Page 10 of Sweet Tooth

Chapter Four

 

 

For the next week, I visited Kate. I had the crumb cake on Monday, a blueberry scone on Tuesday, and had a plan on Wednesday which was another failure because I wussed out and flopped around like a dead fish.

But then, on Thursday, something changed. Not in me but her. Either because she was throwing me a lifeline or because she was feeling adventurous, I couldn’t be sure. However, when I walked into the bakery on Thursday morning, Kate was waiting for me.

“There you are!” A bright and cheerful Kate greeted me at the door. “You’re just the person I’ve been looking for.”

Startled as much by her hasty approach as anything else, I stared at her, then studied the round tray of dog-shaped cookies between us. “I am?”

“Of course. Nora warned me about you.”

Oh no. This can’t be good.“She did?”

“Mm-hmm. She told me you’re one of her best customers.”

“Really?”But I only come in once a month.Most of the time, that is.

“She didn’t mention you by name,” Kate began, “but I figured since you’ve been in every day this week that it must be you. You help Nora test new recipes, right?”

“I, uh…” I eyed the weird black and white dog faces on the tray and smiled. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Great! I know these aren’t Nora’s, but I’d appreciate your feedback. They’re free, by the way, so…” Kate looked at me expectantly as I picked one of the cookies off the tray. “If they’re too sweet let me know.”

I wasn’t sure where to take my first bite, so I took off one of the dog’s ears. The flavor reminded me of a sugar cookie but the texture was all wrong. It was lighter, fluffier, and seemed as though it had been pumped full of air.

“How is it?” Kate asked once I finished my snack.

“Good. It’s softer than I expected. Lighter too.”

Kate visibly relaxed. “They're for the kids,” she explained. “When you came in the other day and mentioned your brother, it got me thinking. As much as I love Nora’s cooking, this isn’t a very inclusive shop. Most of what you find here that’s brightly colored is super sweet, whereas some of the kids that come in are like your brother and aren’t allowed to have sweets or they don’t enjoy them the way you or I do.”

“So you’re trying to find recipes that’ll include them along with everyone else.”

“I know it isn’t much, but–”

“Are you kidding? I love coming here for a good sugar rush, but something like this with a cup of tea?” I shook my head, totally at a loss for words. “It’s perfect.”

“You aren’t just saying that, are you?”

“Oh no. I’m very honest when it comes to food.”

“I was thinking I’d add a bit of confectionery sugar–”

“Doesn’t need it.”

“Sprinkles?”

“Nope. It doesn’t need those, either.”

“How about a bow tie?”

“A what?” I asked as I followed her toward the register.

“A bow tie. You know, like one behind the ear for girls or under the chin for boys. Or maybe something more inclusive, like a bone.”

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