Page 49 of The Great Maple Mistake

I squeeze Luke’s arm as I slip past him and take a deep cleansing breath, refocusing on Sheila. “So, Sheila, you made maple gingerbread cake with maple cream frosting.”

“Yes, it’s a recipe I’ve been fiddling with for a while, and I think the balance of the maple sugar in the cake works with the maple syrup flavor in the frosting.”

Joe cuts slender pieces from the cake and hands the plates around, then takes a bite. “Oh, this is smooth. Very moist cake. The ginger and maple pair perfectly. Did you use fresh ginger?” Sheila nods. “Well done. It gives just the right amount of punch to the other spices.”

Sam is grinning, obviously happy with Sheila’s recipe choice. “The frosting is sweet, but it’s not overpowering. I can still taste butter, and the cream cheese adds to the consistency. And it definitely enhances the gingerbread rather than taking away from it. I love it.”

“The way you’ve decorated the cake is beautiful. I love the delicate swirl in the frosting and the light dusting of cinnamon.” Catherine examines the cake slice before cutting off a bite and putting it in her mouth. “Oh, that’s delicious! Very gingery, but the other spices balance the flavor. It tastes like Christmas and winter festivals. Just wonderful.”

The judges set down their plates and I draw the crowd’s attention. “Alright, it’s time for our judges to put their heads together and determine the winner.” The three of them walk back to their table to tally the contestants’ scores while I chat more with the crowd. “Alright, while our judges are busy, I want to thank everyone for your incredible support of the Maplewood and Greater Vermont food banks. We’ve surpassed our goal for the festival, and I’m grateful to everyone who bought tickets to our event and donated on top of that.” The audience cheers and whistles. “Once again, thank you to our wonderful judges, our sponsors, and to our fire and EMT crew for being here for every event. We appreciate you keeping us safe!” Cody blows me a kiss, and there are a few wolf whistles, but I ignore them. To give the judges more time, I review the winners from the previous divisions. “And as a reminder, we’ll be putting together a pamphlet-style book with each of the contestants’ recipes. If you’re interested in buying one to help further support our local food banks, please head to the homepage of the Maplewood website and place your preorder. As the printer has graciously covered the cost of producing the cookbooks as their donation, all proceeds from sales go to the food banks!”

Joe motions to me, and I approach the judges’ table. He holds out a slip of paper and I take it, only opening it as I walk to the center of the stage. “Okay, everyone, we have our final winner of the Great Maple Cook-off. But first, how about a big round of applause for our judges and bakers?” The crowd goes wild, whooping and clapping, and my chest feels so full. I truly live in the best damned town ever. “Alright, the winner of our dessert division, and our final champion of our festival, is Sheila Zervudachi!” The crowd cheers again, and while the judges shake the contestants’ hands and say a few words, I continue. “Congratulations, Sheila, and thank you to every one of our brave neighbors who got up on this stage and gave their all for our festival. And thank you, Maplewood, for coming out and supporting your neighbors and friends. You’re the best!”

I wave and turn around, to find my brother. Thankfully, he’s grinning when I get to him. “The judges really loved my Apple Charlotte. Catherine even asked for the recipe. How about that! She wants to sell my Apple Charlotte at Special Blend!”

He’s so excited, and I’m caught between feeling sad he didn’t win and relieved that he isn’t upset. “That’s great! Where did you even get the recipe?” I know my dad didn’t have it, or we’d have been eating it for years.

“I called Uncle Callum and asked him for some of Grandma’s recipes. This was one of them, and it seemed like a good one to use for the competition.”

It certainly was. “You’ll have to call Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Callum and tell them.”

Luke’s excitement doubles. “Excellent idea!” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and dials.

“I meant—” But there’s no use finishing that sentence because he’s already wandered off and a few seconds later he’s animatedly speaking to someone on the other end.

Strong arms slip around me from behind, and a sexy voice murmurs in my ear. “You meant what?”

I lean back into Cody’s embrace and shake my head. “Not important.”

“Congratulations on the cook-off. Based on comments I overheard from the crowd, everyone enjoyed themselves and loved the competition.”

I sag with relief. “Oh good. They were all great sports, humoring my idea. But I was worried how entertaining it would be for a live audience.”

He squeezes me and kisses the side of my head. “They loved it.”

I’m about to ask what Eric thought of the event, but I spy Sheila’s gingerbread and pull out of Cody’s grasp, hauling him along behind me. “Hold on, I want to try some of this cake.” I quickly cut a slice and drop it onto one of the spare plates we stashed under the counter, and grab a fork, scooping a big bite into my mouth. “Oh my god, this is heavenly!” Yes, I say it with my mouth full. Cody doesn’t mind.

He does make a face, though. “Maple gingerbread with maple frosting. No thanks.”

“I swear I can barely taste the maple. It’s not like eating syrup on pancakes or a glaze on donuts.”

“Cody!” We both look in the direction of the voice. “Here, this is for you.” Rae Moan hurries over with a plate of upside-down cake, and presents it to Cody. “I made a version of my entry with maple flavoring substitutes. You’ll be perfectly safe eating this.” She shoves the plate at him, giving him a wink. “And here, Alex. This is the original recipe. I didn’t want you to feel left out.” She hands me a plate of cake and hurries off in the other direction.

Cody and I blink at each other. He frowns down at the cake and sets it on the nearest workstation. I put mine next to his and take his hands, squeezing gently. “What’s wrong?”

“She really does mean well, but I have to clear this up. If she finds out the truth from someone else, she’s going to be mad and think I lied to her.” He glances around. “Wait. Do you think she’ll be mad if I don’t eat some of her cake?” His skin turns a little pale at the thought.

“I don’t think she’ll notice.” We both know that for the lie it is, and when we glance around, Rae is watching us with a frown.

Cody smiles and picks up a plate, handing me the other. We toast her with them, and take bites. I try not to grimace at the odd taste combination while Cody closes his eyes and moans, but not in a good way. He tries to speak around the mouthful of cake. “Maple. Oh, god.” He looks around frantically, probably for somewhere to spit it out.

I glance at Rae. Her eyes are wide as saucers. She hurries over, bumping into people in her haste. There’s some mic feedback, and she must have accidentally turned hers back on. “Cody, no! That one has the maple in it!” The announcement blasts over the crowd, and lots of conversations come to an abrupt halt as all eyes turn toward us.

Cody simultaneously grabs a stack of napkins from the counter and backs up a step, spitting the cake into the paper. “Rae, it’s fine.” He grimaces and smacks his lips. “Anyone have some water?”

She lunges for him. “Quick, where are the paramedics? Bring an EpiPen!”

“Rae—” Cody tries to get her attention.

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