Page 6 of A Wish For Wilma
Minutes later, they huddled round a table with tea for three and a plate of tiffin.
‘Ooh, I could inhale tiffin!’ Angela grabbed a slice and took a bite. ‘How can something so easy to make taste like heaven?’
Jinnie nodded, seizing a slice for herself. Jo declined, having sampled several pastries for quality control.
‘That cake is a work of art,’ mumbled Jinnie through a mouthful of sinful crumbliness.
All eyes landed on the centrepiece for the fiftieth birthday party: a perfect replica of a turntable, complete with an LP emblazoned with an icing approximation of Donny Osmond.
‘The birthday girl was adamant that she wanted a Donny-themed cake,’ said Jo. ‘The hardest part was getting the icing white enough for his gleaming teeth.’
Jo and Angela carefully boxed the cake, along with twenty-five cupcakes featuring cute doggie faces and pink hearts.
‘Puppy Love,’ explained Jo. ‘One of his biggest hits, and more sickly sweet than any cake.’
‘Oh, my mum was a fan!’ exclaimed Jinnie. ‘She told me she saved up her pocket money to join his fan club and got a special Donny velvet cap. She wore it every day until her neighbour’s dog chewed it to bits.’
‘Not quite puppy love,’ quipped Jo.
The trio finished packing up the birthday food and loaded the van. As Angela didn’t drive, Jinnie had volunteered to make the delivery before she headed home.
‘Your baking skills really deserve a wider audience,’ said Angela. ‘You should apply to be on that show,All Rise. Ed’s addicted to it, though he always comments thatmyshow is on.’
Jinnie shot Jo a sidelong glance. Only she knew the truth. Johadappeared on the show, albeit in an alternative universe conjured up by Aaliyah the genie. She’d won, and the victor’s trophy was currently stuffed in her knicker drawer. She’d told Jinnie that she had every confidence of its safety nestled among a hotchpotch of thongs, bikini briefs and passion killers.
‘I don’t think I could stomach being the butt of Kelvin Brady’s pathetic jokes,’ said Jo. She’d confided in Jinnie that theAll Risehost made her flesh crawl despite her devotion to the show. She’d put him in his place a couple of times during her appearance. Shame that no one she knew had witnessed it.
‘Well, you’re a baking legend in my eyes,’ said Angela, just as voices signalled the arrival of customers.
‘Hi, Janette.’ Jo greeted post-office cum corner-shop stalwart Janette Cameron: a pillar of the community, with flappy ears and a talent for knowing people’s business before they did. ‘Oh, and hi, Alison.’
Behind Janette was boutique owner Alison Gale, a walking advert for her chic clothing collection, unlike Janette who favoured the garish and often alarmingly revealing. Today Janette sported an all-in-one floral jumpsuit cinched with an orange belt and displaying several inches of bosom.
‘Hi, Jo.’ Janette scanned the cake counter, her eyes alighting on an array of iced doughnuts. ‘Do you fancy one of those, Alison?’ She pointed at the doughnuts. Alison nodded, and they both asked for caramel-topped ones and a pot of tea.
‘I’m supposed to be on a diet,’ huffed Janette, waving away Alison’s offer to pay. ‘My doctor said I needed to shift a stone or two. He wisnae impressed when I said he could do with shifting a bit himself.’
Jo laughed and served up the order. ‘I haven’t tried it myself, but I believe the 5:2 Diet gets good results.’
Janette wrinkled her nose. ‘Don’t know that one, but if it means I can stuff my face at five to every hour, I’m in!’
Leaving the ladies to enjoy their cakes and tea, Jo slipped through to the back. ‘Angela, are you still OK to close up so I can scoot home and have a soak in the bath?’
Angela nodded. ‘Go get glammed up and have fun. I can open up in the morning too, if you like?’
‘No need, but thanks,’ said Jo. ‘I’m not expecting a wild evening unless Sam and I start downing shots.’
Angela grinned and patted her belly. ‘Well, if you do, just message me. I’ll waddle over and keep the natives happy.’
CHAPTER6
‘That was utterly delicious.’Harvey wiped his plate clean and grinned at Sam and Jinnie. ‘After weeks of queuing at the catering van during filming, it’s a real treat to sit with friends and enjoy a proper meal.’
‘Sorry we had to postpone the meal, but something came up at the last minute,’ said Sam. They’d agreed not to mention the scare to anyone else. Jinnie had confided in Jo, but Sam didn’t need to know that.
‘I can’t wait to see the show,’ said Jinnie excitedly. ‘When will it be out?’
‘Some time next year,’ said Harvey. ‘It’s a six-parter. I’m pretty proud of it, if I say so myself.’
