When Only Cupcakes Will Do
Read When Only Cupcakes Will Do Online
Authors: Daisy James
When life gives you lemons, make lemon-drizzle cupcakesâ¦
Lucie thought that proposing to her boyfriend in Tiffany's would be the best day of her life. Until he said no. In just a few seconds, her whole world is turned upside-down! And when she accidentally switches cocoa powder for chilli powder at work, she finds herself out of a job tooâ¦
Baking has always made life better in the past, but can Lucie really bake her way to happiness? Starting her own company, selling cupcakes out of an old ice-cream van might just be the second chance she needs!
Of course, she never expected to find love along the wayâ¦
The delightfully heartwarming romantic comedy from Daisy James!
When Only Cupcakes Will Do
Daisy James
D
AISY
J
AMES
is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the north-east of England. She loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. She has written three novels,
The Runaway Bridesmaid
,
If the Dress Fits
and
When Only Cupcakes Will Do
, all contemporary romances with a dash of humour. When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something pink and fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea â china plates and teacups are a must!
Daisy would love to hear from readers via her Facebook page or you can follow her on twitter @daisyjamesbooks.
Thank you to my friends Kathleen and Luigi Sanapo for their generous input on the subject of Italian cakes and confectionery and for the fun in the baking⦠and the sampling!
To my lovely sister, Hazel
Contents
âOkay, people, it's a big night tonight. The restaurant's overbooked â how did you let that happen, Sofia? â so we all need to be at the top of our game. I want our diners to marvel over our minestrone, drool over our
ditali
and swoon when they taste a slice of Lucie's signature strawberry
crostata
.' Gino smiled as he delivered his regular pre-shift monologue to his kitchen staff in preparation for the busiest night of the week at Francesca's Trattoria.
âYes, Chef,' they chorused.
âI want us to have fun with it because, when we do, our pleasure shows in the food we serve. However, as we all know, it's an even bigger night for our very own Dessert Diva.' Gino's mahogany eyes rested on Lucie.
âYay, Lucie!'
âGo get him!'
âAlex is a lucky guy!'
A surge of heat rose to her cheeks as she glanced around at her colleagues who had become friends over the last two years. They had listened to her, offering their own increasingly bizarre suggestions, as she'd organised and plotted every detail of what she planned to do that evening with almost military precision. She was determined that everything would be perfect, nothing would be left to chance, for it wasn't every day a girl proposed to her boyfriend.
âOkay, let's go, guys!'
Lucie strode over to her prep area. She tried to prevent her lips from tweaking upwards at the corners but failed. The sooner she finished that evening's desserts, the sooner she could wriggle into the Hobbs dress hanging in her locker and be on her way. Francesca frowned on her chefs asking for Friday night off but had reluctantly agreed to her request provided she spent the whole afternoon at the trattoria cooking up a storm. She tightened her apron round her waist, grabbed her favourite silver mixing bowl and began to sift the flour for her strawberry tart.
Soon she was in the culinary zone and her happiness ballooned. She adored Alex, but a very close second in the race for her heart was her love affair with baking and her perfect job as a pastry chef for one of the best Italian restaurants in Hammersmith. She sliced, squeezed, liquidised and whisked; all to the accompaniment of Gino's barked suggestions, Sofia and Antonio's increasingly racy gossip, and snippets of an aria from one of Gino's favourite operas. A mouth-watering aroma of garlic and olive oil, intertwined with caramelised sugar and lemon zest, snaked through the kitchen and caused her stomach to growl as punishment for skipping lunch.
At last she sprinkled a generous dusting of sugar on her
torta di cioccolato e mandorle
and stood back. She checked her watch. It was time to go.
âHey, Lucie! You still over there creating your culinary magic? Go on, get out of here! Go get that handsome guy of yours!' smiled Gino, dragging her into a bear hug and depositing a noisy kiss on each of her cheeks.
Lucie unravelled the strings of her apron and hung it on its designated hook. Gino ran a tidy kitchen, yet, even left to her own devices, she would have had her workspace as pristine as a surgical operating theatre. Tidy kitchen, tidy life â this was the mantra her mother had drummed into her ever since she had held her first wooden spoon. It had seeped into her consciousness, but had slipped from her sister Jess's shoulders like sand.
âBye, everyone. Wish me luck!'
She almost made it to the door, but Sofia caught up with her. She placed her hand on Lucie's forearm and met her eyes. âLucie, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?'
âSofiaâ¦'
âAll I'm saying is maybe you should talk to Alex before you rush into anything.'
Lucie rolled her eyes. She'd been listening to various versions of the same sermon for the last eight weeks, ever since she'd announced her intention to propose to Alex.
âWhy not wait until Alex asks
you
to marry him?'
âBecause, in case you hadn't noticed, I adore Alex and he adores me. And we've been together for ever. I'm fed up of waiting. We're just plodding along â everything's become so comfortable, so predictable â and unless I take the initiative I can see us in five, maybe even ten years' time, still meandering arm-in-arm down life's highway with no real destination in sight. I want to inject some zing into our relationship â and this is the perfect way to do it!'
The trattoria's indomitable manager flicked the sides of her short chestnut bob behind her ears. Tall and willowy, especially in her work stilettos, Sofia possessed the stature of a mannequin. If she ever had the need for a second income she would be snapped up by a modelling agency straightaway, but she relished playing the lead female role in her own restaurant drama â well, until the eponymous Francesca Santini, the restaurant's owner and all-round gastronomic ogre, arrived to stamp on her toes. She opened her mouth again to continue with her soliloquy of caution, but Lucie didn't have the time or the inclination to listen to a repeat performance, however well meaning.
âDon't worry, Sofia. I know exactly what I'm doing. Everything is going to be perfect. The store manager has even agreed to play our song at exactly eight p.m. so it will be on in the background as I make my declaration of true love. I'm so excited I could skip naked along the rooftops.'
It was Sofia's turn to roll her eyes in frustration.
âOh, come on, Sofia,' said Antonio, appearing from the kitchen to sling his arm around Sofia's neck. âEven you have to admit what Lucie's got planned is romantic! Just because you're married to your career doesn't mean you can deny Lucie a little romance in her life.'
âA little romance? The scene of this forthcoming proposal wouldn't be out of place in a lavish Hollywood rom-com production. She's booked Tiffany's, for God's sake! Please, Lucie. I know you think I'm being a killjoy. If you have truly found your soulmate, then I'm happy for you. Alex is a great guy. He's handsome, funny, a talented corporate lawyer and one of the most passionate Chelsea supporters I've ever had the pleasure to be acquainted with. I understand that you've been dating for ages but you know he's focusing on his career at the moment, wants to make partner before he's thirty.
Why not wait until his partnership is confirmed at the board meeting in April and have a dual celebration?'
Lucie smiled. Alex often dropped into the conversation his goal of gaining a partnership at Carter & Mayhew by the time he reached his milestone birthday. She'd nod her reassurance that she had no doubt he would achieve his ambition, before adding her own dream of being at the helm of her own restaurant or running her own catering business. He'd usually pat her arm indulgently whenever she said this, fluff up her curls and tell her they should be working on squeezing out every ounce of enjoyment their lifestyle in the capital afforded them.
âYou're a good friend, Sofia, and I cherish your support and advice. But I love Alex. I want to marry him whether he's a partner at Carter & Mayhew or not. It doesn't matter to me whether he's a top corporate lawyer or a lowly legal clerk. All I know is that we are destined to be together. So why shouldn't I propose? This
is
the twenty-first century you know!'
Lucie checked her watch. She didn't want to be late. She had even booked a taxi to take her over to Sloane Street where the most fabulous store in London awaited her arrival. Excitement bubbled through her veins and she shivered with exhilaration at the thought that, in less than an hour's time, she would be an engaged woman.
âI wish you'd let us come along to witness the proposal of the decade,' lamented Antonio with a glint of mischief in his espresso eyes. âWe could take a few photos, record the perfect moment on our phones so you can play it all back for your grandchildren.'
She smiled at him as she straightened the scarlet belted dress she'd splashed out on for the occasion. She had completed her outfit with a pair of Louboutins Sofia had loaned her, which her friend usually housed in a specially purchased glass case like a prized museum artefact in her bedroom. She had so many pairs of gorgeous stilettos, Lucie was surprised she didn't sell tickets to a gallery viewing. However, the shoes were performing their designated role perfectly and delivered a whoosh of much-needed confidence. She scrabbled around in the dark depths of her handbag and produced a comb to tease a couple of recalcitrant curls back into place and finished off with a spritz of hairspray.
âOkay, here's my cab. How do I look?'
âStunning,
cara
mia
. I'd marry you!' smirked Antonio. âNow, off you go and enjoy every moment. Take no notice of Miss Sceptical over there. She's just jealous that she has no time to date, unless you include her suspiciously close relationship with her iPhone. Is there a male version of Siri?'