And this was where he’d gotten himself. With flat cakes and a chicken costume. Maybe there was a way to salvage this. Even if the cakes were messed up, he could at least make them pretty. This was where his artistic side could come out.
Eli was no longer going to worry about something fancy like cream cheese frosting. He just needed to make it look good.
Eli studiously read the entire buttercream recipe and then began to add the ingredients, slowly, making sure the measurements were just right. It was looking beautiful, with a nice texture. He spread a thick layer between his cakes and then started on the outside. Eli wanted to have a holiday theme but incorporate chocolate as well. Everything was better with chocolate. Surprisingly, Adeline didn’t seem to be using any.
Raspberries would add some red to the rim of Eli’s cake, and then he planned on coloring his leftover buttercream green so he’d be able to pipe a large wreath on top, with the wedding couple standing in the middle.
The spectators had come and gone over the course of the challenge, but four hours after Eli and Adeline had begun, everyone was back, eager to see the outcome.
Eli placed his little wedding couple on top and stepped back. They were a little crooked, and he adjusted them. He had to say, in his completely unbiased opinion, his cake looked amazing. That there was professional quality, and from what Eli could hear, the spectators seemed to agree. But would Jessie?
Adeline glanced between his cake and hers, then back to his, obvious surprise etched in her features. Hers was at least the right height, but it looked terrible. She’d used chocolate-covered strawberries, which she’d done a nice job on, but they were sliding down the sides of the cake, leaving tracks. She’d also tried to pipe small flowers around the edges, but they’d come out more as blobs.
Eli was going to win. There was no way he wouldn’t.
“I’m impressed,” Adeline finally conceded. “I didn’t expect much, but it seems I misjudged you.”
Eli threw her a smile, then turned back to where Jessie was entering the kitchen. “I know.”
He gave her a side glance, having to keep himself from laughing as her surprised expression morphed into a scowl and she turned away from him. No wonder Benjamin’s life was filled with one-night stands. Once the women saw through their infatuation, no one would have been able to handle being around him and his ego for much longer than that. Eli could see how infuriating that would be.
“Wow,” Jessie said. She walked up to each cake and scribbled notes in a little book. “I will be judging both your decorating ability as well as the quality of the cake itself.” Jessie walked past both cakes, several times, but spent longer on Eli’s, her gaze flitting between it and her notebook as her pencil flew over the page. After a few minutes that felt like eternity, she set her notebook down and grabbed two plates.
Jessie started with Eli’s, and he suddenly felt very nervous. He knew he hadn’t baked the best cake, which had been why he’d needed to make it look so good. Jessie sliced a small piece and studied it.
“Your cakes are so thin, you tried making up for it by heaping buttercream between the layers.”
Despite the cold air, Eli was suddenly very hot. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um…yeah. I don’t know what happened, but they didn’t rise, and I didn’t have time to make new ones.”
Jessie nodded, and after another moment of study, she said, “I think you forgot the baking powder.” She tried slicing through the cake with her fork but was having a tough time of it. “Yup. You definitely forgot the baking powder.” To her credit, she tried to eat it, but ended up giving up. She gave him a kind smile. “Nice attempt. You made a beautiful cake.”
He nodded but couldn’t help but feel disappointed in himself. It happened a lot with his dyslexia…skipping lines altogether. Eli should have slowed down a bit, making sure he’d done everything correctly, but he’d been anxious to give himself enough time to decorate the cake the way it warranted.
Jessie moved on to Adeline’s cake. She cut herself a slice, then prodded it with her fork, like she was making sure Adeline hadn’t made the same mistake that Eli had. “I like the even layers of the buttercream and cake.”
Jessie took a bite and chewed slowly and thoughtfully. “It’s very moist, and I love the strawberry layer. I can tell you added in something extra to the vanilla layer.”
“Coffee.”
“It’s delicious,” Jessie said, before quickly finishing off the piece. When she noticed everyone watching her with amused smiles, she added, “Didn’t want it to go to waste.”
Jessie picked up her notebook and stepped back, leaning against a counter on the other side of the kitchen. She made more notes, then stared at the page, as if it would give her the answers to who should win the competition.
Finally, after an agonizing five minutes, where even the spectators were quiet, everyone waiting with bated breath, Jessie looked up and smiled.
“I’ve chosen a winner.”
12
Adeline kept her gaze pinned on Jessie, trying to catch a subtle movement or look that would give her a clue as to who Jessie had chosen as the winner. She desperately hoped it was her. Eli Hunt’s ego was already much too big. Today, she’d been surprised by it, actually.
There had been several times since Eli had arrived in town when he’d seemed almost embarrassed that everyone knew who he was. And when he’d done things like fix the front door of the bed and breakfast, or erect a barrier marking Jessie’s spot on the beach, or even his failed attempt at mopping Adeline’s floor at her store—he’d seemed…nice. Normal. Someone Adeline could relate to.
Not this guy, though. The one who relished the attention from his fans. Eli currently wore a cocky grin, like he’d already declared himself the winner. He glanced over his shoulder at Eliza, who was back at the window with her sign, and he winked at her. That sent Eliza into a frenzy, and Adeline wanted to use her parchment paper to whack him upside the head.
Adeline took a deep breath through her nose, forcing herself to focus on the feel of the air moving through her lungs. This was not her. She was not a violent person. She focused on that until she had regained some sense of control. Her attention returned to Jessie.
Please, don’t let him win.
“This was a very tough decision,” Jessie said. She nodded to Eli. “Your cake was exquisitely designed. I could see the attention to detail, and it captured both the romance and the holiday element. It was the type of cake that you could easily sell in a high-end bakery.” Eli’s grin grew, and Adeline inwardly groaned. How had she thought she could compete against the actor when the judge was as starstruck as the rest of the town? But then Jessie continued. “It was too bad the cake itself was inedible, which is kind of a big deal.”
Eli’s smile faltered as Jessie’s attention turned to Adeline.
“I was surprised by the lack of design on the outside of your cake, but I suppose you don’t typically decorate your truffles, only giving them a unique flourish so you can distinguish the flavors.” Adeline’s heart sank. She’d tried, she really had. She had thought the chocolate-dipped strawberries were a nice touch, and romantic. They were also red, giving it a holiday vibe. But they had kept sliding everywhere. Maybe because her cake had still been a bit warm, and the buttercream frosting hadn’t stayed put like it had needed to. “However,” Jessie said, “the cake was delicious and, might I say, rivals even mine.”
Adeline perked back up, now hanging on to Jessie’s every word. Was it possible that it would be Eli Hunt parading up and down the beach in a chicken costume?
“I understand that you have a unique…uh…prize for the winner. Or maybe it’s a prize for the loser, if you’re into that sort of thing,” Jessie said, and everyone gave a small laugh. “I’m pleased to announce that the residents of Starlight Ridge will have the opportunity to see…both Eli Hunt and Adeline Baker as…well, there’s no good way to say this…as chickens. On Sunday, they will need to wear the outfits from su
nrise to sunset.” One of the spectators in the doorway whispered something to her. “Oh, I guess that’s tomorrow. All right. Tomorrow it is, then.”
Both Adeline and Eli stared. “What?” they exclaimed together.
“Y-you were supposed to choose a winner,” Adeline spluttered.
“I did,” Jessie said with a smile that said she’d expected this reaction. “Eli’s decorating skills were superior, and your baking skills outdid his by a mile. But both talent sets are important. If a cake doesn’t look good, no one will eat it. If it doesn’t taste good, they will spit it out, achieving the same result. It was only fair that you both win for your accomplishments and lose for your failures. And since the loser was supposed to wear the outfit, you both get to.”
She folded her arms and nodded, like she was impressed with her own logic.
Adeline’s gaze whipped to Eli, who looked as shocked as she felt. His lips moved, but no words came out. The spectators, on the other hand, were loving it. They were laughing and catcalling, and yelling things about how they couldn’t wait.
“Gobsmacked,” he finally said. “Absolutely gobsmacked.”
Whatever that meant. Must have been a British thing. “But…but I don’t have two costumes,” Adeline protested. Her father hadn’t been that cruel.
Jessie’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, and Adeline knew she was in trouble. “You might only have one. But so do I.”
The chance that Jessie happened to own an adult-size chicken costume was too ridiculous. She wasn’t the chicken suit type of woman. Of course, neither was Adeline.
“Did you know that your mother received the same costume you did?” Jessie asked. “It must have been about ten years ago.” Adeline’s stomach dropped. The timing sounded about right. “Unfortunately, I ‘won’ the costume during a round of white elephant, right after the holidays. The only rules were that you had to bring a unique gift, and it couldn’t have cost you more than five dollars.”
“And she had gotten it for free, courtesy of Dad,” Adeline mumbled. The gift that kept on giving.
It looked like this was really going to happen. Might as well make the best of it and be the most adorable chicken the town had ever seen.
Eli still hadn’t said a word, and he was a bit pale, looking like he’d gone into shock. Adeline touched his sleeve. “You okay?”
He blinked a couple of times, like he was bringing himself back to the present. The corners of his lips quirked up, but it seemed to be more out of anxiety. “Christopher is either going to hug me or kill me.”
“Who is Christopher?”
“The director of Amaretto. Let me get your opinion. Will pictures of me dressed as a chicken help the image of the movie, or will I be splashed on the cover of every magazine as the idiot that no one will be able to take seriously? Because it will be tied to the movie.”
Adeline stared. This wasn’t the confident, cocky actor that Eli had been all day. And he was no longer speaking with the British accent. This was the guy she’d met when he’d first arrived and caught glimpses of from time to time since then. Real. And raw.
She gave him what she hoped he interpreted as a reassuring smile. “You are an actor that can do no wrong. Look around you. These people who have been hanging around for hours aren’t here for me.” Eli opened his mouth, like he was about to protest, but she held up a hand. “They love me. But they made signs for you. You are the Hercules of Hollywood.” Whoa, where had that last bit come from? A bit too corny for Adeline’s liking, but it seemed to have done the trick.
The cocky smile, and the accent, returned. “The Hercules of Hollywood. I like that. Don’t be surprised if I accidentally leak the new nickname and everyone starts referring to me as Herc.”
Great. She had apparently gone a bit too far, but at least the color was returning to his face. “We’ll see what they say about your nickname after they see the pictures tomorrow.”
* * *
Adeline stood in front of the mirror, looking herself over from all angles. The chicken costume was more hideous than she’d remembered. The sleeves had been made to look like wings, chicken talons stuck out over her own feet, and a hood came down over her forehead, making it difficult to see over the beak.
Luckily, she’d found a loophole. The rules hadn’t stated she needed to leave the house, so she had made sure she had enough food for the day, and she’d already put up a sign saying her store would be closed until Monday. All that was left was to put on some Christmas music, pull out the decorations, and spend the day getting ready for the holidays. While dressed as a chicken.
Hey, it could be worse.
Or so Adeline had thought. Until two hours later, when there was a knock on her door. She stared at it from the chair she was standing on, an ornament dangling from her hand. Maybe they’d go away. Adeline determined to ignore whoever it was and proceeded with hanging the ornament from the ceiling. It was quirky, she knew, but she loved Christmas more than anything, and considering Starlight Ridge’s lack of snowfall, the holidays could use all the help they could get.
Another knock. This time the raps were quicker, and louder. It sounded urgent. Adeline released a long sigh. She’d never forgive herself if it turned out that someone had been in desperate need of her help and she’d ignored them.
She slowly stepped from the chair, but still managed to trip over her talons on her way to the door. Adeline hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob. When the knocking recommenced, she quickly opened it.
Davis was standing on the other side, his eyes frantic. “I promise I’ll let you play your music at any time of the day if you’ll just make them go away.”
Well, that was one way to greet your neighbor first thing in the morning. Davis tended to be on the high-strung side, but even this was a bit extreme for him. “What’s going on?”
“People. So. Many. People. In front of your store.”
It was apparent that Adeline wasn’t going to get any useful information out of the hardware store owner. She glanced down at her outfit that Davis hadn’t even seemed to register. Looked like she would be going out in public after all. The good news was that the material was so thick, she was practically wearing a blanket and wouldn’t need to try to fit a coat over the thing. Or maybe that was a bad thing, because a coat would help to cover her up a bit.
A chicken wearing an ill-fitting coat. Nope, definitely a good thing that she could go without.
“Let me just grab some shoes,” she said.
“Aren’t you already wearing some?” Davis asked, glancing down at Adeline’s talons.
She shook her head and half-walked, half-jogged across the living room to where her actual shoes sat in the kitchen.
There was no reason there should be a crowd in front of her store. It was only nine a.m., and there was no way she’d have a bunch of customers first thing on a Sunday morning.
Adeline followed Davis to the boardwalk, but he was walking faster than her chicken costume allowed. She kept tripping over her own feet as she attempted to keep up with him.
“You need to give me a little more to go on, Davis,” she said after her fifth time tripping. Her gaze swept across the boardwalk. There was indeed a crowd of people, and not just in front of her store. They were standing on both sides of the boardwalk, all the way down.
But they didn’t seem to mirror the panic that Davis’s appearance had evoked just a few minutes earlier. Instead, there was a low rumble of excited chatter, lawn chairs set out, people looking like they were waiting for a parade. And there was music.
Adeline slowed her steps. “Davis,” she said, drawing out his name like a mom who was trying to get their kid to confess to something. “What is going on?”
He glanced at her over his shoulder as they approached her store. And he was grinning. “You are.”
Adeline stopped. Oh, no. Davis. He’d been a part of a ploy to lure her out. Everyone knew she and he were at odds so often, the only time he’d ever sh
ow up on her doorstep was if something was seriously wrong.
And their plan had worked perfectly.
She took a step backward, but suddenly Jessie and Erwin and Caleb were there. “Oh no you don’t,” Jessie said. “Once we realized you were going to hole up at home, we knew we couldn’t let you get out of it that easily.”
“A bit theatrical, don’t you think?”
“You have no idea.” Caleb smirked. “Do you realize who is here?”
She glanced at the people who surrounded her. They all had their phones out and weren’t even trying to hide the fact that they were taking pictures of her. “Yeah, the whole town, by the looks of it.”
“Yes,” Erwin said with a slight smile. “And everyone who has ever made a bet with you. You always win, but not this time.”
Those who were close enough to hear him laughed, and she heard someone say, “Hear, hear.”
Oh. So, that was what this was. Payback.
“What about Eli Hunt? He lost the challenge too, you know.”
“But this isn’t about him,” Caleb said. “Don’t you know why everyone was hoping he’d win?”
Yeah, Adeline knew. Because he was Eli Hunt. That was all he needed for people to fall in love with him. And it hadn’t been just the women who had wanted him to win. He had a presence that seemed to suck in everyone around him—leaving them wanting more. Except Adeline, of course. She was immune to his charm. Mostly.
She gave Caleb a well, duh look.
“They didn’t care about him winning, Addie. They wanted you to lose. It wouldn’t have mattered who you were competing against.”
Her mouth fell open. Starlight Ridge was her home—her family. But this felt…wrong. She’d always thought the town loved her and her quirky ways. But had she pushed things too far? If what Caleb was saying was true, maybe she had.
“I…” She tried to come up with something to say—something that wouldn’t betray how much his words had hurt.
Starlight Love Page 9
