A Batter of Life and Death (33 page)

Andy snagged a cinnamon muffin from the cooling rack. He ate non-stop. Playing football for Southern Oregon University had him burning calories around the clock.
No wonder he likes working here
, I thought, as he devoured the muffin in two bites and grabbed another. Mom has always had an “eat whatever you want policy” for staff. We used to joke on the ship that you could tell who the newbie baker was by how much they ate. Once you’ve been around a bakeshop for a while, the lure of consuming every tasty morsel in front of you tends to dissipate. That wasn’t the case for Andy.

“Lance wants us to cater an executive retreat at Lake of the Woods next weekend,” I said, passing around the file.

Mom dusted her hands on her apron. Her walnut eyes lit up as she read the agenda. “This is great news, honey!” She paused and looked concerned. “But this is a big order. You can’t do it yourself.”

I nodded. “It’s a big order. It’ll mean preparing every meal for all forty guests.”

“And more dough, right, boss?” Andy said through a mouthful of muffin.

“Right, and I have a plan.” I turned to Sterling. He stood next to Stephanie, their arms almost touching. “I’m wondering if you want to be my sous chef for the weekend?”

Sterling took a step back. “Sure. I can do that.”

“Perfect!” Mom clapped. “Andy, Stephanie and I will keep Torte in tip-top shape while you two are away.”

“You better.” I pointed my index finger at her.

She grabbed a dishtowel and flicked me with it. “If our fearless captain here will let us little people help, who has suggestions for the menu?”

I found a pad of paper in the top drawer by the whiteboard and started taking notes as everyone started talking at one. Mom is a genius at collaboration. I loved that she had instilled that in our young staff. It was something I tried to model too.

“Breakfast is easy,” Andy said. “You guys can just do all our standard morning pastries, right?”

“Yes, but you know Lance. His exact words were that he wants us to
dazzle
the board members with our food.” I mimicked Lance’s dramatic speech pattern.

“But he wants comfort food?” Sterling asked. “Dazzling and comfort don’t exactly go together.”

Mom picked up the dishtowel again and flung it at him. “Sterling, how can you say that? Isn’t dazzling comfort exactly what we make here at Torte?”

Sterling held up the towel in surrender. “You’ve got me there, Helen.”

“I heard good things about your lasagna last weekend,” Stephanie said.

“Okay,” I scratched notes on the paper. “We start with morning pastries. Maybe one day we can do a warm egg dish. Lunch should be easy. We can do sandwiches on homemade bread.”

“And soup,” Mom said.

“Yes, and definitely soup.” I made a note, as we mapped out a menu and supply list.

I spent the remainder of the morning feeling the familiar jitter of a new challenge. I hadn’t been to Lake of the Woods since I was a kid. Spending the weekend at a remote high mountain lodge and putting my culinary skills to the test sounded perfect.

Only I would soon come to learn that much more than pastry was on the menu for the weekend.

About the Author

ELLIE ALEXANDER
is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of
research
. You can friend her on Facebook to learn more! You can sign up for email updates
here
.

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A Batter of Life and Death