Confectionately Yours #3: Sugar and Spice (13 page)

“O
ooh, little sandwich cookies!” Meghan says as I place a plate on the table in front of her. “So cute!”

“They’re macarons,” I explain. “French — and gluten free.”

“Lucky me!” Meghan takes a bite of one. “So good! Are they easy to make?”

“Totally not.”

“Okay, then I won’t even ask for the recipe. I’ll just come here.”

I smile and take a bite of a peanut butter and jelly macaron. I messed up three batches before I finally managed to make one come out right. But these were perfect — light and crisp with a smooth, sweet center.

I’m just reaching for my thick china mug — which is
dangerously full of cocoa — when the bell over the door jingles and in walks Artie, her orange scarf wrapped almost to her eyes.

She closes the door carefully and hovers in front of it, looking behind the counter. I can tell she’s looking for me, and before I even realize what I’m doing, I wave and say, “Over here!”

Artie unwinds her scarf, and her cheeks bloom pink in the warm café. “Hi,” she says as she sits down at our table.

“Eat this,” Meghan says, holding out a cookie.

Artie shakes her head. “Meghan, do you have to make everything sound so bossy?”

A flash of worry shoots through me, but Meghan doesn’t snap. She just says, “I don’t like to give people choices. Then they might say no.”

Artie laughs and takes the cookie. “Mmm.”

“Aren’t you glad you listened to me?” Meghan asks.

Artie rolls her eyes. “I’m glad that Hayley made these cookies. How’s that?”

“I’m branching out,” I announce.

“But you’ll still make cupcakes sometimes, right?” Artie asks. “I mean — I’d hate for those to disappear forever.”

“Oh, I’ll still make cupcakes,” I promise. “In fact — I might have to make some for a special occasion soon.” And I explain about Gran and Mr. Malik.

“Whoa.” Meghan’s eyes are wide. “Cool!”

“It’s so romantic,” Artie says.

“Yeah, it is, kind of,” I agree.

Artie looks around the café and takes another thoughtful bite of her cookie. “Everything’s changing.”

“Everything is always changing,” Meghan points out.

“True,” Artie admits. “But it’s a little hard.”

“Hard?” Meghan looks shocked. “You mean exciting!”

“
She
means hard,” I say, pointing at Artie. “
You
mean exciting. And you’re both right.”

“Hmm.” Meghan nods. “Okay.”

“Good point, Hayley,” Artie says.

I take a sip of my cocoa, letting myself savor the warm sweetness. I don’t know if Artie and Meghan will ever be best friends. I don’t know if I’ll ever be really close to Artie again, either. But at least we can get along.

And I’m glad to have them both.

Flaws and all.

I
would like to gratefully acknowledge the help of my sister, Zoë Papademetriou, who created the recipes in this book. I would also like to thank my editor Anamika Bhatnagar for her insight and input, and my agent Rosemary Stimola for her unwavering enthusiasm. Huge thanks to Starr Mayo and Jackie Hornberger, whose help and high standards are essential to this series. As always, a loving hug to my husband and daughter. Thank you to Nerissa Nields for her support of my blog, and to Ellen Wittlinger, Nancy Werlin, Liza Ketchum, and Pat Collins for their willingness to share their work and careful attention to mine. And a huge shout-out to my fellow writers (and friends) at Vermont College of Fine Arts!

H
ayley’s family’s tea shop is abuzz with some great news: Gran’s getting married! But Hayley’s best friends are fighting like crazy, and every time she tries to make a wedding cake, it turns into a royal disaster. Everything seems to be falling into place for Gran, for Hayley’s parents, and even for little sister Chloe — but will there be a happy ending for Hayley?

LISA PAPADEMETRIOU
is the author of numerous books for young readers, including
Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me; How to Be a Girly Girl in Just Ten Days;
and the
Accidentally Fabulous
series. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2010, and is also allergic to soy, dairy, egg, yeast, and shellfish. Luckily, her sister, Zoë, is a talented baker. For gluten-free, allergy-friendly versions of all of the recipes in this book, please visit Lisa’s website,
www.lisapapa.com
.