Page 56 of Love's Cure

Taylor gave her a hug. “I’ve got to finish this last book in the series, and I’ve been struggling with it. Cooper suggested we come to Lilac Lake to refresh my creativity. This is much better than staying in New York or going to Long Island for a few days at a time.”

“I’m delighted she’s here,” said Whitney. “Timothy needs some time with Auntie Taylor and Uncle Cooper. And Nick will love having Cooper go fishing with him. By the way, we’re inviting a few people to the Lilac Lake Cottage for a barbeque Sunday evening. I hope you and Emmett will join us.”

“That sounds perfect. What can I bring?” asked Crystal, delighted to be included.

“How about those molasses cookies GG loves,” said Whitney. “They’re delicious.”

“Speaking of GG, I think she’s hoping that Timothy will have cousins,” said Crystal. “I visited her last night.”

“I know. She’s knitting baby blankets,” said Whitney, elbowing Taylor.

Taylor waved the suggestion away with a sweep of her hand. “Dani can be next. I’ve got too much to do to think of starting a family so soon. But Cooper and I want children someday.” Taylor turned to Crystal. “What about you? Whitney tells me you’re ready to settle down and have a family. You and the new doctor in town?”

Crystal felt the heat in her cheeks rise but was helpless to stop it. “We’re just friends.”

“I hope it all works out for you,” said Taylor.

Seeing new customers arrive, Crystal said, “Better go ahead and find seats. I’ll catch up with you later.”

The pace kept steady until Crystal was due to go to the town hall for the baking contest. At noon, the tasting would take place, and after winners were announced, pieces of the various entries would be offered for sale to benefit the community center.

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Crystal arrived inthe auditorium of the town hall to find a crowd milling around the long, cloth-covered tables displaying the various items to be judged. Pies, cakes, and fancy desserts were displayed together. Descriptive tags were placed in front of each one. Crystal could already guess one or two entries that appeared to be prepared by kids, but the array of offerings was very impressive with its professionalism.

Two selectmen, Melissa, and Emmett were chosen to help Crystal judge the entries. They’d already decided to divide the items into four sections to avoid tasting them all and getting sick. When the top three of each group were chosen, the other judges would taste to decide the winners.

“Are you ready to begin?” Crystal asked the judges.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been waiting for this all morning,” said Emmett, winking at her.

Crystal walked over to the microphone stand that had been set up for her. “Welcome, everyone! I’m happy to see so many participants and supporters of the baking contest. This is the first year we have a prize for children twelve and under in the hopes of encouraging more kids to consider the hospitality industry. First prize for them will include a hundred-dollar gift card to the kitchen supply store in Portsmouth, courtesy of Eugenia Wittner. The prizes for the adult winners will be blue, red, and yellow ribbons. I want to give thanks to our two selectmen, as well as Melissa Hendrickson and Dr. Chambers, who all have graciously offered to help me judge. We hope to have the winners announced within the hour. Good luck to everyone, and many thanks for your participation.”

Crystal started in her section with the pies. She considered presentation foremost. Then studying them, she broke a small piece of the pie crust off one of them and tasted it. Liking it, she then cut herself a small piece and plated it before tasting the huckleberry filling. Sighing with pleasure, she studied the small, blueberries that were famously grown in Maine. Out of the twelve pies, she sampled eight crusts and six fillings and marked down her three ribbon winners in proper order.

Because it was her special project, Crystal went to the kids’ collection and quickly chose a chocolate cream Bundt cake, iced butterscotch brownies, and an apple pie as her top choices.

When all the sampling and judging had taken place, Crystal went to her microphone to announce the winners. The crowd had thinned during lunchtime, but several people were standing by to hear the results, including all of the children.

“As you know, we appreciate every one of the entries. I believe sharing baking treasures with family and friends is a true form of love. We all appreciate your individual talents.” She smiled at each of them. “Any time one of you wants to come to work for me, just let me know.” Laughter followed. “And now on to our winners.”

She started with the kids who were anxiously standing by. “You all deserve a ribbon, but we have only three to hand out. She handed out the third and second place awards and then announced, “And the first place winner of a blue ribbon and the gift certificate is none other than Elissa Sawyer. Your chocolate cream Bundt cake is a delight—moist and rich with a dramatic chocolate cinnamon glaze.”

Among the applause that followed, Crystal caught Pam Sawyer’s attention and they exchanged smiles. Crystal was pleased with the outcome. Her daughter loved to cook.

By the time Crystal finished handing out ribbons, she was filled with satisfaction. The public’s interest was sincere, adding to the suspense of each announcement. More than that, the community had come together not only to support the bakers but also to support the Community Center, which was the recipient of each entry fee. Through the center, she hoped to provide cooking classes for all ages.

“Nice job,” said Melissa coming over to her. “Next year, I’d be happy to help judge again. It’s such a worthy cause and loads of fun.” She looked around. “Have you seen Dirk?”

“No, I haven’t. By the way, I’m coming to Fins tonight for dinner. Can’t wait. The restaurant always has such delicious food.”

“Thanks,” said Melissa. “We just got a fresh load of seafood delivered. It should be delicious.”

They walked out of the town hall together.

Melissa saw Dirk in the distance and hurried towards him.

As Crystal headed back to the Café, the street was full of activity with people shopping, eating at food trucks, or watching a juggler. She was pleased to see it. With Misty so willing to help, it gave her a chance to have a little free time.

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