Page 71 of Baking and Angels

“Then why do they not come?” he asked. He was being surly and petulant. He could hear it himself.

“Maybe, it’s not you,” Helena offered lamely. “Don’t panic.”

“I have never had this happen before,” he insisted. He could feel the panic infecting him despite her instructions, leaving his chest to make his hands shake and his feet itchy. The need to do something was strong, but there was nothing left for him to do. “I don’t understand. I put out the food and normally the people just come and eat it.”

“You’ve never had to market to people before,” Helena said as if her words madeany sense.

He was about to shout at her when she plucked up two plates and walked them over to Scarlet and Ritchie.

Ritchie grinned smugly at her as she approached, clearly aware that he was winning. Helena spoke to both of them, though Rafferty couldn’t make it out. The smug nobleman’s eyes glanced at him, twinkling in victory, and Rafferty had visions of taking one of his knives and stabbing it into one of the man’s eye sockets, just to see how far he could cut through.

“Sure, I’ll help out,” the rich man said, his voice carrying just enough over the din for Rafferty to hear it. Helena set both plates on the table, waiting as they both dug in.

“Oh my, this is delicious!” Ritchie exclaimed, much louder, after his first bite, already cutting another chunk off for his second. “Oh, fantastic! You really must give me his contract, Scarlet. I really have to insist.”

Helena said something more, then returned to Rafferty’s station. “There. That’s two plates down,”she said.

“I hope he chokes on it,” Rafferty murmured, his voice as darkas coffee.

“Oh stop,” Helena said, bopping his arm with her fingers. “Just watch.”

At first, Rafferty couldn’t see what good she had done, really, but a single person peeled off from the crowd. They came up to the table and looked at his dishes, then back at the boss’s before pointing at the plate. “Is this what Mr. Tirrell is eating?”

“Yes, totally,” Helena said, and swiped up another plate. “Here,try some.”

“But what is it?”

“Savory Rainbow Pie, of course! A beautiful balance of flavors all in a single magical pie,” she continued, speaking louder as a couple more people walked up to look at it. They too were also glancing back at their boss.

“No meat, though?” one of them asked as they took the place of the first man, who walked off with a bite already on its way tohis mouth.

“It doesn’t need it,” Rafferty snapped.

The pair flinched back, clearly offended, but Helena was there again, soothing their hurt feelings. “This is strictly vegetarian, but so good you won’t even notice. It’s a complete meal all unto itself.”

Just then Ritchie walked up. “Oh, that was surprising. Are you sure you don’t want to just throw this silly competition and come work for me instead? If you cook like that, I will double what she’s paying you,” he crowed, plucking up another plate. He didn’t wait for an answer as he cut another mouthful and stabbed it with the tines, barely getting it to his mouth in time as he returned to Scarlet.

“Alright, alright. We’ll try it,” the two people said, snatching up plates and retreating away.

Rafferty couldn’t stand it. He grabbed at Helena’s wrist. Her head snapped back toward him at the abrupt motion. “What are you doing?” he asked, barely abovea whisper.

“I’m helping,” she said, patting his gripping fingers to reassure him.

While he couldn’t feel it, he couldn’t imagine she wasn’t enchanting people.

“You can’t—”

“It’s not going to get you disqualified, don’t worry,” she said, giving him a wink. “I’m just another participant, recommending a dish I have tasted, just like everyone else here.” She gestured over to another table where a pair of kids were trying to pick desserts between two other tables while a third was already munching down on a sugar treat.

Before he could say anything more, another handful of people came up to the table. Helena backed around it to stand close enough to whisper to him. “Just be nice and answer any stupid questions they may ask. You can win this thing yet.”

And then she left him, weaving her way amongst the gathering crowd.

Rafferty had never felt so angry in his life. It was like someone held his spine against coals.

Still, he did nothing. There was nothing more for him to do; his work in the process was done. Plate after plate disappeared from his table, all without him doing anything more. It was all Helena. He watched as she moved around the room, talking, laughing, socializing with people, and one by one, they came over to claim a plate. As the time ticked away, he stood back and counted the plates, refilling new ones from his other pies still warming in the ovens. They, too, disappeared until only half a piewas left.

“What is the issue?” Scarlet asked, coming to stand next to him, her arms folded while one hand held a flute of wine.

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