the States and bought a house near our
cousins. He urged me to visit, and when I did, I, too, decided to extend my stay.
Sjölander’s Garden Nursery opened five months later and has seen steady business ever
since.”
“The roses are beautiful,” she told him.
He grinned at her again. “As are you.”
Kim didn’t know what to say. She’d never mastered the knack of flirting with men,
like Rachel, or challenging men, like Andi.
All she could do was continue to smile and say, “Thank you.”
A FTER THEY RETURNED to the Clatsop Fairgrounds and crossed the finish line, Nathaniel made her promise
to meet him during her lunch break at the Scandinavian Festival later that afternoon.
“At vendor space number eight,” he insisted. Then he drove her home so she could shower
before she had to help Rachel and Andi load cupcakes into the Cupcake Mobile.
“How did it go?” Andi asked when she arrived at the shop.
“We had to dodge the Viking encampment and the downtown Op Tog walking parade while
driving back,” she confided. “And I think we almost hit a troll.”
“Sounds like you had fun.”
“I had an adventure,” Kim agreed. “How are things here?”
Andi gave her a pensive look. “Sam Warden heard about the fire. He said if we can’t
buy the building by July first, we need to leave. He won’t let us stay longer even
if the building hasn’t sold by then.”
Kim thought of her latest creations, sculpted from icing to decorate the tops of the
cupcakes for the festival. “Let’s hope we sell lots of cupcakes today.”
A short while later the Creative Cupcakes booth was up and running. Kim served magically
minty grasshopper cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes with whipped cream and fresh sliced
strawberries on top. She had cupcakes sculpted like trolls with big bulbous noses
and pointy green hats. Cupcakes with wreaths of flowers. And cupcakes with large individual
roses.
“Meredith, that’s incredible!” Andi exclaimed. “I didn’t realize you were so talented.”
Kim turned her head and caught the look on the teenager’s arrogant face. Was Meredith
trying to take credit for her work?
“I decorated them,” Kim corrected her sister. “Meredith mixed the different colors
for the icing.”
Andi gave Meredith a questioning glance.
Meredith shrugged and replied, “I could have decorated them just as well.”
Kim narrowed her eyes. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the teen had read her
mind, knew she’d considered leaving, and aimed to replace her.
“These cupcakes look exactly like a plate of vegetables,” Andi crooned. “So real I
wouldn’t even know it was cake.”
“Wait until you see my plate of spaghetti and meatball cupcakes,” Kim said, bringing
them out to show her. “I used a fork to carve the frosting into spaghetti, round chocolate
mini cakes for the meatballs, and raspberry syrup poured over the top for the sauce.”
“Not good for my diet,” Andi warned. “You’ll make me want to eat them all.”
“I agree,” said a plump woman stepping up to their booth. “I’ll buy both sets.”
“I’ll take this tray of cupcakes decorated like a rose garden,” another lady told
them. “I’ve never seen such artistic work.”
Kim warmed to the praise and gave her wannabe rival, Meredith, another glance. Maybe
using her artistic skills to decorate cupcakes could bring her as much satisfaction
as painting. Maybe if Creative Cupcakes remained in business, she wouldn’t need a
replacement.
However, five hours later, she admitted she could use what Nathaniel termed a “ fika break.” Sales had brought in more money than at any previous event they’d participated
in. The line of customers was twenty deep, and Kim had been selling and serving cupcakes
every second.
Andi switched with Rachel halfway through the day so she could take Mia back to the
cupcake shop and Rachel could bring Grandpa Lewy and Mike to
cousins. He urged me to visit, and when I did, I, too, decided to extend my stay.
Sjölander’s Garden Nursery opened five months later and has seen steady business ever
since.”
“The roses are beautiful,” she told him.
He grinned at her again. “As are you.”
Kim didn’t know what to say. She’d never mastered the knack of flirting with men,
like Rachel, or challenging men, like Andi.
All she could do was continue to smile and say, “Thank you.”
A FTER THEY RETURNED to the Clatsop Fairgrounds and crossed the finish line, Nathaniel made her promise
to meet him during her lunch break at the Scandinavian Festival later that afternoon.
“At vendor space number eight,” he insisted. Then he drove her home so she could shower
before she had to help Rachel and Andi load cupcakes into the Cupcake Mobile.
“How did it go?” Andi asked when she arrived at the shop.
“We had to dodge the Viking encampment and the downtown Op Tog walking parade while
driving back,” she confided. “And I think we almost hit a troll.”
“Sounds like you had fun.”
“I had an adventure,” Kim agreed. “How are things here?”
Andi gave her a pensive look. “Sam Warden heard about the fire. He said if we can’t
buy the building by July first, we need to leave. He won’t let us stay longer even
if the building hasn’t sold by then.”
Kim thought of her latest creations, sculpted from icing to decorate the tops of the
cupcakes for the festival. “Let’s hope we sell lots of cupcakes today.”
A short while later the Creative Cupcakes booth was up and running. Kim served magically
minty grasshopper cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes with whipped cream and fresh sliced
strawberries on top. She had cupcakes sculpted like trolls with big bulbous noses
and pointy green hats. Cupcakes with wreaths of flowers. And cupcakes with large individual
roses.
“Meredith, that’s incredible!” Andi exclaimed. “I didn’t realize you were so talented.”
Kim turned her head and caught the look on the teenager’s arrogant face. Was Meredith
trying to take credit for her work?
“I decorated them,” Kim corrected her sister. “Meredith mixed the different colors
for the icing.”
Andi gave Meredith a questioning glance.
Meredith shrugged and replied, “I could have decorated them just as well.”
Kim narrowed her eyes. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the teen had read her
mind, knew she’d considered leaving, and aimed to replace her.
“These cupcakes look exactly like a plate of vegetables,” Andi crooned. “So real I
wouldn’t even know it was cake.”
“Wait until you see my plate of spaghetti and meatball cupcakes,” Kim said, bringing
them out to show her. “I used a fork to carve the frosting into spaghetti, round chocolate
mini cakes for the meatballs, and raspberry syrup poured over the top for the sauce.”
“Not good for my diet,” Andi warned. “You’ll make me want to eat them all.”
“I agree,” said a plump woman stepping up to their booth. “I’ll buy both sets.”
“I’ll take this tray of cupcakes decorated like a rose garden,” another lady told
them. “I’ve never seen such artistic work.”
Kim warmed to the praise and gave her wannabe rival, Meredith, another glance. Maybe
using her artistic skills to decorate cupcakes could bring her as much satisfaction
as painting. Maybe if Creative Cupcakes remained in business, she wouldn’t need a
replacement.
However, five hours later, she admitted she could use what Nathaniel termed a “ fika break.” Sales had brought in more money than at any previous event they’d participated
in. The line of customers was twenty deep, and Kim had been selling and serving cupcakes
every second.
Andi switched with Rachel halfway through the day so she could take Mia back to the
cupcake shop and Rachel could bring Grandpa Lewy and Mike to
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