Page 27 of Cuddling Carly

The pressure of tears was mounting in her eyes, and she hurried to the counter and started measuring ingredients before she could think too much about it all.

But an hour later, the cupcakes came out of the oven—and they were a disaster.

“It’s the oven,” she told Mr. Pumpkin Head. “And this isn’t my usual pan and stuff. I’m used to my kitchen.”

Checking the clock on her phone, she realized it was almost time to meet her friends at the community center for a practice run.

“It’ll be so much easier there. In that big, industrial kitchen, the cupcakes will probably come out even better than they do at home.”

With that, she cleaned up the mess, hugged Mr. Pumpkin Head, and set out to try again.

She just hoped it would yield better results this time.

She didn’t have much confidence, though.

Chapter Seventeen

A few minutes later, Carly was standing in the big kitchen of the community center, marveling at the tools she had to work with.

“Is this okay?” Eli asked.

“Better than okay! I’ve never baked somewhere like this. It’s always just in my own kitchen at home. Having all this will make things so much easier.”

They’d shown her the kitchen earlier, so this wasn’t the first time she was laying eyes on it. But now that she was actually going to use it, excitement replaced her nervousness.

This was going to be amazing!

“I’m sorry for the quick turnaround,” Eli said. “With the big party coming up the day after tomorrow, I know that doesn’t allow for much time. And I want you to be able to enjoy your stay here instead of working.”

“Hey, with all this,” Carly motioned at the giant mixers, ovens, and massive island that provided plenty of counterspace, “it actually won’t take much time at all. I’m going to make a small batch tonight, for practice. That’ll help me learn the oven and all that. You know, each one is different.”

What she didn’t say was that she was lacking a little confidence—lacking confidence in something she’d done countless times over the years.

“Sure. That makes sense. Do you need any help?” Eli asked.

“Yeah, your baking assistants are ready to get to work,” Katie added. “And I’m kind of excited to learn about all this.”

“Me, too,” Stella said.

“Harrison and Stryker are putting some finishing touches on the haunted house, and we aren’t meeting up until later. So, I can pitch in, if you’d like, too,” Eli said.

While Carly could have whipped up a batch of cupcakes without assistants aiding her, having friends along for the task would be great. She was so used to being alone in that little kitchen at her house with only Mr. Pumpkin Head to talk to. But she didn’t want them to feel obligated.

“I don’t want y’all to take up your evening working,” she protested.

“We just want to hang out,” Katie told her. “And learn a few baking tips.”

With that, the crew got busy, with Carly directing things. It took her a few minutes to get the lay of the land and assess the equipment, but things went smoothly after that.

Or so she’d thought.

When she pulled the cupcakes out of the oven and surveyed the final product, though, they weren’t what she was hoping for.

“Hey, they look good to me,” Eli said as he pulled one off the pan and then dipped a spreading knife into the bowl of homemade icing.

But when he started to frost it, it fell apart in his hands.

“Oh no! Maybe I didn’t account for the elevation,” Carly said. “You know, cupcakes set differently at higher altitudes and stuff like that.”