mark our scores and go on.”
Hannah had just turned in her scorecard when she had a thought. Delores loved the combination of chocolate and cherries, and Pam had said they could take some of the baked goods home. “If nobody else wants it, I’ll take the rest of that chocolate cherry coffeecake.”
“Fine by me,” Pam said.
“You got it, Hannah,” Willa agreed. “I’m taking the rest of the raised cinnamon doughnuts. I thought they were great.”
Hannah didn’t comment. She hadn’t given the doughnuts a high mark. She’d thought they were a bit greasy, and the contestant had used too much cinnamon for her taste. “What are you taking, Pam?”
“The sticky buns. They’re George’s favorites. And I think I’ll take one of the apple coffeecakes, too. George’s sister loves apple coffeecake. I’ll just pop it in the freezer and take it with me the next time we visit.”
The next few minutes were spent tallying scores. Hannah read them off, Willa punched them into the calculator that had been provided for them, and Pam marked them down on the master score sheet. They were nearing the end when Pam gave a little gasp.
“Good heavens!” she exclaimed, staring at the master score sheet as if it couldn’t possibly be right. “Mrs. Adamczak only got an honorable mention?”
Hannah was every bit as shocked as Pam looked. “You’ve got to be kidding! She’s never come in lower than second place!”
“And that was right after she had her hip replacement and she couldn’t stand for more than five minutes at a time,” Pam said with a frown. “There’s got to be some mistake.”
“Which entry was hers?” Willa asked.
Hannah glanced down at the master sheet. “Number thirty-two, the cinnamon raisin bread. It was the only one entered. Nobody wants to put their cinnamon raison bread up against Mrs. Adamczak’s.”
“Are you sure you tallied her score right?” Pam asked Willa. “I didn’t think Mrs. Adamczak’s bread was quite as good as last year, but I still gave her nines across the board.”
“And I gave her almost all nines,” Hannah said.
Willa looked highly uncomfortable. “Her score’s right. I gave her threes and fours. When I added all the marks together, her score averaged out to a little below seven, and there were three other entries higher than hers.”
“You gave her threes and fours?” Hannah had trouble believing that Willa hadn’t liked Mrs. Adanczak’s bread. “But that’s below average.”
“I know. I thought it had too many raisins. And I didn’t like the golden ones mixed in with the regular.”
“Okay,” Pam said. “What else was wrong with it?”
“There wasn’t enough cinnamon and it was mixed with some spice I didn’t care for. I think it was…cardamom?”
“That’s right,” Hannah said, glancing quickly at the list of ingredients. “Was there anything else you didn’t like?”
“I thought it was overbaked.”
“I agree that it was a bit too brown on top,” Pam said, turning to Hannah.
“So do I. I gave her an eight on presentation for that. But it was still moist, so it didn’t hurt the texture or the internal appearance.”
Willa looked a bit regretful. “I suppose Mrs. Adamczak’s going to be really disappointed.” And when Pam and Hannah nodded, she gave a deep sigh. “She’s the lady that lives in the yellow house right across from the school, isn’t she?”
“That’s right,” Pam answered her.
“I wonder if…I mean, it’s probably not allowed, but…do you think I should change my scorecard?”
Hannah and Pam locked eyes. It was a tough question, and Willa was clearly struggling with it.
“Let’s put it to the test,” Hannah said at last, after Pam had failed to speak up. “Do you still feel the same way about her bread?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then your objections are valid. You didn’t think it deserved to win before, and you shouldn’t change your score now that you know who baked
Hannah had just turned in her scorecard when she had a thought. Delores loved the combination of chocolate and cherries, and Pam had said they could take some of the baked goods home. “If nobody else wants it, I’ll take the rest of that chocolate cherry coffeecake.”
“Fine by me,” Pam said.
“You got it, Hannah,” Willa agreed. “I’m taking the rest of the raised cinnamon doughnuts. I thought they were great.”
Hannah didn’t comment. She hadn’t given the doughnuts a high mark. She’d thought they were a bit greasy, and the contestant had used too much cinnamon for her taste. “What are you taking, Pam?”
“The sticky buns. They’re George’s favorites. And I think I’ll take one of the apple coffeecakes, too. George’s sister loves apple coffeecake. I’ll just pop it in the freezer and take it with me the next time we visit.”
The next few minutes were spent tallying scores. Hannah read them off, Willa punched them into the calculator that had been provided for them, and Pam marked them down on the master score sheet. They were nearing the end when Pam gave a little gasp.
“Good heavens!” she exclaimed, staring at the master score sheet as if it couldn’t possibly be right. “Mrs. Adamczak only got an honorable mention?”
Hannah was every bit as shocked as Pam looked. “You’ve got to be kidding! She’s never come in lower than second place!”
“And that was right after she had her hip replacement and she couldn’t stand for more than five minutes at a time,” Pam said with a frown. “There’s got to be some mistake.”
“Which entry was hers?” Willa asked.
Hannah glanced down at the master sheet. “Number thirty-two, the cinnamon raisin bread. It was the only one entered. Nobody wants to put their cinnamon raison bread up against Mrs. Adamczak’s.”
“Are you sure you tallied her score right?” Pam asked Willa. “I didn’t think Mrs. Adamczak’s bread was quite as good as last year, but I still gave her nines across the board.”
“And I gave her almost all nines,” Hannah said.
Willa looked highly uncomfortable. “Her score’s right. I gave her threes and fours. When I added all the marks together, her score averaged out to a little below seven, and there were three other entries higher than hers.”
“You gave her threes and fours?” Hannah had trouble believing that Willa hadn’t liked Mrs. Adanczak’s bread. “But that’s below average.”
“I know. I thought it had too many raisins. And I didn’t like the golden ones mixed in with the regular.”
“Okay,” Pam said. “What else was wrong with it?”
“There wasn’t enough cinnamon and it was mixed with some spice I didn’t care for. I think it was…cardamom?”
“That’s right,” Hannah said, glancing quickly at the list of ingredients. “Was there anything else you didn’t like?”
“I thought it was overbaked.”
“I agree that it was a bit too brown on top,” Pam said, turning to Hannah.
“So do I. I gave her an eight on presentation for that. But it was still moist, so it didn’t hurt the texture or the internal appearance.”
Willa looked a bit regretful. “I suppose Mrs. Adamczak’s going to be really disappointed.” And when Pam and Hannah nodded, she gave a deep sigh. “She’s the lady that lives in the yellow house right across from the school, isn’t she?”
“That’s right,” Pam answered her.
“I wonder if…I mean, it’s probably not allowed, but…do you think I should change my scorecard?”
Hannah and Pam locked eyes. It was a tough question, and Willa was clearly struggling with it.
“Let’s put it to the test,” Hannah said at last, after Pam had failed to speak up. “Do you still feel the same way about her bread?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then your objections are valid. You didn’t think it deserved to win before, and you shouldn’t change your score now that you know who baked
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