When they walked back into the kitchen at ten-thirty, Bella had lined up what looked like dozens and dozens of cupcakes ready for icing and Wes was standing drinking a glass of water.
‘Thanks for coming back, I wouldn’t have blamed you for doing a runner.’ Bella wiped her hand across her forehead. ‘I’m so tired, I can’t think straight. Any ideas for another holiday theme, Soph? I’m relying on you. And I am so sick of red, white and blue frigging frosting.’ She pointed to the batches of cakes behind Wes which were already decorated in patriotic swirls. ‘I also need to cook up more cookies, decorate another cheesecake and come up with an idea for a showstopper of a Fourth of July cake to take home with me.’
‘I did think of an idea for the cupcakes. How about white fondant icing with bunting triangles of red, white and blue, some spotty, some not? A bit Cath Kidston.’ Sophie wasn’t sure how big Cath Kidston was over here, but Bella nodded as if she knew what she was talking about. She tried to catch Bella’s eye while Todd and Wes weren’t looking.
‘Brilliant. They’ll look lovely. In fact, I could do those year round, change the colours to match the seasons. You’re a genius, Sophie,’ said Bella, her words running into each other as she did everything she could to avoid looking directly at Sophie.
‘Once Todd’s done the washing-up, we can get him to cut out the triangles.’
‘I can do that too,’ rumbled Wes’s low voice.
‘OK,’ said Sophie. ‘Bella, why don’t you carry on making the cakes, while I colour the icing and roll it out, and then the boys can use the cutters to make the bunting flags.’
There was a flurry of activity around the kitchen as everyone took up their new positions.
Sophie sidled up to Bella. ‘You haven’t asked him yet, have you?’
Bella yanked open a drawer and pulled out a rolling pin and some metal cutters. ‘Here, Todd. As soon as Sophie gets cracking, you’ll have a job.’ She gave Sophie a sharp nudge.
‘Coward,’ said Sophie with a teasing smile.
‘I just need the right moment,’ Bella muttered back.
‘What are you two whispering about?’ asked Todd. ‘Coming up with more jobs for us poor hapless skivvies?’
‘Yes, although it would help if you made a start on the washing-up,’ said Sophie.
‘You’re quite bossy, when you get going,’ observed Todd with a quick gentle nudge in the ribs, as he rolled up his sleeves.
‘I have my moments. Now get to work, my man.’
‘Aye aye.’ He crossed over to the big industrial sink piled high and calmly began to run water.
For the next hour the four of them worked in quiet sync, gentle chatter punctuating their flow, as Sophie and Bella guided operations. Sophie noticed that Bella avoided looking at or touching Wes, while he, when Bella wasn’t looking, watched her with a naked hunger in his eyes that had Sophie puzzled. He clearly liked Bella and she liked him, so what was the problem and why was Bella so wary of asking him out?
When several dozen cupcakes had been baked and frosted, three batches of cookies had been baked and the second cheesecake had been decorated, Bella called for a coffee break.
‘Thank you, God,’ said Todd, heading straight to the machine, abandoning his post at the sink with glee.
‘I need to head off, I’ll take my coffee to go,’ said Wes.
Bella watched him go, her mouth slightly pinched. ‘Thanks for your help.’
‘Anytime, Bella babes, anytime.’ The wide, white-toothed, crescent smile he gave her didn’t quite reach his amber eyes.
‘So Sophie,’ said Bella, dismissing Wes with brittle determination, ‘I’ve seen this amazing cake on Pinterest.’
Wes took his coffee and as he walked out he raised his fingers in a casual salute.
‘You did?’ Sophie could spot a diversion tactic a mile away.
‘Yes, look,’ she showed Sophie a picture on her phone, ‘you cut it and you can see the stars and stripes in every slice. I’m trying to work out how the heck you assemble it.’
Todd had made Sophie a coffee, and she nodded thanks to him as she poured milk into her mug. ‘Alternate sponges of red and cream filling … hmm, and then if you made a blue sponge but cut out most of the middle and filled it with a red sponge … yes, that would work. Although I’m not sure how you’d get the stars running through. White chocolate chips in the blue sponge, perhaps?’
‘You beauty!’ shouted Bella. ‘Genius, of course.’ She slapped Sophie on the back, narrowly missing spilling her coffee.
Sophie lifted her cup as if to bat away the compliment. ‘Team work. Actually, I stole that off The Great British Bake Off.’
‘I don’t care, it works for me and I love that show. Did I say how grateful I am for all your help?’ She shot Todd a quick, warm look. ‘Even yours.’
He toasted her with his coffee. ‘Anytime, cous.’
‘You did,’ said Sophie, examining the contents of her coffee cup.
‘No really, I’d have struggled with this many commissions. With you helping, I’ve been able to keep on top of those. Now that wedding season is coming up, it’s getting busier.’ She turned pleading eyes on Sophie. ‘You are sticking around, aren’t you?’
Todd rolled his eyes.
Sophie patted her hand with a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t worry. I’m here until the end of November.’
‘Darn it, can’t you stay a bit longer, I’ll have Christmas cakes to do.’
‘I’ll be wanting to go home for a rest. You’re a slave driver.’
‘Sorry, am I too much? I am, aren’t I?’ Bella bit her lip, her face creasing in sudden worry.
‘You’re fine. I love helping you. I’m most at home in a kitchen.’ Sophie paused and then looked at her and Todd, his invitation to the beach still in her mind. ‘You’ve been a lifesaver. Both of you.’ She swallowed slightly, ashamed of admitting it, but with Bella it was hard not to tell her everything. ‘Without you … and Todd, I’d have hidden away in the apartment. You’ve kind of dragged me out. I’ve always thought I was quite sociable and outgoing – and I am, once I’m out – but I’ve realised I spent quite a lot of time on my own … waiting for things to happen, letting things happen to me, rather than going out and making them happen, like I used to do.’ She realised there’d been a before-James life and a post-James life and now, in hindsight, the latter hadn’t been quite as good as she’d hoped at the time. Even with Paul, she’d pretended that going out with him was stretching her wings again, but she’d been kidding herself. She’d known all along that she was playing safe and avoiding doing anything that would really challenge her.
If she’d acted that way when she’d failed her A levels she’d still be at home waiting on tables in the local pub. It was almost as if she’d been sleepwalking through life for the last two years.
‘Does that mean you’re going to come out to the beach?’ asked Todd, as if he could read her mind.
‘I—’
‘You should go,’ said Bella suddenly, nodding as if it solved a huge problem. ‘Todd needs back-up and my family isn’t going this year.’
‘I heard,’ said Todd, his face dimming.
‘Sorry.’ She patted him on the shoulder and turned back to Sophie. ‘We normally go to our beach house, which is down the road from Uncle Ross, but we’re staying home this year. Todd and Martin usually end up spending more time at our place.’ She risked a glance at Todd. ‘My mom’s a bit less … formal.’
‘That’s the understatement of the century. Bella’s mom would welcome a porcupine that wandered in off the highway.’
‘You don’t get porcupines on Long Island. National Geographic fact.’
‘OK, a deer.’
‘Mmm, not sure, Mom gets pretty mad that they eat all the roses in the yard.’
Sophie pressed her lips together hard to stop laughing at them but a tiny snigger slipped out.
‘Honestly, you two are worse than brother and sister.’
Bella laughed. ‘If you go out to Long Island, you’ll have a … great time. Todd’s mom is a fabulous hostess. You’ll be well looked after, that’s for sure. And the house is wonderful, right on the beach. And you can spend every day there. And the weather will be great. And the fireworks are amazing. Yeah, you should go.’
Todd rolled his eyes at her. ‘Keep going Bella, you’re really selling it.’
‘OK, Todd’s mom is a little bit anal about everything being perfect.’
‘You said it, not me,’ he quipped, folding his arms and crossing his legs at his ankles. For once his smile seemed forced and his stance wary, as if he were ready to bolt at any second.
‘But she’s OK … like I said … a great hostess. And … she’ll probably love you. Just tell her you know Prince William and … yeah, actually do that, she will love you.’ Bella turned to Todd. ‘And that will stop your dad thrusting the latest debutante your way.’
Todd glared at her. ‘That’s not why I invited Sophie,’ he bit out. ‘Don’t make it sound like I’m using her.’ Fury flashed in his face.
‘Oooh,’ said Bella in a high-pitched teasing tone that only a cousin or a sister could get away with. ‘Touchy much.’
‘Bella, leave it,’ he growled, not meeting Sophie’s eyes.
‘OK. OK. Well, I, for one, am so looking forward to the holiday. I’m going to sleep three days straight and let Mom wait on me hand and foot.
‘Yikes! The cookies.’ She jumped up and rushed over to the oven, rescuing the chocolate-chunk cookies in the nick of time.
Todd had turned away and was looking into his coffee cup. Sophie wasn’t sure what to say, still slightly surprised that Bella, who’d spent the last few weeks warning her off Todd, seemed so keen for her to go with him all of a sudden. Bella was clearly worried about him and thought that Sophie going with him would help in some way, which of course was what made her decide to go.
Todd had done so much for her, it sounded like he needed her support.