Bewitching the Baker: A Paranormal Chick Lit Novel (Witchy is the New Forty Book 1)

by Elizabeth Kirke

  “What did everyone learn?” I asked him.

  “Basket weave.” That one looked incredibly complicated. It must have shown on my face because he chuckled gently and added, “It's not nearly as tricky as you think.” He looked at the batter I was busy mixing. “If you're nearly done, we might have time for a quick lesson if you want…”

  “Oh,” I said, “that'd be great. I'm just about ready to put this in the oven. Actually… I've got one more thing…”

  I went over to another counter to take care of the batter for the second batch I was working on. Sorrel leaned over to look into the bowl. “Is there anything…” He hesitated. “Is there anything I can help with?”

  “I think I've got things under control.”

  After a few more minutes of going back and forth between two very different batters, it occurred to me that I could use a hand.

  I pushed two bowls across the counter to him “Could you fold the egg whites into that, please?” I said, hurrying back across the room to grab a fresh roll of parchment paper.

  “Sure,” he said.

  I lined a couple of baking sheets with parchment and poured in my batter. I turned back to Sorrel to see, much to my alarm, that he was stirring the batter rather vigorously!

  For a moment I gaped at him. Obviously, a professional baker would know how to fold something into the batter, but he was really mixing.

  “Um… Do you always fold egg whites so… forcefully?” I asked.

  “Yes?” He sounded as uncertain as he looked. He pushed the bowl away from him. “I mean, like I mentioned last night, I haven’t baked in a while… I uh… I hope I wasn’t too forceful…” To my surprise, Sorrel looked quite embarrassed.

  “No, I’m sure it’s fine,” I said, flashing him a smile.

  “Why don’t I go set up some icing for you? If you still want to do basket weave.”

  “Yeah, that’d be great.”

  He retreated quite quickly, in my opinion, from the kitchen. As soon as he was gone, I fished out my wand and fixed the batter. In theory I could have baked everything with magic, if I was so inclined. I could go from a pile of ingredients to a finished baked cake in under five minutes depending on the recipe, but I didn't like to. I preferred the challenge and the science of baking and had fun doing it by hand. But, this time, since I wanted to hurry to the lesson, I went ahead and finished everything up with magic, then put my cakes in the oven to bake normally.

  I joined Sorrel in the main room and said, “Okay, we've got about half an hour before I need to check on the cakes.”

  “That was quick,” he said.

  I winced and reminded myself I had to be a little more careful when it came to hanging around with magicless people.

  “I've been doing it a while,” I laughed. “I'm sure you're pretty quick about getting cakes in the oven too.”

  He smiled, but something about it seemed forced. “Yeah,” he said awkwardly. But as soon as he picked up the piping bag, all his confidence came back and I watched an AWS he swiftly piped to bask an amazing basket weave around a cake round, which honestly wasn't as tricky as I had imagined. The key he said is just making sure you pick up he made a vertical line. And then Vince and then said the key the key, he said as he piped a vertical line before returning to the horizontal ones is to make sure You pick up exactly where you left off before to make sure to make it look like it's all just one solid piece. I see I said and fascination. I never would have imagined it was this easy. He handed me it was that it looks so simple doing it I mean, the result is amazing. He left and handed me the piping bag. And I very carefully started the basket weave. marveling at how easy it actually was. I really did have a knack for this By the time I had gotten all the way around the cake, I was feeling quite confident in 1000 feet. Keep right to Southampton drive. I pipe to the final bit and then turned to chef Sorrell with a grant. What do you think? I said? Beautiful, he replied, looking at me and I have to drive around and wipe some stray hair back out of my eyes. And he started to laugh what I asked. You're supposed to frost the cake CTS not yourself. Before I could reply he reached up and gently brushed the frosting off my forehead with his thumb. Thanks. He grinned in reply. In a quarter of a mile, turn right on Kenilworth drive. And then before I could say before I could do anything else, he leaned forward swiftly and planted a kiss on my lips. Instant surprise Yeah, I froze for a second turn right on Kenilworth surprised then at the roundabout turn right on Kings Park Drive. And to my alarm he started to pull back cheeks flushing. I'm sorry, he said quickly. Oh no, no, he doesn't kiss her. We gazed each other for a moment. Wow, these Karen stone know what they are doing. At the roundabout, turn right on Kings Park Drive. He looked at me in, cried. He surprised that we stared at each other for a moment. And I realized just how close we were standing. matches you. Yes, suddenly What? I've learned caught completely off guard by the question. It's just that he hesitated. I was going to last night, then your purse and Then I started to wonder if maybe I was moving a little too fast for you. Oh, no arrived dashing isn't your right so I actually

  Oh no, I said quickly. I'm just, I let out a bit of a nervous laugh. I'm just really awkward. I confessed. I would have loved if you had kissed me last night. The purse was completely an accident. I'm glad he said no that he kissed me. He tasted like four I could taste frosting on his lips and smiled as we kissed and then pulled back feeling like a like an 18 year old with a crush again. I smiled shyly at him, and he grinned back. Well, he said after a long silence. I suppose I should let you get home. Yeah, I suppose we should head home. Yeah. I said realizing we'd be walking together. Let me just get my purse. Let me just get my thing. He nodded. And I was pleased and he nodded. I'll clean up. No, no, no, no. No. Stop freaking. Okay, back to this. Oh. Okay. What's next? Oh, let me go check. Oh, no, we were interrupted by the beeping of the oven. I should get that for the cake burns, I said reluctantly. He nodded. And I quickly went in to rescue the cakes. Is there anything else you need to do? Before you leave? he asked. What else do you need to do before you leave? he asked. Not much. I said everything's pretty much locked up. I just need to get these cakes. chillin. Clean up a little bit. And then I'm all set. I'll clean up the frosting. He volunteered. Thanks, I said and then I'll take care of yet. He finished that much faster than I did. And Kay and to my surprise came and joined me for the dishes. Thanks, I said as he helped me get everything cleaned up. Not a problem. Soon we were walking together again. I was surprised and delighted when he reached out partway down the block and took my hand. We walked together uncomfortable silence. All too soon. We're saying goodbye. I was thrilled when he gave me a parting kiss followed by a Shai. I'll see you tomorrow. I'll see you then. I said And practically skipped up to my apartment. And then we go to the next chapter of Skip to my apartment. It was only later as I regaled my roommates with everything that had happened that day. I started thinking about the folding the egg work the egg folding incident again. More thought about it, the more convinced I was that I had told him to fold them in. Even someone out of even someone who hadn't baked in a while would have known the difference between folding and even gently stirring. Nevermind the way Sorrell had been practically beating the batter. Chef Sorrell. How could he have made such a mistake? I couldn't place why it was nagging at me until I was in bed staring up at the ceiling. I couldn't play sweet it was nagging at me. But when I woke up the next morning, the first thought that came to mind was a shocking crystal clear, Chef Sorrell can't be I immediately laughed myself and dismiss the notion. But as I showered and got ready for work. I kept coming back to it. I thought of the way he seemed to have thought of the way he got nervous whenever we started talking about baking. Because simple answers for what his favorite cake to bake was. The way he kept saying he didn't bake. anymore the way he kept saying he didn't bake. Did he not like baking? Did he really just have too much going on to have time today? Or was the answer really that he couldn't bake? I tried to think of all the different episodes of cake magi
c I had seen him on and couldn't for the life of me remember him ever baking. For the first time since him coming to the bakery, turned an episode on. It was very weird to see him on TV again. But as I fast forwarded through the episode, I confirmed that he never once actually baked. It showed him talking about the batter standing there with the ingredients. But then it cut to a commercial and when it came back, he was taking the cake out of the oven. Had he even baked it. I voiced my concerns to Bell who can calmly reminded me that it was Hollywood. He proved that it was all Hollywood. And there was no reason to believe that that it was all Hollywood. And there were probably a dozen different people baking cakes. In the wings, it wasn't as if the cake was cooked during the commercial break. In fact, she reminded me there were even times where they take a cake out of the oven and then say I just happened to have one in the in the refrigerator and they'd bring another one out. So it's certainly So it certainly wasn't a stretch. So the fact he didn't bake on the show didn't prove anything. But still, I couldn't quite shake the concern Bell suggested I just asked him, although I didn't think I could do that either. In the end, I decided to just watch and observe. Surely working in close quarters, not to mention starting to date him, the truth will reveal itself eventually, considering we were but after a month our relationship was blossoming. But my curiosity about his baking skills or lack thereof, or relationship was blossoming. But I hadn't looked my investigation into his baking skills was that a stop? Sometimes I could almost convince myself that he deliberately avoided being in the kitchen or when I was baking, so that he wouldn't be in the same position anymore. But it was just as likely he was genuinely busy. We were on the go all the time. went on a couple more dates, each of them more successful than the last. I couldn't quite believe it, but I was really falling for him. I couldn't remember the last time I went on this many dates with the same guy without a disaster. And if anything, Sorrell seemed like he was even more into me. maybe just maybe the worst Love Spell ever really had come full circle and I had finally found my match. Unfortunately, he was magic lists, which always complicated things. And even though I didn't have any evidence he Yeah, and there was still the fact that I had my suspicions about his baking. I didn't know why it bothered me so much until I voiced my concerns to lavender. Well, that kind of mean, he's lying to you, isn't it? she asked not to mention he's built an entire career on being a baker and isn't one. She had hit the nail completely on the head. Although I kind of wish she hadn't. It was I realized exactly what was bothering me. Maybe that was the big disaster. The big relationship disaster I was nervously waiting for. Sorrell lying about being a baker was going to blow up in our faces and ruin the entire relationship and maybe his career. Either way, as today is one time and we went on more dates and he taught me more icing without ever once picking up a spoon to stir batter. I started to realize that if the fact he couldn't bake wasn't going to end us. My growing suspicions might. But how could I possibly confront him? Especially with the way I was starting to fall for him? When I didn't dare voice my concerns to anyone else. In case it got back to him that I was the one who started the rumor. And then one day I was so focused on Somehow, having him in the camera crew around became normal. And I was wholly unprepared for the day they announced that they were wrapping up filming. We were going to have one final day. One final day where everyone decorated their own cake designed and decorated their own cakes was coming up. And then the show was a wrap. I hadn't considered what would happen when Sorrell left town was a long distance relationship, something I wanted to pursue. And then there wasn't time for thinking I was busy designing my cake. And once I was fairly confident in what it would look like I was volunteered to collaborate with everyone on what flavors they wanted to go with their icing. Once that was all worked out, we closed for a day and everyone bustled around baking their cakes. It was a bit of a busy day at the bakery and everyone was all excited for the grand finale of the of the the big wrap up for the big final episode. But I was feeling more than a little melancholy. Sorrell and I hadn't discussed it in the week since they announced the episode The filming was ending. Sorrell and I had yet to discuss anything. In fact, we'd gone on a date on a date the night before and hadn't gotten a chance to see each other sense. I wondered if he wanted to avoid talking about it as much as I did. Was he planning on going? Or something nothing for him to stay for? I wondered what town they'd film The next season in where he would end up. I knew from experience he was so busy that he'd never have time to come visit if it was too far away.

  the kitchen was not nearly equipped to handle every single employee baking different cakes at the same time. So we took turns throughout the days leading up to the filming of the final episode. I decided to go last and had designed a somewhat of noxious Li large complicated cake. I wasn't sure if I was trying to impress Sorrell or prove to myself that I had come far enough to really start thinking about getting my bakery. Even then, I was really starting to come around to the idea that I had waited long enough and I knew more than enough and there was no reason I couldn't learn once I had the bakery. Now it was just a matter of saving up for one. Nevertheless, I was compelled to start to finish my first foray into real cake decorating with a bang. It was going to be a three tiered cake and I had just my first I was also doing the baking for the next day. At the same time. I was just taking it out of the oven and was I was also doing the baking for the next day at the same time. The door to the kitchen opened and I didn't pay much attention until Searles. Smooth voice said you look busy. I turned and shot him a smile just working on my cake and everything for tomorrow. I told him Do I get to know what your cake is going to look like? he asked. No, I left. It's a surprise. He crossed the room to me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. Oh, don't I said I'm all covered in flour. I'm a cake decorator, he said I don't mind a little flower. I laughed. Then gave him a hug and returned to the kiss. But even as I did, I started to make a joke about how cake decorators typically about how how he must not be a good decorator if he's using flour instead of confectioners sugar. I was trying to figure out how to make a joke about how he must not be very good at cake decorating. If he's using flour maybe he should stick to confectioner sugar. But the joke died in my throat. As I thought harder about his words, had he deliberately not said he was a baker. My thoughts started whirling as I tried to remember if he had ever actually called himself a baker. And the doubt and the nagging doubt that he was lying about being able to bake the concern that I had managed to push down for the most part started to rise again. The oven beeped and I world quickly to take care of it. Let me just get that out of the oven. I said. Of course. He backed up a step to give me space. I couldn't find the good potholders and was desperate to quickly get the cake out of the oven and move on. So that I could think about anything other than the possibility Sorrell was lying for some reason. So I just grabbed one of the crummy square potholders from the counter and open the oven. I Sorrell said nervously. I was thinking we probably need to talk. Oh, no. That was never good. Was he going to break up with me now that he was leaving town was the relationship that I was really starting to think might actually go somewhere about to fall victim to the we're about to fall victim to what apparently was not a Love Spell but just a curse. Maybe I was distracted or moving too quickly. Or maybe it was just more of whatever pad luck seemed to follow me but two of my fingers extended past the edge of the potholder and pressed against the bottom of the pan. I screamed and practically threw it across the room as it burned me

  I didn't know we're done talking about a conversation over. I took the cake out of the oven, and as I did my fingers, two of my fingers slipped beyond the edge of the ridiculously small square pot holder and pressed against the bottom of the pan. I cried out and alarm jerked back reflexively and dropped the pan on the floor. Oh no Sorrell gasped. Are you alright? I'm fine. I said I just need some vanilla. Yeah. Vanilla. He echoed as I hurried across the kitchen to the cupboard with the extracts in it. I reached up and started fumbling through it l
ooking for the vanilla grab with a large bottle and grabbed a large bottle. Something slippery was on it, and it slipped right out of my hand and dropped as I turned away from the cupboard and dropped straight into a bowl of batter for one of my other cakes. Oh no, I gasped. I tried to catch it and succeeded in flipping. Use the right two lanes to exit right and somehow managed to flip the entire bowl up and on to me. Oh no, I groaned as it clattered to the floor. Leaving batter everywhere. Except right to barter road to Virginia 638 rolling road. I wasn't sure what was worse, spilling the fact I had just destroyed the matter 100 feet or two lanes to turn right in fact it happened in front of Sorrell. Turn right rolling road. Trying to avoid the spill while getting to the paper towels. I went around the backside of the counter and tripped over the cord of the standard mixer that I had plugged in. Knowing when I put it knowing when I left the cord in the aisle that it was a hazard. I caught myself before I fell but the stand mixer slipped off the counter. And in a feat that I couldn't have replicated that I didn't think I could even have replicated with magic if I tried. bumped into the counter as it fit as it fell and turned on in a quarter of a mile as if you arrived at Starbucks. As if in slow motion. I watched the blender the stand mixer fall off the counter. It bumped against it as it fell and the edge of the counter must have caught on the controls because it turned on full speed as it fell sideways spraying batter everywhere before clattering to the floor, turn left, then turn left. I quickly I cautiously grabbed the wildly bouncing mixer. know and can I cautiously reached over to grab the wildly bouncing mixer and turned it over so I could get to the power button, the controls and switched it off. Here, Sorrell said, Let me help you. He grabbed a roll of paper towels I hadn't even he grabbed a towel and started over to me. Then slipped in the batter I had spilled on the other side of the counter and started to fall. And he grabbed the truck just like me. He tried to grab to stop himself. He grabbed for the counter as he fell and his hand closed and instead are you kicking his seat again? Can you stop and put your leg normally said if we're in a car accident you don't get hurt. Thank you. Stop it. Why are you acting out? Is he enjoying it because he cried and firstly he's not enjoying it. As he fell he grabbed for the counter and instead succeeded in grabbing the edge of one of the cake pans I was going to put in the oven and flipped the entire thing over onto himself. It clattered down to the floor with him. We both stood slowly covered in cake batter and I looked around the kitchen and for taking in the damage. The batter for the cake in the stand mixer gone. The batter in the bowl I had spilled gone. The batter in the cake pan sorrel had spilled gone. And I had a sinking suspicion that the cake I had dropped. Probably hadn't survived the fall. Although I really didn't feel like going to look at it. I'm so sorry. Sorrell said, as I fought back tears. It's okay. I said all I had to do was convince him to leave and I could fix everything with magic. And considering the time Honestly, I would probably just bake with magic to know No it's not. He said pained. No, it's not fine. He said. I've wrecked. Yeah. Now he doesn't say fine. I took a deep breath and repeated It's okay. It happens. I'll take care of it. I looked at him and saw that a perfect dollop of batter had somehow landed on his nose. It looked absolutely absurd. And I burst out laughing Sorry, I gasped. You're a gesture to my nose. He stuck with us. He went comically cross eyed as he looked at it. And then reached up and brushed it off and then looked at me We locked eyes and started laughing again. And for a couple of moments and for a couple minutes we just laughed hysterically covered in cake batter. Now let me know if you want your window up jack jack. Okay. I'll put it down a little bit. Nope, it's cold. If you can reach it, you can stick your hand out. You want your window closed now Jackson. Okay. Oh, sorry, guys. What? Because there was a red life. Okay, I'm not yet Honey, you're fine. Okay, so we started laughing. I grabbed the paper towels. grabbed the paper towels and headed back over to the vanilla. I passed the fall and baked cake. As I walked by and grown to see that it was upside down. Almost on the floor. We're going to buddy we're not nearly fast yet. We're only going 40 we're gonna go 60 in a minute. Okay, I retrieved the vanilla, shook some out on the paper towel and wrapped it around my fingers. Not yet. We're going forward. Now we're going to 60 What do you think? I'm putting the window up are your hands safe? I know buddy. I know. Okay, okay. What am I Sorrell watched me curiously. What are you doing? With the vanilla? Yeah, it stops first blistering. I said surprised you didn't know the trick. Plus, I added with a laugh makes my hands smell nice. He looked around I am sorry. I distracted you know it's okay really i i trailed off and get back and grow as I remembered exactly what had distracted me. He wanted to talk. Biting back with a sigh I grabbed a couple of potholders I looked through I've found the better potholders and carefully flipped over the cake. Most of it had crumbled out of the pan onto the floor. I set it down on a hot pad with another side. Nope. Thank goodness for magic. Yes. I don't know what I would have done. If I had to do this all from scratch again. Hey, buddy. isn't any of that gonna happen, please? There we go. I don't know. Blah, blah, blah. I don't know what I would have done. If I would be forced to bake all these cakes again from scratch. It's still my fault. Sorrell said, Why don't you go home? Take the rest of the night off. I'll take care of everything. You've got more than enough. I'll take care of everything. You can polish up your own cake design. It's sweet of you to offer I said but I can take care of it. Really? No, I insist. He said Just tell me what cakes you were baking and just leave out the recipes and I'll do the rest. I studied him for a moment. Surely if he couldn't be he wouldn't be offering to stay behind do it what he Besides, he was magic list. He'd be here all night. Trying To bake these cakes, even if he could be even if I was wrong, and he could actually bake. No, really, I started to argue I stopped. That was the answer. The ultimate test. Yeah, the the ultimate test. It was the perfect. That was the answer. That was the perfect way to figure out whether or not I was being paranoid. Now whether or not my suspicions were founded. If he really could be I'd go, I'd leave and come back in a few minutes to let him know I changed my mind and wanted to stay and help. If I was right, and he couldn't bake. I'd need to come back to take care of it all anyway. And I'd finally know. But if I was wrong, and I came back and he was expertly baking away, well, then I'd know. I could stay in hell. But then again, I really hit even if then again, regardless of whether or not he could bake. I hated to leave him by himself to do it all night. Why don't we do it together? I suggested. No, no. He said, I insist. This is my fault. You go. I promise I'll have it all taken care of and ready by morning. That was suspicious, wasn't it? Why didn't he want me to stick around and help him? Okay, I said, not having to feign the reluctance here. Terrible is your hand in it. Sorry, buddy. I wasn't thinking. The one thing is when there's a window open pal, it actually makes funny noises up front that hurt my ears and the front of the car from the way the wind enters and swishes around inside the car. It causes a weird effect that kind of goes Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And it hurts my ears. When we go a little too fast. Thank you though. That was nice to have that window open for a bit. We're almost home now. No, we're going 45 actually, we're going about 50 so it's a little fast. All right, you just hang out. We're almost home. Can you guys get your croissants? Then we'll go to mountain boss. Okay, where was I in my dictation? What is she doing? She said okay, I said somewhat reluctantly. Without having to feign it. I headed out and started the walk back to my apartment trying to decide whether or not I really wanted to go back. It was a little underhanded to try and catch him in a lie that I may have completely fabricated wasn't Again, I really did feel bad to leave him there. assuming he was telling the truth, the poor guy was going to be staying there assuming he really could bake which honestly was not too big of Satya assuming that he could bake and I was just over analyzing things. It wasn't right to leave him there all night long to clean up all those to clean up that huge mess. I wasn't even sure he knew his way around the kitchen. Either way, it was it would be wrong to not go back and help him. mind made up. I hea
ded back. To my surprise, the front door was locked. Had I locked it? I couldn't remember. I pulled out my wand and gave the lock a quick poke. And then went in quietly. There was an absolute cacophony of sound coming there was an absolute bakery seemed coming back in the blocked bakery seemed oddly eerie. Even though I locked up plenty even though I like even though I locked up the big the bakery fairly regularly. There was something eerie about coming back into it while it was locked in darked even though I could see the thin light coming in under the kitchen door. I don't know what possessed me, but I kept my wand clutched in my hand. Yeah, oh, no. Forget that your stuff across the kitchen I went to open the door. I crossed the main floor and opened the door. To my surprise that was locked too quickly on why had Sorrell locked the kitchen door? I crept closer Yes.