A Bundt Instrument by Nancy Warren

Author:Nancy Warren [Warren, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Published: 2020-08-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

“Poppy, stop grimacing. What if the wind changes and your face stays that way?”

Gina tugged again at my ponytail, and I laughed. She was the only person who could tame my thick brown locks into a sleek ponytail—but my goodness, it hurt when she whipped my flyaways into shape. I obeyed her orders and kept still until she was finished, taking the opportunity to close my eyes to the tent’s bright lights.

So much had happened over the past few days that it felt like an age since I’d last been on set. Even with my eyes closed, every corner of the set was embedded in my very being. The vast expanse of crisp white calico above my head, the gorgeous green lawns of the estate beyond it. Beneath my feet were the long planks of polished pine, where I hoped I wouldn’t goof up and drop my cake. My nerves couldn’t take another creation splattered across the ground.

“All done,” Gina said. “Now just a final slick of gloss, and you’ll be ready to knock them dead.”

Gina spun me round and painted my lips with something that smelled like cinnamon. I thought my beautifying was over, but then she began fiddling with my earrings. “Let me set these straight,” she murmured. The earrings were my favorite: two gold ginkgo leaves set with green stones on a gold chain so that they dangled near my shoulders. I’d held back from wearing them on the show, worried I’d get them caught in my hair as I furiously stirred some cake mix, but Gina’s sleek ponytail should keep me out of harm’s way. Besides, they matched my green shirtdress perfectly.

I watched Gina’s face as she concentrated, trying to focus on her familiar, calm features. The kindness in her eyes. Anything but the nerves coursing through my body. By now, I was used to the pressure. I wasn’t the newbie on a TV set anymore. I knew the ropes. I knew that Gina had to heavily powder my face to make sure I didn’t shine on camera; I knew the best place for my mic pack to be clipped to stop it from showing on screen. Okay, so that might not have made me a seasoned professional like Elspeth or Jonathon, but I was learning the ropes. So why did I feel so on edge?

“Chin up, Pops,” Gina said, putting a hand on my shoulder. Then she leaned in so no one could overhear her. “You’ve got this. I’ve tasted your Bundt cake. It’s a winner.”

“Shh. Don’t jinx it.”

She gave me a knowing look. “Now go out there and show them what you’ve got.”

I stood, pulled my shoulders back and took a deep breath. There was nothing for it now but to bake my little socks off.

Daniel was waiting for Gina to give his nose a powder. I asked him what he was going to bake today. He told me he’d gone on holiday to Austria with his family last year and the children fell in love with Austrian peach cookies.

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