a sip of her tea, trying to think of a safer topic, and was relieved when, from across the room, Aunt Jo drew their attention by letting out a large guffaw.
Her voice carried across the room as she told her hairstylist, “That’s when my little Moon Pie leapt right over the porch railing and ran out into the road to confront that bear!”
“Oh no!” The hairstylist, a young woman with dyed black hair that was shaved on one side and left long on the other, leaned forward. “What happened to poor Moon Pie?”
“Moon Pie jumped that bear, that’s what.”
“He did not!”
“Jumped him and grabbed him and shook him as if he weren’t forty times his size.” As Aunt Jo spoke, she mimed out her words, shaking an invisible bear like a dishrag.
“Yeet!” the girl exclaimed. “Pugs aren’t that big. A bear would swallow him whole.”
“He would have if he’d been a real bear. Turned out it was just an old rug that had fallen off a truck and crumpled up to look sort of like a bear. Still, Moon Pie didn’t know that. He thought that was a real bear and was fearless.”
“Whew. I’m just glad he was okay. I’d have died if Magpie, my Pomeranian, had gone after a bear, fake or not.”
Mark said in a low voice to Angela, “I don’t believe a word of that, but it makes Moon Pie sound like a warrior.”
“I’ve never seen that dog awake, much less fierce,” Angela admitted, taking a sip of tea. “He—”
“Mom?” Jules beckoned from across the room.
Angela smiled. “I’d better see what she wants. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. I’m going to the concessions table to see if there are any donuts left.”
Angela collected her purse and, careful not to spill her tea, made her way to where Jules sat in front of a makeshift vanity. She was wearing a black satin makeup cape to protect her blue suit while a tall, angular young lady with impressive dragon tattoos worked diligently on her eye shadow.
Angela had to admire the cosmetologist’s deft work. “Jules, you look fabulous.”
The girl beamed. “Ms. Jules is a natural.”
“Thank you.” Jules frowned at Angela. “Find a chair. You agreed not to stand too much today.”
“Jules, I’m fine. I—”
“Mom.”
Angela sighed and looked around.
The cosmetologist pointed to a chair that was partially hidden in the corner behind a cart. “You can use that one if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” Careful of her tea, Angela dragged the seat so that it was near Jules, settled her purse to one side, and sat down. “This is ridiculous. I’m not an invalid, Jules.”
Jules closed her eyes while her eyeliner was being applied. “How’s it going out there? Did you get a look inside the tent?”
“No, but there’s a line of people waiting to get in.”
The makeup artist piped up. “You can see inside the tent if you look from the window beside the double doors.”
Angela put her hot tea on the corner of the dressing table. “I’ll go look.”
“Mom, don’t— Just wait. I’ll ask Mark.”
“He’s at the snack table. Be right back!” Angela left before Jules could say anything else. When she reached the window, she peered out. The side of the tent was open, roped stanchions keeping people in line as they got their tickets checked.
At the far end of the tent, past rows and rows of people, was a red-carpeted stage. On it stood two lines of tables, weighted down by dozens of cakes, each covered by a delicate-looking glass dome and ready for judging. Beside the stage stood several large box lights and cameras angled into place, while a rather antiquated sound system stack sat off to one side. Some very-tech-savvy-looking youths swarmed around the equipment, checking and rechecking.
Angela knew from Jules that Tiff had decorated the stage and tables with flowers from Ava’s greenhouses. Large battery-powered candles borrowed from Ava and Sarah’s house flickered between the cakes, too, and reflected off the glass domes. Tiff had said the decorations would draw attention to the stage and add “light and texture” to the photos and cake close-ups. Angela didn’t know about that, but she had to admit it looked beautiful from here.
But despite the cool-looking stage area, it was the excited buzz in the air that really held Angela’s attention. Everyone was laughing and talking in ways that did her tired heart good. This is a special town. I don’t know why I didn’t realize that when I lived here.