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recipe.” Monica, who was Chloe’s best friend, worked part-time at the Sugar Creek Library. Luke went in there a lot to check out audiobooks. Getting her to help him choose an actual recipe book without betraying his reading disorder had been pathetically easy. When it came to hiding his lifelong dyslexia, Luke was a master of deception.
    “I honestly didn’t think he could screw this one up,” she said.
    “Where did I go wrong?” Luke leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Go on. I can take it.”
    “They’re too salty,” Judy Betts, one of the senior members said.
    “And gooey,” added Helen Cole, another senior and crackerjack baker. “What kind of flour did you use?”
    Luke shrugged. “The white kind.”
    “Self-rising?” Gram asked. “Or all-purpose?”
    “There’s a difference?”
    “Sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?” Chloe asked.
    Luke furrowed his brow. He thought he’d bought the right one, but maybe he’d misread. When it came to reading, letters typically swirled and flipped. Patience was key and he didn’t always have it. “I didn’t look specifically,” he lied.
    Everyone groaned then traded cryptic glances.
    Luke braced. Because he loved people, people usually loved him. He was always the life of the party, the guy everyone wanted to hang with. He’d never been kicked out of a club or any other circle but he had the feeling the CLs were about to give him the boot.
    His sister, who was also the president of the Cupcake Lovers, braced her forearms on the table and leaned forward. “Here’s the thing, Luke,” she said with a gentle smile.
    Oh, yeah. He could almost feel Rocky’s boot heel on his ass.
    “As you know,” she went on, “we’re coordinating several overseas cupcake care packages. We’re also struggling to hold on to that publishing contract. It doesn’t bode well that they put our project on hold.”
    “I’m almost sorry Tasha moved to Arizona,” Casey said. “She had a great relationship with our editor. If she were still acting as our liaison, she could probably persuade Brett to keep the release date on track.”
    Luke wasn’t one bit sorry about Tasha and Randall Burke’s unexpected move. Although she hadn’t been directly responsible, Tasha had played a role in the destruction of The Red Clover—Rocky’s former bed-and-breakfast. His sister’s home and all of her belongings had been lost in a fire set by Randall’s son, Tasha’s stepson—who was now serving time in jail. Tasha had tried to make amends, but that hadn’t gone so well and Randall hadn’t appreciated living in the fallout of the scandal. He’d retired early, giving up his position as town mayor and packing up his trophy wife (whom he really seemed to love, for reasons that eluded anyone who knew the catty woman), trading one million-dollar home for another. Randall was richer than that Facebook dude.
    Sort of like someone else Luke knew. Although he didn’t really
know
Rae at all and tried very hard not to think about her.
    “Tasha’s absence factors in on multiple levels,” Chloe said. “Even though she’s still an honorary Cupcake Lover, she’s not a
local
member. It puts a kink in the overall package considering she contributed so many recipes and stories.”
    “Not to mention she’s featured in photos and the publicity video,” Monica said.
    “Also,” Chloe went on, “Brett wasn’t lying when he said there’s a glut in the cupcake market. Between that, Tasha leaving, and the whole Rachel snafu, I can see where we’ve lost some of our appeal.
    “If we only had a gimmick,” Ethel said.
    “I hope they don’t cancel our deal altogether,” Helen said.
    “Would we have to give the advance money back?” Judy asked. “How would that work?”
    “I know I was never a fan of this project, but there’s no denying the extra income would benefit our special causes,” Rocky said. “Take Sugar Tots for instance. I still can’t believe Gretchen