Page 98 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

Grabbing her pen, she added one final word to her recipe card.

Enjoy.

“Lily!”

She jumped, her pen clattering onto the island as she glanced up to find her coworker-slash-friend Kayleigh standing over her, hands on her hips.

Kayleigh sported a frown to go with her stark-white apron and brown hair pulled tight into a bun at the base of her neck. “How long have you been here?”

“Hi.” Lily straightened, smiled. “All night. But look what beauty my efforts produced.”

“All night? But why?”

“I couldn’t exactly create on my wonky stovetop. I needed the chocolate tempering machine?—”

“No,” Kayleigh said. “Why?” She pointed to the dessert.

Oh. “I just told you. I was creating.” Lily rotated the plate. “Oscar can’t ignore my suggestions anymore once he tastes these. I’ve worked here five years, Kayleigh.Five yearsof making the same old boring chocolates.”

“And I’ve been here three. What’s your point?”

“It’s time for a change.”

Kayleigh gave her a look. “Oscarhateschange.”

“He onlythinkshe hates change. But when he tastes these, he’ll change—his mind, that is.”

“I highly doubt that.” Kayleigh lifted an eyebrow and pushed Lily’s cup of coffee toward her, as if to indicate she needed to drink more.

Fine, maybe shewasgetting punchy.

Lily drained her cup and tossed it into the garbage. “You’ll see. These chocolates will wake him up from the boring dessert world he’s been living in. He’ll discover there are more ingredients than caramel, walnuts, and peanut butter—though I have nothing against any of them, if jazzed up a bit.”

“Oscar likes classic desserts. That’s the job, Lily. Besides, since when does the word dessert belong withboring?” Kayleigh glanced back at the door. “He’s going to be here in ten minutes. And we’re supposed to be prepping for the McAllen wedding.” She’d donned her pastry hat. “What kind of bride doesn’t want a cake?”

“I think it’s fun—a dozen different desserts and chocolates for the dessert table instead. Which is why I made these.”

Kayleigh shook her head. “You know Oscar’s never going to accept one of your suggestions, right?”

“You don’t know that. Last month, Carlos suggested we add sprinkles to the strawberry Pop-Tart fudge for that kid’s birthday bash we catered, and Oscar agreed to try it.”

“But that wasCarlos.”

“Yeah, the Golden Boy.” She finger-quoted the words. “The man has zero imagination. Sprinkles? For a ten-year-old boy? How about the sparklers I suggested?”

“Carlos is smarter than you think. He’s already created a five-year plan to own his own shop.He’sgoing places.”

Lily blinked at her. “And what, I’m stuck in a vat of cooling chocolate hardening around my feet? Seriously. Did you not see these chocolates?” She held up the plate. “Perfection.”

But Kayleigh wasn’t looking at her. In fact, she pushed past her and peered into the tempering machine. “Lily, you need to clean this. You know Oscar insists on a spotless kitchen at the start of the day.”

Oh. “I guess I got too involved with finishing the chocolates.” She hurried toward the tempering machine, grabbed a ten-pound mold, and flipped the switch to empty what was left of the chocolate from last night’s batch into it. The chocolate pumped out steadily at first, then slower, filling the air with the sugar-laden smell of melted chocolate.

“I’ll get these.” Kayleigh walked Lily’s spatula and a few other tools to the sink and began washing them.

“Thank you.” The chocolate stream ended, and Lily moved the chocolate mold to the counter. Then she removed the auger from the machine and placed it in the right side of the sink. “I’ll wash that in a minute.”

“I don’t mind.”

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